Batagur Recovery along the Chambal–Yamuna River System

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To mitigate heavy nest predation and seasonal flooding, WSAFI operates an intensive annual nest protection initiative along a high-priority 30-kilometer river corridor (Nadgawan to Udi) within the National Chambal Sanctuary. At the onset of each nesting season, WSAFI field teams conduct extensive foot and boat surveys to locate vulnerable clutches, relocating them to secure, temporary riverside hatcheries. Over the past twelve years, WSAFI’s field intervention has protected tens of thousands of nests and successfully released hundreds of thousands of Batagur hatchlings back into the Chambal River, providing a vital demographic boost to these wild populations.

To address key knowledge gaps in Batagur nesting ecology, WSAFI leads pioneering research evaluating the microhabitat dynamics that govern nest-site selection and clutch success. Our scientific teams document critical habitat parameters—including sandbank slope, moisture levels, soil compaction, and thermal profiles—to measure their direct influence on hatching success, hatchling fitness, and temperature-dependent sex ratios. These empirical findings provide essential guidance for State Forest Department management plans, helping mitigate the impacts of human disturbance and habitat degradation on primary nesting sandbanks. 

Recognizing that long-term species recovery depends on local support, WSAFI runs an immersive environmental education and community stewardship program across the Chambal landscape. Through interactive river workshops, student field expeditions, media awareness campaigns, and community-led river cleanups, WSAFI deepens public understanding of the Chambal River ecosystem. By integrating local riverine communities into conservation efforts and alternative livelihood training, we foster enduring local stewardship for these endangered aquatic species and their wild habitats. 

Variation in Reproductive Output of the Red-crowned Roofed Turtle (Batagur kachuga) and the Three-striped Roofed Turtle (Batagur dhongoka) in the Chambal River of North India 

Batagur kachuga (errata version published in 2019). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T10949A152043133. 

Species Composition and Perceptions of Snakes in a Village within the National Chambal Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh, India

Conservation recovery of Batagur kachuga and Batagur dhongoka turtles in India: Development and operation of a head-starting facility