mistnet oct dect 2009 -15-11-2009 -...
TRANSCRIPT
CMYK
CMYK
Edited by
Asad R. Rahmani, Director, BNHS
Compiled, Layout and Designed by
Gopi Naidu, Abhijit Malekar
Noor Khan
Contributions should be sent to
Editors, MISTNET, IBA-IBCN
Bombay Natural History Society
Hornbill House, S. B. Singh Road
Mumbai-400 001, INDIA
Tel: +91 22 22821811
Fax: +91 22 22837615
Email: [email protected]
BirdLife International is a global partnership
of conservation organisations, represented
in over 100 countries, working for the
diversity of all life through the conservation
of birds and their habitats.
BirdLife International
Wellbrook Court, Girton Road
Cambridge CB3 0NA, UK
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.birdlife.org
This Newsletter is supported by the
RSPB
n
n
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Bombay Natural History Society
(For private circulation only)
Oriental Darter Ahinga melanogaster
cover pic by: Vilas Ambre
n
Mission Statement
‘Conservation of nature, primarily biological
diversity through action, based on research,
education and public awareness.’
BNHS is BirdLife International partner designate
Views expressed by the contributors in the MISTNET are not
necessarily those of the IBCN/BNHS.
www.rspb.org.uk
CONTENTS
Udhuwa –
The sole Bird Sanctuary in Jharkhand State – an IBA
4
Sighting of the
rare Slender-billed Vulture
in Kolkata (West Bengal)
8BALPAKRAM –
Meghalaya’s heritage IBA
11
The Wetlands of Sriharikota (an IBA) and their avifauna
14
18Lesser Whistling-duck
The Waterfowl of Loktak (IBA)
in Manipur
IBCN PARTNERS FACT FILE
Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra, Chiplun
21
CMYK
E D I T O R I A L
Threats of Climate Change to Birds
By the time you receive this Mistnet, the drama at the United Nation’s Climate Change
Conference at Copenhagen, Denmark, would have been over. BirdLife International,
of which BNHS is a partner, has come out with a strong Charter of demands which could
minimize and in some cases reverse the damage of Climate Change (CC). In this editorial,
I quote extensively from the BirdLife International Charter.
Climate change is a reality and not a figment of imagination as some skeptics, particularly
from the oil lobby, would like us to believe. Even without CC, almost 13% of the world’s
birds are at risk of extinction due to habitat destruction, illegal hunting, bird trade, invasive
species and pollution (see the list of threatened Indian species on page 24-25). Climate
change will exacerbate the problem not only for the existing globally threatened species, but
also many presently non-threatened species. Many species may have to shift their ranges
to survive where they could be more vulnerable to extinction.
One global study estimates that 15-37% of species could be extinct by 2050 as a
consequence of CC; another study tells us that with each degree of general temperature rise
in the world, 100-500 bird species may disappear. It is predicted that the world is going to
become warmer by 2 oC anyway in the next 20-30 years due to our past mistakes. If the
temperature rises beyond 2 oC, it would lead to catastrophic effects on birds, nature,
people and the global economy.
According to BirdLife, Climate Change is impacting birds in several ways:
l Range shifts and contractions (poleward in latitude and upward in altitude)
l Population declines
l Changes in behaviour and phenology, such as the timing of egg-laying, breeding,
and emergence of insects as food source
l Distruption of species interactions (predators and prey) and communities
l Increase in threats and stresses, such as invasive species and diseases
l Habitat fragmentation, destruction and degradation
l Increased in extreme weather events
l Loss of coastal habitats including feeding areas for shorebirds and breeding areas
for seabirds as entire islands disappear due to sea-level rise
l Ocean warming further disrupting food cycle and ocean communities die-off
With the rise in human population and demand for more food, more natural habitats
are going to disappear in the next 30-40 years. Sea level rise due to Climate Change will
result in large-scale human population shift, further exacerbating pressures on the remaining
natural habitats.
In its 4.5 billion years life, our Mother Earth has seen five major extinctions, the last
one 65 million years ago when the dinosaurs died out, leaving the birds and mammals to
evolve and flourish. It is inconceivable to think that we are facing the sixth extinction. The
first five extinctions were natural and occurred at the interval of millions of years, and
extinction occurred slowly in geological time-scale. But, the sixth extinction is man-made
and hence reversible. Will the Copenhagen Conference show us the road-map to save this
world? Only time will tell. For some bird species, it may be already too late. We have
already messed up the world so much that further messing by man-made climate change
will be the last straw in the extinction-coffin.
Asad R. Rahmani
CMYK
MISTNET Vol. 10 No. 4 October-December 20094
The low-lying cultivated area of Rajmahal,
in the extreme north-eastern district of
Sahibganj in Jharkhand, was inundated
after the construction of Farakka Barrage in 1974,
and emerged as a potential birding site. During a
leisurely discussion, an old hunter told me about
this spectacular site in late 1980s. The site was
frequently visited by a sensitive administrator,
the then commissioner of Bhagalpur. It was at the
time of the inception of Mandar Nature Club
(MNC) in 1990 that we picked up the site as a
model for study and conservation of birds. Later
on in 1991, the Udhuwa Lake was notified as a
Bird Sanctuary in undivided Bihar. In 1992, we
published the ‘Status Report’ of the sanctuary,
which is probably the only comprehensive record
available for the birds of Udhuwa. Eighty-three
species of birds in and around the sanctuary are
described in this report.
Udhuwa consists of two waterbodies with
slightly different characters? They are about a
couple of kilometres away from each other but are
Udhuwa –The sole Bird Sanctuary inJharkhand State – an IBA
connected by a water channel. The smaller but
deeper one (average depth about 2 meter), Pataura
Lake (240 58.188’ N and 870 49.712’ E) measures
155 ha and the other Berhale or Brahma Jamalpur
(240 59.344’ N and 870 49.241’ E) has the expansion
of 410 ha having an average depth of about 0.5
meter. The area is bestowed with a hillock which
almost surrounds the Pataura Lake. Udhuwa block
is situated 11 km south-east to Rajmahal by the
side of the road which leads to Barharwa some 16
km farther. Pataura is perennial in nature whereas
the larger part of Berhale dries up in summer and
is used for summer cultivation, but some
agricultural activities are seen almost throughout
the year. The Udhuwa lake is connected to the
Ganges near Taltala Ghat in Farakka by a 25 km
long water channel called Udhuwa Nala which is
used for local transportation. The water level in
the sanctuary area is directly dependant upon
the level maintained at the Farakka Barrage in
West Bengal. Movement of fishes into the lakes
from the Ganges supplements the food of both
Arvind Mishra, Tapan Kumar Ghosh, Amita Moitra, Tapan Kumar Pan,
Sunil Agrawal and Ajay Kumar
For almost 20 years, Mandar Nature Club has worked to protect Udhuwa Bird Sanctuary
Arv
ind M
ishra
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M O N I T O R I N G F O R C O N S E R V A T I O N
5MISTNET Vol. 10 No. 4 October-December 2009
the birds and the people. But the influx of
Eichhornia along with the flood water chokes
the feeding channels and of remains in the
waterbodies. Plankton which are in plenty in the
lakes, constitute important food for the fishes
which ultimately benefits the birds. However,
there is massive cultivation all around the lakes
which otherwise would have been suitable feeding
and roosting ground for various bird species.
