Tamil Nadu Forest Department launches smooth-coated otter conservation drive in Cauvery delta

Key facts

• The Tamil Nadu Department of Forests unveiled a conservation initiative titled ‘Conservation initiative to study the population dynamics, behavioural pattern, and habitat improvement of smooth-coated otters in Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, and Cuddalore districts, within the Cauvery River delta’.
• The project received administrative approval for Rs. 20 lakh, with Rs. 10 lakh disbursed for the 2025-26 financial year as per a July government order.
• Led by the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) in Vandalur, Chennai, the study will be conducted through the department of wildlife biology at AVC Autonomous College in Mayiladuthurai.
• Smooth-coated otters are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and safeguarded under Schedule I of India’s Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
• Otters are monitored through direct observations, faecal sample analysis, photographic records, and environmental DNA sampling.
• The Endangered Wildlife and Environmental Trust (EWET) has performed field surveys and habitat mapping throughout the delta to safeguard and track otter populations.