Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve Illustrated Map

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The distinction of being the most populated tiger reserve, not by tigers but by humans, comes with unique challenges, both for tigers and humans. Add to that the constant flux that tides, floods, cyclones and climate change bring to the delta, and you get a landscape that makes every day a battle for survival. And yet, Sunderban, with all its socio-political challenges and conservation threats, is the only hope for the people as well as the wildlife that inhabit it.

This map of the Indian fraction of the Sunderbans (a majority of the mangrove forest is in Bangladesh) attempts to present the major flora and fauna species that share the delta with humankind, making the mangrove and tidal ecosystems and their people an interdependent component in their own right. The art style in the map pays tribute to rural Bengal's Patachitra art, while the compass is a homage to the legend of Bonobibi and Dokhhin Ray, a thread that binds humans and nature in a tightly knit web. A few snippets from the map are below.

The map has been commissioned by the Wildlife Trust of India, and is on display at the Sunderbans' mangrove interpretation centre at Sajnekhali. By special arrangement, prints of the map are also available via my Happywagon webstore here, shipped both in India and abroad.

A huge thanks to Mr. Samrat Paul of WTI for sharing his time and expertise with me during my field visit to the Sunderbans that made the illustration possible. 

World Mangrove Day

The roots of mangroves permeate far deeper than we think! A World Mangrove Day special for my column with Roundglass Sustain.

Salinity and the Dolphins of Sunderbans

Climate change, salinity and its impacts on two dolphin species in the Sunderbans. Cartoon from my column with Roundglass Sustain.

Biodiversity Map of Mumbai

The first images that one's mind conjures upon hearing the name Mumbai, are either a city full of skyscrapers and slums, or the promenades along Marine Lines and Bandra. But Mumbai is also replete with a unique blend of biodiversity. From a forest ruled by leopards in the heart of the city to beaches full of bizarre shore wildlife, from wetlands dotted pink with flamingos to mangroves splashing red with fiddler crabs, Mumbai has them all! Here is an illustration done for Purpose's campaign 'Mumbai's Ministry of Magic', with the motive to empower Mumbai's youth with a visual resource of the city's biodiversity, and a reminder to the government of the natural heritage we must conserve and coexist with. The map also pays tribute to the Warli and Koli communities, and the very spirit of Mumbai.

My thanks to Ms. Suma Balaram, Ms. Arpita Bhagat and their team for commissioning this once-in-a-lifetime project! My gratitude to friends at Marine Life of Mumbai, Ms. Madhushri Mudke and my brother Rohit Chakravarty for their inputs. A hat tip to the maverick herpetologists Zeeshan Mirza and Rajesh Sanap for discovering the invertebrates and reptiles from Aarey Colony that feature in the map. Click on the images to view details from the map:

 

Maharashtra's State Mangrove Tree

Last week, the CM of Maharashtra made a historic announcement: the declaration of the mangrove Sonneratia alba, or White Chippi, as the state mangrove tree, making Maharashtra the first state in India to have a state mangrove symbol. Mangrove conservation however, continues to suffer from ill-conceived linear development not just in Maharashtra but all other states they are found in. In Mumbai itself, the Coastal Road and the expansion of the Mumbai Metro are taking a toll on the city's existing mangrove cover.

Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day. 

Cyclone Management and Mangroves

As India braces itself for Cyclone Amphan in the middle of a pandemic, let us remember that our very first line of defence against cyclones, mangroves, are under threat from both the Central and State governments. Some of these threats are the MoEFCC's ill-conceived policy of waiving EIAs for onshore oil and gas exploration, its draft EIA which will do away with clearance regulations for various projects along the coasts at the cost of mangroves, and unplanned development and construction along coasts by various state governments by clearing mangroves.

Kakinada Mangroves

The Andhra Pradesh govt. is under fire for destroying ecologically sensitive mangrove forests in Kakinada for a housing scheme. Home not only to migratory and resident birds, fish, crustaceans but also the endangered Fishing Cat, Kakinada's mangroves are also a source of livelihood for coastal fishing communities. Students from the region have launched a Save Mangrove campaign to oppose the destruction of mangroves.

Biodiversity of Coastal Maharashtra

An illustrated map of the coastal biodiversity of my home state, Maharashtra, done for WWF India's Mumbai office, and released at the recently concluded Coastwise Festival. A big thanks to WWF India's Mumbai team for commissioning the project!