During the studies of 1990-1992, the maximum
count of waterbirds was only a few hundred, and
the main reason for this was the extreme human
interference for fishing. The fishing lease was
sanctioned in the sanctuary by the district
administration. Using the documentation of birds
as a tool, we gathered the support of the villagers
and built up pressure on the district
administration. This resulted in the abolishment
of the fishing lease and the waterfowl count
increased went up to 20,000 during 1993–94.
Afterwards, the fishing mafia established their
influence and illegal fishing practices, which
started deteriorating the condition again.
The assemblage of bird species is broadly
different in these two lakes. The deeper lake
Pataura has species like ducks, cormorants,
The water level of Udhuwa Bird Sanctuary in controlled by Farakha Barrage
Like other flood plain wetlands of Ganga Basin, Udhuwa also gets connected with other wetlands and rivers
Arv
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ishra
Arv
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ishra
CMYK
M O N I T O R I N G F O R C O N S E R V A T I O N
6 MISTNET Vol. 10 No. 4 October-December 2009
grebes, coots, gulls, terns, while the population
of waders, egrets, jacanas, ibises, herons, stilts,
storks, kingfishers and wagtails dominate in
Berhale. Presently, about 140 species of birds have
been enlisted from Udhuwa (in and around). This
proves the potential of the sanctuary. The barren
hillock besides Pataura, provides a suitable habitat
to birds like the Yellow-wattled Lapwing Vanellus
malabaricus.
Population of Fulvous Whistling-duck
Dendrocygna bicolor exceeds 1% of its total
biogeographic population. Some other species
have been recorded in significant numbers in the
sanctuary viz. Eurasian Coot Fulica atra, Red-
crested Pochard Netta rufina, Purple Moorhen
Porphyrio porphyrio and Ferruginous Duck
Aythya nyroca.
Among the threatened species observed
during the last 20 years in and around Udhuwa
are the White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis,
possibly Spotted Greenshank Tringa guttifer,
Pallas’s Fish-eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus and
the Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus,
whereas the near threatened species are
represented by Oriental Darter Anhinga
melanogaster, Ferruginous Duck and Black-
headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus. This
is the only site in Bihar and Jharkhand where we
recorded the Comb Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos
for the first time in January 2009 during our twenty
years’ study.
Another wetland of eminence near Udhuwa is
the Chand Shahar lake (240 53.397’ N and 870
51.465’E) at an aerial distance of about 9. 5 km from
Pataura lake. This lake also has a rich avian diversity,
and could be designated as an IBA in future. This
lake has also probably come into existence as a result
of the construction of Farakka Barrage.
At present, the major problem of Udhuwa Lake
Bird Sanctuary is the vast encroachment along
the margin of the perennial lake Pataura where
hundreds of families have illegally settled and
some beneficiary groups have their vested
interests in providing security to these
Bangladeshi immigrants. The sanctuary has not
been finally notified under the section 26 (A) of
The Wildlife Protection Act. Non-settlement of
rights, general ignorance by the state government,
choking of lakes and its connecting channels by
weeds like Eichhornia, blocking the interlinking
channel of these two lakes by the villagers for
drying up the area of Berhale lake for agricultural
purposes and making a thoroughfare, intense
human interference for fishing activities, draining
and pumping out of water from these waterbodies
for irrigation, anthropogenic pressure, excessive
use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides,
insufficient infrastructure of forest department and
poaching are some of the major threats on the
habitat and the birds of Udhuwa.
Mandar Nature Club (MNC) took many
initiatives for the conservation of Udhuwa Lake
Bird Sanctuary and made proper documentation.
This pioneer conservation work of MNC and the
potential of the sanctuary has been mentioned in
the books and reports like Important Bird Areas
Water Hyacinth and excessive growth of vegetation in Udhuwa are the major problems which need to be
addressed to maintain the ecological integrity of this IBA
Court
sy:A
rvin
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ishra
CMYK
M O N I T O R I N G F O R C O N S E R V A T I O N
7MISTNET Vol. 10 No. 4 October-December 2009
in India (2004), Draft Report of National
Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan ( NBSAP )
in 2004, Existing and Potential Ramsar Sites in
India (2008) and Ducks, Geese and Swans of India
(2009), reports of Asian Waterfowl Census since
1994 and Inland Wetland Survey of SACON (Salim
Ali Center for Ornithology and Natural History)
in 2002. The issues of Uduwa were highlighted
on the various fora such as Ornithological Society
of India (1995), World Wilderness Congress
(1998), Freshwater Biological Association of India,
(1993) and National Symposium of Zoological
Society of India (1995), National Symposium of T.
M. Bhagalpur University (2000).
Intensive advocacy programmes were taken
up at the state, district and village council levels
for the protection and development of the
sanctuary as well as to promote eco-tourism in
the area. Other than this, awareness campaigns
were made by organising mass meetings,
exhibitions, padyatra and socio-economic
development programmes like training to develop
nursery, papad making etc. were arranged for the
local people. Youth were educated by involving
them in the eco-education camps and bird-
watching sessions. We had formed ‘Jheel
Suraksha Samiti’ involving the fishing community
including women, under the Conservation Corps
Volunteer Programmes supported by World Wide
Fund for Nature – India (WWF-India) and Council
for Advancement of People’s Action and Rural
Technology (CAPART) during 1994 – 1996. The
long run conservation efforts and successes were
highlighted in the programme ‘Surabhi’ on
Doordarshan in 1996.
The far-reaching efforts taken for the
documentation, protection and conservation of
Udhuwa Lake Bird Sanctuary by Mandar Nature
Club on bringing the NGOs, government officials,
community and the media together on a single
platform, yielded positive results. But after
Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in 2000, the
administrative set-up changed and the ongoing
efforts were diluted. The area of jurisdiction has
also gone to the far away DFO (Wildlife) based at
Hazaribagh and the Range Officer at Giridih from
where it is difficult for the forest officials to
monitor the sanctuary.
We suggest some immediate actions to save
Udhuwa Lake Bird Sanctuary. The population
which has recently settled by the side of the
Pataura Lake, should be rehabilitated elsewhere,
the blockade of the water channel connecting
Berhale from Pataura should be removed, a check
gate at the junction of Udhuwa Nala and the
Pataura lake can help maintain the water level in
the sanctuary area and also can check the influx
of Eichhornia weed into the lakes during flood
time. The land disputes need to be settled and
eco-tourism should be developed, which will
benefit the local people also. A fresh monitoring
of this IBA is needed to update its present status.
We have started visiting Udhuwa with the
forest officers, some nature enthusiasts,
academicians including the members of the State
Board for Wildlife of Jharkhand during the Asian
Waterfowl Census with a hope for the better.
