ADAPTIVE MANET-BASED ROUTING AND ANT COLONY OPTIMIZATION FOR STRENGTHENING LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE IN ECOLOGICALLY SENSITIVE REGIONS

Abstract

Effective local self-government increasingly depends on reliable decentralized communication infrastructures that support environmental monitoring public-service coordination and rapid decision-making. Because of their self-configuring architecture and lack of reliance on fixed infrastructure Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) present a significant opportunity for local governments operating in remote or environmentally sensitive areas. This study proposes an Adaptive Energy-Aware MANET Routing Framework (AEMRF) designed specifically to enhance local governance functions—such as environmental surveillance disaster preparedness and habitat protection—in ecologically sensitive regions of Tamil Nadu including the Western Ghats Pichavaram Mangroves and Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary. The framework integrates an energy-optimized route management strategy that reduces redundant route requests and prolongs node lifetime helping local administrative bodies maintain continuous monitoring without frequent human intervention. A Lifetime-Aware MANET Routing Algorithm (LAMRA) which takes into account mobility hop count and real-time energy levels is incorporated into the model to guarantee stable long-lasting communication links which are crucial for local-level decision systems. An Ant Colony Optimization (ACO)-based location-aware enhancement is embedded to support fair data propagation and dependable transmission under dynamic field conditions further increasing routing efficiency. A novel route expiration estimation mechanism evaluates path stability by analyzing time-varying mobility patterns and hop-based probability indicators. When compared with conventional MANET protocols such as AODV the proposed framework significantly reduces routing overhead enhances connectivity and ensures uninterrupted data flow for local governance operations. This research demonstrates how MANET-integrated routing intelligence can reinforce local government capacities particularly in environmental administration resource protection and community-oriented ecosystem management.