Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Kochi has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Space Applications Centre (SAC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at SAC Main Campus in Ahmedabad.
The MoU was signed between Shri Nilesh Desai, Associate Director, SAC and Dr P.U. Zacharia, Principal Scientist and Principal Investigator, NICRA Project of ICAR-CMFRI. As per the requirement of ICAR-CMFRI, the SAC will develop the web portal and mobile app.
As per the MoU, a mobile app and a centralized portal with a complete database of more than 5 lakhs small wetlands across the country will be developed aimed at the real-time monitor and further conserve the wetlands.
The move was a part to find the ways for mitigating the impact of climate change on fisheries and wetlands by the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project of ICAR-CMFRI. Recently, the CMFRI developed a national framework for fisheries and wetlands under the NICRA project.
The common national portal and mobile app is for acquisition and integration of wetland data into a common digital repository, helping the stakeholders and the public for obtaining the time-to-time information on wetlands. The ICAR-CMFRI will further strengthen the already developed geospatial wetland database of ISRO with the field level inputs of physical, chemical and biological parameters of the wetlands. The ICAR-CMFRI along with the support of other fisheries research institutions; will play the lead role to generate the periodic field level wetland datasets, such as, water quality, sediment quality, biodiversity and species health for helping the farmers to utilize the wetlands for the sustainable aquaculture as a part of restoring the degraded wetlands in the country.
The collaborative initiative will help in developing a comprehensive wetland information system that could facilitate the village level wetland advisories to the local people by the scientific communities. The data generated will be stored in the SAC server with access to the authorized scientific communities and the ICAR-CMFRI will act as the nodal centre to approve the latest data updates on the wetlands submitted by the collaborating fisheries institutions and stakeholders.
This is the first national instance that a fisheries institute is collaborating with the ISRO for developing a comprehensive climate resilient framework for the fisheries and wetlands. The real-time wetland advisories could enhance the climatic resilience of the small wetlands in the country.