We acknowledge the support of all the members
of Mandar Nature Club, the district administration
of Sahibganj and Bhagalpur specially Sri Subhash
Sharma, I.A.S., Sri Ashok Kumar, I.A.S., the forest
dept. of Sahibganj, the people of Rajmahal specially
Sri Salil Kumar Sinha popularly known as ‘Tom
Babu’, the natives of Udhuwa and its surrounding
villages and the media people who played a great
role in transforming the conservation efforts into a
movement.
References
Islam, M. Z. and Rahmani, A. R. (2004) Important
Bird Areas in India: Priority sites for
conservation, Indian Bird Conservation
Network: Bombay Natural History Society and
BirdLife International (UK). Pp xviii + 1133
Islam, M. Z. and Rahmani, A. R. (2008) Potential
and existing Ramsar Sites in India, Indian Bird
Conservation Network: Bombay Natural
History Society, BirdLife International and
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Oxford
University Press. Pp. 592
Rahmani, A. R. and Islam, M. Z. (2008) Ducks,
Geese and Swans of India: Their Status and
Distribution. IBCN, BNHS, RSPB and BirdLife
International. Oxford University Press Pp.374.
Mandar Nature Club (1992), Status Report on
Udhuwa Lake Bird Sanctuary, Pp. 26.
Mishra, A. (2004) State Biodiversity Strategy and
Action Plan of Bihar and Jharkhand , National
Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan ( NBSAP ),
Kalpvriksh, (Pune) under the programme of Govt.
of India.
Contact: Mandar Nature Club, Anand
Chikitsalaya road, Bhagalpur, Bihar- 812002.
Email:[email protected]
CMYK
M O N I T O R I N G A N D I N T E R V E N T I O N
Sighting of therare Slender-billed Vulturein Kolkata (West Bengal)by Suvrashis Sarkar
Sighting of therare Slender-billed Vulturein Kolkata (West Bengal)
Su
vra
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CMYK
M O N I T O R I N G F O R C O N S E R V A T I O N
9MISTNET Vol. 10 No. 4 October-December 2009
Kolkata –the previous capital of
our country as made by the
British under the East India
Company rule, is today the most
populated metro in India. This city is
most renowned for its rich cultural
heritage and for its rich intellectual
capital. Rightfully called the City of Joy,
inspite of the growing hustle and bustle
and continuous modernization, it is of
great interest to know that it is equally
rich in its biodiversity, particularly
avifauna. Being a resident of Mumbai, I
am, however, fortunate enough to say
that its my native place.
I was a little skeptical about my short
vacation to Kolkata in August 2009 as
it was during peak of monsoon, but
contrary to my anticipation the rains
were low in intensity.
Little did I know that this vacation
would give me an opportunity to record
my best personal achievement in my
years of bird-watching experience. I am
talking about my sighting of the
Slender-billed Vulture Gyps tenuirostris
-the rarest and the least known of all
Gyps vultures in India. I saw and
recorded this unique bird near the
Rajarhat area of Kolkata in August 2009
–a single individual along with a group
of approximately 20-22 White-rumped
Vultures Gyps bengalensis and by God’s
grace all of them appeared to be in
perfect health. The Slender-billed
Vulture has been classified as ‘Critically
Endangered’ by BirdLife International
and IUCN and this sighting in Kolkata
is a record in itself as never before, has
this species been sighted in this century
so far south in West Bengal.
The name tenuirostris actually means
slender beak tenuis = slender and
rostrum = beak in Latin, hence the apt
common name as ‘Slender-billed’ vulture.
Earlier also referred to as the Himalayan
Long-billed Vulture, this species has only
been recently identified as a separate
species, separated from the Indian
Vulture Gyps indicus.
I was photographing the flock of
White-rumped Vultures near a carcass
when I sighted this unusual looking
vulture and I knew immediately that it
was a Slender-billed by its unique head,
bill, and the characteristic flanks. I was
again very fortunate to see this bird
displaying – exposing its ventral
feathers. It was actually a cloudy and
overcast day with a slight drizzle hence
most of the vultures were drying their
wings by spreading them out and putting
on show of their vast wing spread.
Suddenly then the Slender-billed turned
its face towards me with its wings wide
open. And this was the exact opportunity
I was hoping for as with the ventrals
exposed, it displayed all the
characteristic features to pin-point its
identity. I wasted no time in capturing
as many record snaps of it as I could,
however inspite of a long wait at the site
I did not get the opportunity of
photographing it while it fed on the
carcass. I am aware that very few
photographic records of this species in
the wild are available in India and hence
I was more than happy with what I saw
and recorded.
In the recent years after the
population started declining at a rapid
rate, no authentic record of its sighting
has been documented in West Bengal.
This species was once considered
‘locally distributed’ in Calcutta district
–at Mawgra (Mogra), breeding near
Khardah (Munn 1899, Oates 1902),
Calcutta (Blyth 1849-1852) common in
Jalpaiguri district (Inglis 1920), presence
in Durgapur and Damodar valley in
1968-71 (Gauntlet 1985). However as
Mr. Rishad Naoroji has explained in his
book that confirmation of this species
in West Bengal could be rightfully
attributed to Munn -1894 who had
mentioned about tree nesting from
Khardah and Titaghur area. It was
believed to breed in Jaldapara Wildlife
Sanctuary (Satheesan 2000) in the
Jalpaiguri district but it was reported
to be ‘locally extinct’ during surveys
done in April-June 2000 in Jaldapara
and Buxa (A. Rahmani and V. Prakash
2000). Authenticity of the above data
could also mean that this particular
sighting of August 2009 has been
documented in Kolkata area after
almost 115 years.
Status of Gyps tenuirostris outside
West Bengal
In 2004, Rishad Naoroji had
observed 12 adults at Kaziranga,
Assam, with only one active nest
nearby and 17 birds near Dibrugarh with
two nests around. During the same time
around 24 birds were observed by him
at Arunachal Pradesh. Rishad Naoroji
had also observed five of these birds
outside Corbett Tiger Reserve, one
within the park and two in the
neighbouring Sonandi Wildlife
Sanctuary – both at the foot hills
of the Himalayas in the state of
Uttarakhand. Reported to be possibly
breeding in Ambala and Varanasi (Baker
1935).
Slender-billed Vulture is the rarest vulture of South Asia
suvra
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10 MISTNET Vol. 10 No. 4 October-December 2009
Extralimital status of Gyps
tenuirostris
Before the drastic population decline
this was a common resident in Nepal
(Inskipp and Inskipp 1991) and though
once common in Bangladesh (Baker
1935, Ali and Ripley 1978) it is now
reported to be rare in north and central
Bangladesh (Thompson and Johnson
1996, 2003). Status of it is unknown in
Myanmar (Robson 2000) and is believed
to be extinct from Thailand and
Malaysia. Reported as critical in Laos
(Thewlis 1998) and few recent records
from Cambodia and Vietnam.