Panjim- an Urban Biodiversity map

A biodiversity and heritage map of the Goan capital Panjim, commissioned by ICLEI South Asia. Situated on the banks on the Mandovi River, Panjim is dotted with a rich network of estuaries and mangroves, which are home to diverse coastal flora and fauna. Migratory waders throng Panjim's beaches and mudflats along the Ribandar causeway and the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, which is also home to estuarine reptiles like the Glossy Marsh Snake. The mangrove ecosystem along the coast host many commercially important fish, crustaceans and the elusive Smooth-coated Otter.  Goa's proximity to the Western Ghats ensures that a variety of endemic insects and herpetofauna make Goa their home, including the Goan Shadow Dancer perched on the title of the map. The star of the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin dwells where the estuaries of Panjim meet the sea. Innovative but endangered traditional livelihoods which Goan communities have evolved such as the Goan salt-pans and sluice-gate fishing, are depicted on the map.

Some of Panjim's most important heritage buildings also feature on the map. The illustration style itself pays tribute to Goa's iconic Azulejos tile art, which came with the Portuguese and became Panjim's visual identity. A Goan rooster perches on the map's compass. As Panjim grapples with rapid expansion as Goa's capital city, the illustration is meant to serve as a reminder of what the city must preserve and coexist with.

A huge thanks to my dear friend and Goan conservation biologist Nandini Velho, my partner and ICLEI's Assistant Manager Rithika Fernandes, Sayeesh Pirankar and Hycintha Aguiar (ICLEI) and Goan tree expert Dr. Usha Desai for their generous help and inputs for the map (and for some lip-smacking food recommendations!).  Thanks to ICLEI for commissioning a series of delightful, exploratory and experimental map projects. The illustration is available in a high resolution here. 

Here are a few close-ups from the map:

Kochi- an Urban Biodiversity Map

An urban biodiversity map of Kochi commissioned by ICLEI South Asia. Among India's busiest port cities, Kochi has a wide variety of green spaces both within and around it, from marshes and paddy fields, to estuaries, beaches, mangroves and hills. Mangalavanam, a mangrove forest in the heart of the city hosts a huge population f the Indian Flying Fox, while its estuaries are home to the Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin and the State Fish of Kerala, the Pearl Spot. Kochi's wetlands are the wintering grounds of several species of migratory waterfowl, and its hill forests host many insects and birds endemic to southern India. Some close-ups from the illustration are below:

Thanks to Mr. Alex Jose of ICLEI for his knowledge and inputs on Kochi, and to ICEI for commissioning me for this project!

The Kingfisher and the Bullet Train

Bullet trains: inspired by the kingfisher but turned against it. 19 hectares of mangrove forest are set to be cleared to make way for Mumbai's bullet train. From my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Bimini Biological Field Station

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Until December 2018, Dr. Samuel Gruber's name was something I associated with shark research. It was only after the book 'Shark Doc, Shark Lab' was sent to me as reference material for this project that I learned that Dr. Gruber isn't just any shark researcher but among the very pioneers of elasmobranch science. Blending his passion for adventure with science,  Dr. Gruber used some very revolutionary, out-of-the-box and even seemingly outlandish techniques to track, study and conserve his life-long muse, the Lemon Shark, and most science that exists around this remarkable animal today can be traced back to his efforts. Among his many accomplishments are battling cancer twice, and breaking every convention to establish the Bimini Biological Field Station in The Bahamas, dedicated to marine biology.

This illustration, commissioned by the Save our Seas Foundation is a representation of the BBFS and the marine wildlife of Bimini in North Bahamas, and is being used at the field station for conservation education and awareness. 

Dr. Gruber breathed his last on the 18th of April, 2019. While I regret never having met him, I cannot be more thankful to the Save Our Seas Foundation for giving me the privilege of having Dr. Gruber know of my work.  Referred to as 'Doc' lovingly by his peers, Dr. Gruber features in my illustration with his muse, the Lemon Shark. 

Wildlife of Seychelles

In an exciting assignment commissioned by the Save our Seas Foundation working in The Seychelles, I created a habitat illustration of St. Joseph Atoll and D'Arros Island. I got to draw and learn about many creatures I had never heard of before, and the illustration was among my work detailed work on marine fauna. Click on the illustrations for a larger view.

Copyrights to all images here belong to the Save our Seas Foundation. While the habitat illustration is to be published in the Save our Seas Magazine and posters, each of the illustrated elements will be used in merchandise.