Using Coastal Impact’s platform, we have begun a webinar series with a number of guest speakers giving presentations on various topics that are close to our hearts.
Upcoming Webinars
30th August
A Weekend with Whale Sharks
join us for a virtual dive trip with Digant Desai in Indonesia, West Papua to meet the whale sharks of Cendrawasih Bay
Digant is one of the top marine photographers in India and has been widely published in various magazines and has also co authored a book on sea slugs. He has won several International and National awards for underwater photography and is passionate about showcasing the marine world.
7: 30 PM
Click to register
21st August
What Sea Snakes taught me about Seafood
Presentation on Sea Snakes by Dr. Aaron Lobo
Aaron is a member of the Marine Conservation Committee at IUCN and has over 15 years of experience in research, policy and practice; he has worked various projects including understanding the impacts of tropical fisheries on ecosystems and livelihoods, setting up participatory models for management of MPAs as well as small-scale fisheries monitoring programmes and advising seafood sustainability programmes.
7: 30 PM Click to register
12th August
A Date with Dugongs
Meet the Dugong Lady of India, Dr. Elrika D’Souza, who will introduce you to these placid, rare mammals on the brink of extinction!
Dr. Elrika is a Research Associate at the Nature Conservation Foundation has been working on the ecology and conservation of dugongs in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for several years. Her recently completed doctoral thesis documented historical declines in dugong populations in the islands and attempted to identify the factors that led to this decline. Her work also explores the relationship between dugongs and the seagrass meadows they depend on.
7: 30 PM Click to register
9th August
The Habitats Trust – Funding Conservation
In this webinar, Trisha will talk about The Habitats Trust and the roles of the partners in the team. She will also discuss their Conservation Grants for organisations and individuals, the selection process for the Grant recipients, and highlight some of their previously funded projects.
Trisha is the Project Director of The Habitats Trust and an avid lover of wildlife and the forests. She has spent close to a decade working on conservation issues in India that are often overlooked. She has worked with some of India’s premier conservation organizations including WWF-India and the Wildlife Protection Society of India. Trisha has worked on a myriad of conservation issues including human-wildlife conflict, poaching and illegal trafficking in wildlife parts, habitat loss and fragmentation, conservation awareness generation, and support to forest fringe communities.
7: 30 PM Click to register
Completed Webinars
26th July
Diving with Dolphins
In this webinar, Mihir will give us an introduction to humpback dolphins and describe the work being conducted with them in Maharashtra
Mihir is a PhD candidate at The Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc, Bangalore, currently working on humpback dolphins (Genus Sousa) across the peninsular Indian coast. A marine biologist by training, he has been studying coastal systems since 2012 and has focused mainly on small cetaceans in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra as a part of the KCRT. Mihir is broadly interested in cetacean habitat ecology and its role in population structuring and speciation.
14th July
Swimming with Sharks
Devanshi Kasana gives us an incredible introduction to sharks and other elasmobranchs, explaining about their feeding habitats and habitats, while dispelling the fear of sharks brought about by the spread of erroneous information and shedding light on the horrific practice of shark finning.
A graduate student at Florida International University, Devanshi works with genetic tools on elasmobranch fisheries, trade and conservation, researching the role of shark meat as a driver of the shark fishery in Belize, Central America. Her interests lie in studying heavy metal accumulation and toxicity in shark tissues to inform consumption practices and the global trade dynamics of shark meat.
9th July
Sea Sponges: Filters of the Sea
In this webinar, Dr Anita George will talk about the various sponge forms, types, functional roles, & importance in biomedical research & reef ecosystem
Dr Anita is a naturalist, marine sponge and octocoral taxonomist with expertise in biodiversity, biogeography, conservation and management of the reef ecosystem. She has a post-doctorate from James Cook University, Australia and handled (ing) projects related to sponge-associated fauna and sponges as ecological indicators for climate-change studies in the Great Barrier Reef and the peninsula India.
4th July
Nudibranchs: Butterflies of the Sea
Learn about the incredible world of nudibranchs and sea slugs in this presentation by Dr Deepak Apte.
Dr Deepak is the Director of BNHS. He has established a full-fledged Marine Conservation Programme in BNHS and heads a number of research and conservation programmes all over India. Deepak is an excellent underwater photographer and has published a book with the most amazing underwater pictures of sea slugs. He aims to popularize marine biodiversity through research, field expedition and publications.
28th June
Alternatives to Fossil Fuels
In this presentation, Jairam Agaram talks about a variety of alternate energy forms that are in use today, and their advantages and disadvantages.
Jairam owns Digital Energy Inc., a company in California, and has provided consulting to the energy industry since 1989 about energy efficient building design, photovoltaic systems design, solar thermal systems design, energy storage systems, micro-grids, wind energy studies, geo-thermal energy and geothermal heat pumps, etc.
21st June
International Climate Change Day: Solar Energy
In this webinar, Suneet will explain about solar energy, the practicalities of setting up solar panels, and the advantages and disadvantages of solar power.
Suneet is involved in designing and installation of rooftop solar PV systems for residential, industrial and institutional end users under his partnership firm, Solum Enterprises.
16th June
World Turtle Day
Muralidharan M talks about sea turtles, especially those found in India, ecology and threats to their survival.
Murali Field Director in the Biodiversity and Monitoring Programme at Dakshin Foundation, I develop and oversees projects focusing on the monitoring of flagship marine species such as sea turtles and sea snakes across the Indian coast. I have worked with traditional fishing communities to develop more participatory activities in conservation. My interests include education, outreach and training for the monitoring and conservation of coastal and marine systems.
11th June
Mollem Update: 3 Projects, 1 Irreplaceable Forest
In this webinar, Parag Rangnekar elucidates the faunal diversity of Bhagawan Mahavir Sanctuary in Mollem, Goa and the impact of the proposed projects there.
Parag Rangnekar is an ecologist based in Goa with 15 research papers and various articles to his credit, including the description of 2 species new to science. A species of wasp, Kudakrumia rangnekari, has been named after him for his contribution towards biodiversity documentation. He is an expert member on the Goa State Biodiversity Board, Invertebrate Conservation Information Network for South Asia, and founding president of Goa Bird Conservation Network. He was awarded the LEAD (Leadership for Environment and Development) Fellowship.