The probable known range of the
Slender-billed Vulture is north India,
mainly Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand,
Haryana, Punjab, southern Nepal,
northern region of West Bengal, east
through the plains of Assam, north and
central Bangladesh, and Myanmar. It
once occurred in South-East Asia, but it
is now extinct in Thailand and Malaysia.
It was in the previous year -February
2008- when I was most fortunate to
record at the exact same location of the
city, a flock of 35-40 White-rumped
Vultures appearing in perfect health in
the vicinity of a real-estate development
site. Also on another day I was fortunate
to discover a White-rumped vulture’s
nest on a tall Pterygota alata tree in
the Victoria Memorial Gardens, which
is amidst a very busy place in the heart
of South Kolkata. It was to my utter
surprise, after hearing and discussing
so much about the declining vulture
population that I actually saw a
population in the middle of the over-
crowded Kolkata city. This year in 2009
once again I tried to locate the nest on
the very same tree but to my misfortune
it was gone. The nest was absent and
so were the vultures from that locality. I
checked all the possible trees in the
neighborhood groves but could not
find a single nest this time.
Understanding vulture behaviour and its
habit of nesting on the same tree year
after year I could not follow why the nest
had disappeared this time. Even if the
vultures had abandoned it, the structure
ought to have been there. I enquired with
the security personnel there and got to
know that the groves in the Victoria
Gardens were recently beautified and
trimmed. Infact the Victoria Memorial
building itself was getting renovated. I
was most unhappy to know that the only
nest there might have fallen victim to the
cleanliness drive. How inhuman we
humans can be!
All over India, vultures have suffered
serious population decline and this
sighting of the rare tenuirostris species
is a possible ray of good hope. It may be
possible that this species is now
venturing southwards to Kolkata from
its known range due to availability of
favourable condition for feeding and
breeding sites. However there are more
serious concerns associated with it –this
species Gyps tenuirostris strictly breeds
only on trees, and Kolkata and its
surroundings is experiencing a rapid
commercial development and also growth
in human settlements at such a rate that
it can make the now available areas
vanish within months. This species has
been declared as ‘Critically Endangered’
and is now on the verge of extinction
because it has suffered an extremely
rapid population decline (about 99%
population decline in the last decade)
across the Indian subcontinent primarily
because of the pain-killer compound
“diclofenac” –a widely used non-
steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used on
cattle. After the cattle dies and as the
vulture feeds on the carcass this
compound enters the vulture’s body and
turns lethal by badly affecting the
visceral organs. Hence the conclusion
is that although it is very good news to
see this bird in Kolkata, the future of this
bird’s existence here is threatened by
death through contaminated food. If
anything can save this species from
extinction, it is us human beings by not
using diclofenac on livestock.
REFERENCES
Ali, S & Ripley S.D. (1987) : Handbook of
the Birds of India and Pakistan together
with those of Bangladesh, Nepal,
Bhutan and Sri Lanka. 2nd edition.
(Volume 1)
Alstrom, Per (1997) : Field identification
of the Asian Gyps vultures.
Oriental Bird Club. Bulletin 25. June 1997
(Pages 32-49).
Kazmierczak, Krys (2000) : A field guide
to the Birds of India, Sri Lanka,
Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh
and the Maldives.
Rahmani, Asad (2004) : Report of the
International South Asian Vulture
recovery plan workshop. Buceros.
ENVIS Newsletter. Volume 9, No:1,
2004. BNHS.
Naoroji, Rishad (2006) : Birds of Prey of
the Indian Subcontinent.
Rasmussen, Pamela and Anderton, John C.
(2005) : Birds of South Asia. The Ripley
Guide (Volume 1 & 2)
A flock of White-rumped Vultures near a building construction site at Kolkata
suvra
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Contact: R-2, 203, Shree Ram
Residency, Panvelkar Plaza,
Ambernath (E), Maharashtra
Email:[email protected]
CMYK
BALPAKRAM –
Meghalaya’s heritage IBAby Anwaruddin ChoudhuryIBCN State Coordinator, Assam
BALPAKRAM –
Meghalaya’s heritage IBA
Anw
aru
ddin
choudhury
Goirapathal is a small lake inside Siju Wildlife Sanctuary, a part of Balpakram IBA complex
CMYK
MONITORING IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS R E S E A R C H A N D M O N I T O R I N GM O N I T O R I N G A N D I N T E R V E N T I O NMONITORING IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS R E S E A R C H A N D M O N I T O R I N G
MISTNET Vol. 10 No. 4 October-December 2009
The charm of Balpakram National Park in South Garo
Hills, Meghalaya is unique. The canyon-cum-gorge
of this IBA is a treat to see – first it is a canyon with
steep slope, from midway the slope becomes less steep to
form a gorge which ends up on the Mahadeo River. The
entire gorge area is covered with pristine tropical rainforest
with no canopy gap. The south facing slope of Meghalaya
plateau is a fault scarp. To the west of the canyon-cum-
gorge is a tableland covered with grass, which is also
popularly known as Balpakram plateau.
On the plateau, one is unlikely to miss the dung of
Wild Elephant, Gaur and occasionally Wild Water Buffalo,
as these herbivores graze here during the night. Sambar,
Muntjac, Serow and Wild Pig also roam at night and there
were a few reports of the Goral as well. The pristine rainforest
in the gorge area is virtually unsurveyed owing to difficult
access. But animals which came out and were shot by
villagers in the past include Tiger, Leopard, Clouded
Leopard, Marbled Cat, Golden Cat, Dhole or Wild Dog,
Sloth, Black and Sun bears, and surprisingly the Red Panda!
Dr John R. Lao, the Tura-based doctor who became well
known to us after mistakenly shooting a red panda at Nokrek
(another IBA in Garo Hills) in the 1960s, told me that he
saw one in Balpakram plateau, in a depression with forests
near the natural ‘rock bridge’ in the early 1970s.
From the plateau, the view of Tanguar haor, an
internationally acclaimed wetland of Bangladesh is majestic.
This huge wetland is reportedly visited by a few hundred-
thousand wintering waterbirds!
Balpakram’s bird life is varied and rich, which ranges
from the Oriental Pied Hornbills Anthracoceros albirostris
and Great Pied Hornbills Buceros bicornis to White-
cheeked Hill-partridge Arborophila atrogularis, Kaleej
Pheasant Lophura leucomelanos and Grey Peacock-
pheasants Polyplectron bicalcaratum and the restricted-
range species, Grey Sibia Heterophasia gracillis. There is
historic record of White-winged Duck Asarcornis
scutulata, which survived till 1990s as there were reports
from hunters of large tree-perching ducks. The critically
endangered White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis and
Slender-billed Vultures Gyps tenuirostris were regularly
seen till late 1990s. Surprisingly, the Brahminy Kites
Haliastur indus are often seen in large numbers together
but always head towards Tanguar haor wetlands. This
indicates that they come for roosting in the hilly rainforest
only to go back to the wetlands. Other birds of prey
recorded from time to time are: Black Baza Aviceda
leuphotes, Crested Goshawk Accipiter trivirgatus, Black
Eagle Ictinaetus malayensis, Common Buzzard Buteo
buteo, Oriental Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhyncus, Pied
12 MISTNET Vol. 10 No. 4 October-December 2009
The canyon cum gorge of Balpakram in Garo Hills IBA is dominated by pristine tropical rainforest providing refuge to many threatened
mammals and birds
Anw
aru
ddin
choudhury
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Falconet Microhierax melanoleucos, and Amur Falcon
Falco amurensis during passage.
