The internship project is a part of an overarching project on developing early-warning systems for the conservation of river dolphins and gharials in India's Gangetic floodplain rivers. My scope of work involved working with Google Earth Engine to develop a proof-of-concept interactive dashboard to aid flow management decisions to conserve endangered species in the regulated Gandak River to assess and predict the impacts of changes in river water levels due to dry-season barrage operations on riverine wildlife and their habitats, based on hydro-ecological models. The internship activities encompassed understanding the river flow management systems and flow dynamics of the Gandak River, along with the supervised classification of Land Use Land Cover (LULC) utilizing existing algorithms for the classification process. The project aimed to develop a tool for water regulation authorities to adopt ecologically oriented river flow management practices.

The internship's findings and results demonstrated technology's significance in supporting conservation efforts. The interactive dashboard showcased visualizations and predictions of habitat changes, offering insights into the impacts of flow releases by barrages and on downstream riverine habitats. This way, the project significantly contributed to the ecological flow management of dammed rivers by showing how technology could be harnessed to monitor and protect endangered species and their habitats, even in the face of challenges such as the unavailability of long-term monitoring data. The innovative approach, utilizing Google Earth Engine and predictive modeling, showcased the potential of interdisciplinary research in addressing complex conservation challenges. The findings and methodologies developed during this internship hold promise for future efforts to safeguard freshwater ecosystems and endangered species, fostering an understanding of the delicate balance between conservation and human needs on freshwater ecosystems implicit in present-day surface water management.

The internship facilitated personal and professional growth, enhancing satellite application skills, interpreting imagery, using machine learning for LULC, performing hydrological analysis, and fostering multidisciplinary collaboration. Mentor and team support played a pivotal role in successful execution, deepening my commitment to environmental conservation and inspiring further contributions to India's rich biodiversity conservation.