Volume 61, Issue 339, September - December 2025

The impact of human activities on mugger crocodile and their habitat in central Gujarat, India

Raju Vyas^♦

Shashwat Flats, BPC-Haveli Road, Alkapuri, Vadodara 390 007, Gujarat, India

^♦Corresponding Author
Raju Vyas, Shashwat Flats, BPC-Haveli Road, Alkapuri, Vadodara 390 007, Gujarat, India

ABSTRACT

From 2019 to 2025, various authorities in central Gujarat, India, restored 11 water bodies for beautification, tourism, and rejuvenation, excluding two sites that were Typha swamps set on fire by farmers. The note outlines a detailed account of habitat destruction and alteration for these 11 water bodies, including nine lentic and two lotic river habitats across four districts. These water bodies are home to a few ‘Schedule I’ reptile species under IWPA-1972, such as Mugger crocodiles. Four sites permanently lost their mugger populations, while seven sites lost them only temporarily. The largest affected area, in terms of size, is in Vadodara district, followed by Narmada and Anand, with the smallest in Kheda. Additionally, the note provides a current scenario, estimate, and discussion of the mugger population in the state.

Keywords: Anthropogenic, Aquatic-habitat, Marsh Crocodiles, Rejuvenation, Threats, Tourism, Wetlands

Discovery, 2025, 61, e25d3193

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v61i339.e25d3193

Published: 09 December 2025