The IBA also includes a complex around Balpakram
(220 sq. km), encompassing Siju Wildlife Sanctuary (5.2 sq.
km) and Baghmara Reserved Forest (44.3 sq. km) as well.
Siju is well known for its cave and other limestone
formations. There is a small lake called Goirapathal inside
the Sanctuary where once I had surprised a flock of
Garganey or Blue-winged Teals. These two forests touch
the Simsang River where Brown Fish Owl is often seen.
The river bank near Rewak was well known during the
British regime as a site for Wild Buffalo shoot, as is
documented in the old issues of the Journal of the Bombay
Natural History Society – a fact not known to many people.
In the entire complex, Hoolock Gibbon, Capped
Langur, Slow Loris and various macaques are found. Then
there is the botanical wonder – the Pitcher Plant Nepenthes
khasiana, which is seen near the canyon rim of the
Balpakram as well as near Baghmara where there is a small
sanctuary for this rare plant.
Coal mining in the fringe areas is the major threat to
this IBA while poaching, habitat destruction through jhum,
and logging and presence of large number of unregulated
picnickers on the plateau in winter are other conservation
issues. In 1990s, a big cement plant was proposed near Siju
but due to protest from from various organisations it was
shelved.
Baghmara, the district headquarters of South Garo Hills
is a convenient place for visiting Balpakram IBA complex. It
is 350 kilometres from Guwahati and the road is good.
Recommendations
Balpakram needs expansion, covering Baghmara
Reserved Forest and some areas of West Khasi Hills district
as this will remain the last green bastion in that part of
Meghalaya. The area must be protected at all cost. Coal
mining in the fringe might extend close to the complex
unless monitored. Currently Samrakshan Trust, an NGO
and IBCN Institutional partner, is working there and are
keeping all concerned informed. To avoid conflict with the
villagers, community participation in conservation could
be a viable alternative. There is a need for massive awareness
campaign. Eco-tourism has tremendous potential in the area
and that could keep many villagers engaged; however, it
should be regulated.
Balpakram’s prominence in Garo mythology as ‘The
land of eternal winds’ and ‘The land of departed
souls’ should be highlighted in the conservation efforts to
save this unique site. There is also a local saying, “All
Garos must see Balpakram; if not in their lifetime, then in
death”!
Acknowledgements
Dr John R. Lao, Arpan Sharma, Nimesh Ved, Kamal
Medhi, Anirban Datta Roy, Willington Marak, Jintar
Sangma, Penison and Dominique Sangma, Perviston Marak,
Hashim and Takiu Marak.
13
Hashim
The author with the team of IBCN activists and Forest Department staff at Balpakram Plateau
Contact: Near Gate No.1 of Nehru Stadium, Islampur Road
Guwahati 781 007.
Email: [email protected]
CMYK
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14 MISTNET Vol. 10 No. 4 October-December 2009
Dwarfed by the massive Pulicat
Lake on its three sides and
by the Bay of Bengal of it
east, is the Island of Sriharikota in
the southern Indian state of Andhra
Pradesh. The Island is connected to
the nearest town Sulurpet by road, which
cuts through Pulicat Lake. Popularly
known as the spaceport of India,
Sriharikota has been recognised as an
Important Bird Area (IBA), along with
Pulicat Lake, by BNHS/Birdlife/RSPB.
Sriharikota was chosen as the spaceport
not only for its strategic geographical
location but also for its natural wealth.
Freshwater at 1-2m beneath the ground,
when everything around is brackish or
saline, was one of the factors for its
selection for the spaceport.
The forest in the Island is classified
as Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest
(TDEF) (Champion and Seth 1963), and
has a long history of disturbance. Forest
exploitation goes back to the British era
when patches of forest were selectively
felled for timber. Subsequently, people
from the mainland settled along the
margins of the Island, which were earlier
inhabited by tribal Yanadis. The settlers
cleared areas for cultivation, especially
along the western border of the Island
facing Pulicat Lake, which had alluvial
soil, and fruit-bearing and shade trees
were introduced into village areas.
During the early 1970s, the Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) took over
the island and set up its spaceport. As
a result of this long and varied human
exploitation, what remains today are
patches of secondary forest in various
stages of regeneration with isolated old,
tall trees that were not felled, especially
Tamarindus indicus, Syzygium cumini
and Sapindus emarginatus (Venugopal
Rao 1977; Reddy 1981). A total of 445
plant species, 27 species of mammals,
223 species of birds, 34 species of
reptiles, 12 species of amphibians, 44
species of fish and 51 species of
butterflies have been recorded from the
Island (Suryanarayana et al. 1989, 1998;
Manakadan and Sivakumar 2004a,b;
Sivakumar and Manakadan 2004;
Sivakumar et al. 2004).
WETLANDS OF SRIHARIKOTA
AND THEIR AVIFAUNA
One of the main features of Sriharikota
is its inland and coastal wetlands. The
freshwater wealth of the island is
represented by a number of ponds, lakes
and streams. In addition to freshwater
wetlands, there are brackish streams,
brackish lakes and ‘basins’ (low-lying
by J. Patrick David
Ph.D Student, BNHS
Map showing Wetlands of Sriharikota along with Pulicat Lake
The Wetlands ofSriharikota (an IBA)and their avifauna
The Wetlands ofSriharikota (an IBA)and their avifauna
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15MISTNET Vol. 10 No. 4 October-December 2009
areas adjoining Pulicat Lake or the Bay
of Bengal). The major wetland types of
Sriharikota important for waterbirds are
discussed below.
Guntas: The settlers from the
mainland constructed small irrigation
ponds called guntas to irrigate the paddy
fields. These are small deep ponds dug
in the low-lying western border of the
Island from Penubakkam in the north to
Tettupeta in the south. Besides for
irrigation, the ponds also served as fish
nurseries. Abandoned, today most of
these ponds are engulfed by cane
Calamus rotang and water hyacinth
Eichornia crassipes. The guntas are
frequented by the Indian Pond-Heron
Ardeola grayii, White-breasted
Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus and
snipes . The fish fauna of the guntas are
dominated by Anabantid species (air
breathing forms) due to accumulated silt
and water hyacinth dominance.
