Goemkarponn Desk
PANAJI: Goa Forest Department has installed automatic weather stations (AWS) in five wildlife sanctuaries – Mhadei, Mollem, Bondla, Netrawali and Cotigao to study the impact of climate change on biodiversity of forests in Goa.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Rajiv Kumar Gupta said the objective of the initiative was to ensure real time mapping and monitoring of various weather parameters, including temperature, humidity, wind speed and rainfall for the scientific management of forest and wildlife areas in Goa.
The stations will record atmospheric data in real time, at intervals of 15 minutes, and transmit the data to a web portal with the help of a satellite.
Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane, said that he was happy to announce that Goa is first state in the country to place such an elaborate modern AWS for scientific management of forest and to study and ascertain impact of climate change on biodiversity of Western Ghats forest.
“Goa is one of the pioneer states in the country to set up AWS in protected areas,” said Rane
The data from air temperature sensors can be used to predict the possibility of forest fires, and data from wind speed and direction sensors can be used to determine the direction of fire spread in case of a breakout,”