Urugayya: Urugayya (or
Choladoruvu) is a brackish-saline,
perennial waterbody, with a seasonal
outlet to the sea. The salinity increases
with the cessation of rains. It is a sandy-
bottom, clear water lake, occupying an
area of about 100 ha with a maximum
depth of c. 3 m. It lacks aquatic
vegetation except for algae. Urugayya is
reported to have dried up only twice in
the last 50 years only during severe
drought. Its avifauna largely comprises
of swimming and large wading birds such
as Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus
philippensis, Little Cormorant
Phalocrocorax niger, Painted Stork
Mycteria leucocephala, Grey Heron
Ardea cinerea and Great Egret Egretta
alba. Waders and smaller birds are mainly
found at its edges or in the shallow areas
when water levels fall during summer. The
Indian Spot-billed Duck Anas
poecilorhyncha, a breeding resident,
uses the lake as a refuge during summer,
when most of the other wetlands in the
Island dry up. Flocks of c. 250 birds may
be sighted during summer.
Madugu Doruvu: The Madugu
Doruvu (c. 50 ha; 1m deep), is a secluded
freshwater, perennial waterbody with
dense aquatic vegetation. It lies c. 2 km
south-west of Urugayya and flows into
the Sateneru-Sidimuthu Kayya during
the peak monsoon season. It is the
favourite haunt of the resident and
migratory duck species. The Common
Moorhen Gallinula chloropus is also not
uncommon, and occasionally the Purple
Heron Ardea purpurea may be sighted.
Standing on top of a nearby high sand
dune, one can get a good view of this
lake, without disturbing the birds.
Kattangayya: The Kattangayya (c.
100 ha), is another large inland lake,
which is actually the headwater of the
Mavalam Vagu. It gets filled with water
during the monsoon and its periphery is
covered with tall reeds. Making
Kattangayya their foraging grounds are
the Great Egret Egretta alba,
Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia,
Little Cormorant, Eurasian Spoonbill
Platalea leucorodia, Black-headed Ibis
Threskiornis melanocephalus, Painted
Stork, Spot-billed Pelican, Lesser-
whistling Duck Dendrocygna javanica,
Common Moorhen, snipes and wagtails.
Cane, Calamus rotang is a major threat to
the wetlands of Sriharikota
Vara
d G
iri
Urugayya, a brackish-saline lake is very important for resident birds during summer
J. P
atr
ick D
avid
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Pedda and Chinna Vagus: The
Pedda and Chinna vagus are two
freshwater streams with dense aquatic
vegetation, that run parallel to each
other in a north-south direction. The
Pedda Vagu is a 15 km long stream with
a maximum depth of 1.8 m. It drains into
the Bay of Bengal, and dries up along
most of its course during the summer.
Even the deeper regions dry up if the
following south-west Monsoon is
delayed or fails, except in the distal 1-2
km end. The Chinna Vagu is 9 km long
and 1.2 m deep. It has no opening into
the sea, but gets connected to the Pedda
Vagu during the peak monsoon. It dries
up completely during summer. Both the
vagus are lined with cane on both sides
along most part of their length, and in
some areas, cane breaks choke the
vagus, making it difficult or impossible
to walk along its margins for
birdwatching. However, there are two
bridges across these streams from
which water birds can be observed. From
there one can see large congregations
of Garganey Anas querquedula,
Northern Pintail Anas acuta, Northern
Shoveller Anas clypeata and Gadwall
Anas strepera. An occasional Spot-
billed Pelican and cormorants may be
seen perched on a huge dead tree. The
place at which the Pedda vagu joins the
sea is frequented by the Black-capped
Kingfisher Halcyon pileata. As the
vegetation is dense, the Pheasant-tailed
Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus may
be seen trotting along the broad leafed
surfaces of water lilies and lotuses. The
southern-most record of the Water Rail
in India was made at Pedda vagu in May
2003 (Manakadan and Sivakumar
2004c), which was till then not recorded
south of Mumbai. The vagus become
very important for fish-eating birds as
they dry up during summer.
Mavalam Vagu: The Mavalam
Vagu is a brackish water stream flowing
in an east-west direction. The Mavalam
Vagu has fresh and brackish water
stretches and also receives seawater
inflow at the mouth’s stretch. It has high
habitat diversity with dense reeds in the
upper reaches and debris and silt-laden,
marsh-like conditions with insignificant
aquatic vegetation in the lower reaches.
From the bridge across the vagu, one
can see Little Cormorants fishing in the
waters, White-throated Kingfisher
Halcyon smyrnensis perched on dead
branches staring at the water below for
fish movement, and an occasional
Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster.
The Common Moorhen and the elusive
Black Bittern Dupetor flavicollis can be
seen among the tall dense reeds close
to the bridge.
Penubakkam Badava: The
Penubakkam Badava is a seasonal
freshwater body (c. 50ha; 1m deep). It
is contiguous with the Penubakkam
Basin, which opens into Pulicat Lake
during the peak monsoon period. The
birds seen in this waterbody are those
seen in the Pedda and Chinna Vagus,
and a significant sighting here was a
flock of 19 Glossy Ibis, the only record
of the species from the Island.
SIGNIFICANCE AND
CONSERVATION ISSUES
The wetlands of Sriharikota are well
protected because of its high security
status. These wetlands are important
for the freshwater preferring species,
some of which nest on the Island. There
are now three heronries on the Island
(Sivakumar et al. 2008). Waterbirds of
Pulicat Lake also use these wetlands as
an alternate foraging ground and to
meet their freshwater requirements.
During summer, the water in Pulicat Lake
and the adjoining freshwater bodies dry
up, and it is at these times that the
perennial water bodies in Sriharikota
become especially important for these
bird species. Though well protected, the
wetlands of Sriharikota have their share
of problems, which are discussed below
Cane: Cane Calamus rotang was
introduced in Sriharikota in 1882-83
during the British Era (Reddy 1981). It is
now seen around all freshwater habitats,
engulfing the smaller ones and forming
impenetrable brakes in streams,
obstructing the water flow. It denies
foraging space for waterbirds. According
to the tribals, cane proliferated after ISRO
stopped its exploitation on taking over
the Island. To generate employment for
the tribals, the SDSC started extraction
of cane in 2002, but this has not made a
significant impact yet, and it may take a
few years to witness a decline.
Otherwise, cane will have to be
eradicated or its spread checked to save
the freshwater wetlands.
Water Hyacinth: The exotic aquatic
weed Water Hyacinth Eichornia
crassipes has almost completely
covered the surface of many abandoned
irrigation ponds and especially the
Mavalam Vagu - A fresh-brackish water stream
Ranjit
Manaka
dan
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17MISTNET Vol. 10 No. 4 October-December 2009
perennial ponds in the northern areas.
The mat like formations over the water
prevents sunlight and oxygen reaching
the water column and submerged plants,
causing oxygen depletion, affecting
fisheries (Naskar 1990). For this reason,
the fish fauna in abandoned irrigation
ponds were found to comprise primarily
of Anabantid species. Eradication of
Water Hyacinth in Sriharikota is not a
difficult task as the ponds are small in
size and the species occurs only in
(some) irrigation ponds and nowhere
else in the Island.
Ipomoea carnea: Another South
American aquatic species that is now a
major weed in India is Ipomoea carnea
(Chaudhuri et al. 1994). The species was
recorded in Sriharikota also, but unlike
some wetlands on the mainland where
it is a problem, it occurs only in patches
at the edges of some wetlands. One
reason for this could be the dominance
of cane along the edges of freshwater
water bodies. However, the species will
have to be monitored to see if it turns
out to be invasive in future.
Siltation: Siltation is a major problem
confronting abandoned irrigation
ponds, particularly Madugu Doruvu
and Pedda and Chinna Vagus.
According to the locals, prior to the
ISRO takeover of the Island, desilting
operations were taken up once every
few years in the irrigation ponds and
deeper regions of the Pedda and Chinna
Vagus, which were maintained as fish
ponds. The silt collected was used in
crop fields. Along with the spread of
cane, some of the smaller freshwater
bodies have almost disappeared with
the build-up of silt. On our
recommendations, the authorities of
SDSC have started desilting stretches
of the Pedda and Chinna Vagus, which
will help restore the streams.
Fishing: Fishing was one of the
major occupations of the locals till
ISRO took over the Island. After its
takeover, ISRO gave fishing rights to
some tribals to earn their livelihood by
selling fish to the employees of the
SDSC. Fishing is on a low scale, but
there are reports that outside contractors
(illegally) supply the tribals with fishing
gear to catch prawns and fish species
that find a good market on the mainland.
The demand for fish by the locals has
also increased with the development of
the spaceport and facilities over the
years. However, there are definite plans
by ISRO to completely shift the
residential areas to the mainland, which
will be a boon for the fish fauna.
CONCLUSION
Overall, Sriharikota has a variety of
fairly well-protected, wetland habitats,
ranging from fresh, brackish to marine,
that support a diversity of avifauna,
including Endangered and Vulnerable
species. India’s burgeoning population
and its largely rural makeup, places
huge demands on natural resources
such as wetlands leading to their
exploitation, alteration, degradation or
physical loss. It is estimated that around
50,000 small and large Indian wetlands
are polluted to the point of being dead
(Lee Foote et al. 1996). Thus, it is
important that even areas having small,
unspoiled aquatic habitats such as
Sriharikota be afforded protection.
REFERENCES
CHAUDHURI, H., T. RAMA PRABHU AND V.
RAMACHANDRAN (1994): Ipomoea
carnea jacq- A new aquatic weed
problem in India. J.Aquat. Plant
Manage 32: 37-38.
ISLAM, M.Z., & A.R. RAHMANI (2004):
Important Bird Areas in India: Priority
Sites for Conservation. Bombay Natural
History Society and BirdLife
International.
LE FOOTE, A., S. PANDEY & N. KROGMAN
(1996): Process of wetland loss in India.
Enviromental Conservation 23: 45-54.
MANAKADAN, R. & S. SIVAKUMAR (2004a):
An ecological account of faunal
diversity of Sriharikota Island and its
environs. Final Report: Part I- Birds
and Mammals. Bombay Natural
History Society, Mumbai.
MANAKADAN, R. & S. SIVAKUMAR (2004b): An
ecological account of faunal diversity of
Sriharikota Island and its environs. Final
Report: Part III- Fish. Bombay Natural
History Society. Mumbai.
MANAKADAN, R. & S. SIVAKUMAR (2004c):
Sighting of the Water Rail Rallus
aquaticus in Sriharikota Island, Nellore
district, Andhra Pradesh. Newsletter for
Ornithologists 1(1&2): 15-16.
NASKAR, K.R.(1990): Aquatic and Semi-
aquatic Plants of the Lower Ganga
Delta. Daya Publishing House, Delhi.
REDDY, P.S. (1981): The displaced Yanadis
of Sriharikota Island. Ph.D. Thesis. Sri
Venkateswara University, Tirupati.
SAMANT, J.S & P. RAO (1996): An ecological
investigation of the avian community of
Sriharikota Island. Final Report.
Bombay Natural History Society,
Bombay.
SIVAKUMAR, S. & R. MANAKADAN (2004): An
ecological account of faunal diversity
of Sriharikota Island and its environs.
Final Report: Part II- Herpetofauna.
Bombay Natural History Society.
Mumbai.
SIVAKUMAR, S., R. KAILASANATHAR & R.
MANAKADAN (2004): An ecological
account of faunal diversity of Sriharikota
Island and its environs. Final Report: Part
1V- Butterflies. Bombay Natural History
Society. Mumbai.
SIVAKUMAR, S., R. MANAKADAN & P. DAVID
(2008): Sriharikota Island – New refuge
for colonial nesting waterbirds. Indian
Birds 4(4): 136-137.
SURYANARAYANA, B., A.S. RAO, A.M. RAO & V.
VEERARAJU (1989): Report on the flora of
Sriharikota Island. 2 Volumes. Visvodaya
Government College, Venkatagiri and
SHAR Centre, Sriharikota.
SURYANARAYANA, B., A.S. RAO, A.M. RAO &
V. VEERARAJU (1998): Flora of
Sriharikota Island. Technical Report:
ISRO-SHAR-TR-99-98. Indian Space
Research Organisation, Bangalore.
VENUGOPAL RAO, Y. (1977): Working plan
for the Sriharikota Group of Islands.
1967-77. Govt Press, Hyderabad.
Contact:
Email: [email protected]
CMYK
18 MISTNET Vol. 10 No. 4 October-December 2009
The Lesser Whistling-duck Dendrocygna
javanica, locally known as ‘Tingi’ is the most
abundant waterfowl species in the Loktak
wetland (IBA). It is a resident, small whistling
duck which breeds in South and Southeast Asia.
In other classifications, it is also known as Lesser
Whistling Teal. Although the species is a resident
bird, local migration can be seen due to flood
and drought situation of the habitat. As per the
census data made available by Generation de
New Image (GENIM) and Manipur Association
for Science and Society (MASS) and
IBCN(BNHS), the highest population of this
species can be observed at Khordak and
Nongmaikhong area (N – 24.438020 ; E –
93.852100 ) and Birahari pat –Ningthoukhong
area (N – 24.60330 ; E – 93.82550 ) of Loktak
lake. Interestingly, local fishermen in and around
the lake have started domesticating this duck
species.
The size of the bird is comparable to that of
the domestic duck even though it is slightly
smaller. Lesser Whistling-ducks are different
from other ducks in that they have longer legs
M O N I T O R I N G F O R C O N S E R V A T I O N
and head and an erect goose-like posture when
alert. Their wings are also round and broad. Its a
small pale brown and marron-chestnut coloured
duck confusable with no other of the same size
except the rarer Fulvous Whistling-duck
Dendrocygna bicolor.This species has a grey bill,
long head and longish legs. It has a buff head,
neck and underparts, and a darker crown. The
back and wings are darkish grey, and there are
chestnut patches on the wings and tail. All
plumages are similar.
Distribution of the Lesser Whistling-duck
This is a largely resident species distributed
throughout the Indian Union, lower river valleys
eastwards across most of peninsular India, Nepal
Terai, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar,
Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, south China, to
Vietnam. It is subject to local movement,
influenced by flood and drought. But Chinese
birds winter further south. Covering between 1
to 10 million sq km, it is estimated to have a
global population of between two and twenty
million individuals.
by R.K. Birjit Singh
Loktak Lake is a Ramsar Site and the only habitat of the Manipur-Brow antlered Deer
R.K
. B
irjit
Sin
gh
Lesser Whistling-duck
The Waterfowl of Loktak (IBA) in Manipur
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It rests on weed-covered lakes, floating Phum
(floating biomass) during daytime, flying to
flooded rice fields to feed during the night. It
walks well on marshland often grazing like a
goose, and is a good diver. It perches freely in
trees and has a shrill wheezy, whistling call
seasick,seasick, uttered on the wing.
The Lesser Whistling-duck is largely
vegeterian and eat shoots and grain growing in
the floating biomass, but also eat small fishes,
snails etc. Lesser Whistling-ducks feed mostly
at night, in small family groups. The birds have
adapted to feeding on the domestic waste of the
Phum dwellers (Fishermen living in floating huts).
Lesser Whistling-ducks eat aquatic vegetation
by dabbling on the water surface in shallow water.
Like other waterfowl, they have a highly sensitive,
fleshy tongue, which has a spiny surface. To
efficiently sift for edible tidbits, the tongue is
worked against rows of horny lamellae that line
the mandibles. This produces the typical
chattering sound of feeding waterfowl.
Nesting season is mainly during monsoon from
June to October and also December to January. It
nests in Phum (floating biomass), old nests of
other birds, or on a stick platform near the ground,
among reeds and lays 7-12 eggs ivory white in
colour. Both sexes incubate and lead the young
ones. Unlike other ducks, males and females look
similar, and there is no special breeding plumage.
The International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) and BirdLife International has
put this waterbird in the Least Concern (LC)
category of the International Conservation Status.
Even though this duck is the most abundant bird
in Loktak lake, sharp decline of their population
can be seen during the last decade.
Immense abundance does not immunize a
species from extinction. The story of Passenger
Pigeon of America can be a good example and
Circular floating biomass fishing cage in Loktak wetland
R.K
. B
irjit
Sin
gh
CMYK
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20 MISTNET Vol. 10 No. 4 October-December 2009
despite their abundance and large number, today
there is not even a single Passenger pigeon on
the earth now. Therefore, the Least Concern
status of IUCN of this bird species can one day
be either Threatened or Extinct species in wild.
The Lesser Whistling-duck is leading in the
population tally for a period of thirteen
consecutive years of Mid-Winter Waterfowl
Census program conducted by GENIM and
MASS (Partner designate of IBCN, BNHS) since
1996. Now the question is that what is the reason
and factors behind the lead in the population tally
by this species from the rest of the other
waterfowl species in Loktak Lake for a
consecutive period of 13 years?
The reason for this is the high adaptability of
the species to different variety of food and
habitats. The fishing community and people
around the lake prefer other waterfowl species,
in terms of taste of their flesh. The awareness of
the people is gaining momentum as a result of
the activities of the GENIM, MASS and EPSF.
The Author is a member IBCN (Census
Coordinator, Manipur) President, GENIM and
Head of Department of Life Sciences,
Mangolnganbi College, Ningthoukhong.
Contact: Radha Madhav Leikai – 8
Ningthoukhong, Dist. Bishnupur
Manipur – 795126
Email: [email protected]
People live on phumdies, floating vegitation
Fishing is the major occupation of the local people in Loktak Lake
R.K
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CMYK
I B C N P A R T N E R ’ S F A C T F I L E
SAHYADRI NISARGA MITRA, CHIPLUNFounded : 9 February, 1992
Chairman : Jayant Kanade
Secretary : Bhau Katdare
Near Laxminarayan Temple A/P - Chiplun,
Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, 415065
Telephone number : 02355 - 253030
Email Address : [email protected], [email protected]
Website : www.snmcpn.org
OUR MISSION
Nature conservation through field
protection, awareness, education and
scientific based action.
OBJECTIVES
1. Undertake scientific study of flora
and fauna and take actions based
research.
2. To organise educational and
awareness programmes for the
protection and conservation of the
flora and fauna.
3. To develop literature in local
language regarding nature, its
importance and conservation.
4. To develop actual protection and
conservation work at field.
ACTIVITY PROFILE
Prevention of Indian Swiftlet nests
robbery in India
In 2001 Sahyadri Nisarg Mitra
(SNM) exposed an international
smuggling racket involving nests of
the Indian Swiftlet Callocalia
unicolour from Vengurla Rocks, an
island 20 km away from seashore of
Vengurla village of Sindhudurga
district, which is an Important Bird
Area. SNM stopped robbery of
Swiftlet nests with the help of the
Forest Department. These constant
efforts of SNM lead to include the
species in Schedule I of the Indian
Wildlife (Protection) Act which help
to protect the species. It is not only
breeding habitat of Swiftlet but terns
also.
VULTURE CONSERVATION
PROGRAMME
SNM started conservation
programme on White-rumped vultures
in 2003. The White-rumped vulture
Gyps bengalensis is classified under the
critically endangered category by IUCN
and BirdLife International. During the
study of the breeding biology of the
remaning vultures, SNM found that due
to the absence of vultures, carcasses are
rotting and villagers had started burying
of cattle carcasses, as a result of which
there is less food for the remaning
vultures. (Editors note: Providing food
to vultures is only a small temporary
step. Most important step is to see that
Vulture restaurant at Anjarla
White-backed Vulture
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21MISTNET Vol. 10 No. 4 October-December 2009
CMYK
I B C N P A R T N E R ’ S F A C T F I L E
the killer drugs such as the Diclofenac
are totally prohibited in the area). To
overcome this major problem, SNM has
provided food for vultures in the nesting
colony at Anjarla village.
CONFLICT AND SOLUTION
Most of the vultures nests are found
on the Coconut Cocos nucifera, which
is one of the economically important
tree species along the coastline of the
Maharashtra; hence, due to fear for
decrease in yield of coconuts farmers
were destroying nests of vultures. The
awareness programs and constant
efforts of SNM towards the
conservation of vultures ensured bright
future for vultures of coast of
Maharashtra. SNM’s recommendation
to financial support to loss in harvest
of coconut for farmers due to vulture-
nesting is accepted by Maharashtra
State Wildlife Advisory Board.
STUDY OF WHITE-BELLIED SEA
EAGLE
From the year 1996, SNM started
documentation of nesting behaviour of
White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus
leucogaster, completed status survey of
it in two districts viz. Sindhudurga and
Ratnagiri of Maharashtra state. SNM
discovered a total 105 nests on different
plant species.
SNM had monitored nests of White-
bellied Sea Eagle in breeding season
between 1996 to 2000. In the year 2000,
the breeding biology of these eagles
was studied thoroughly by using closed
circuit camera and data were collected.
Such type of data is collected first time
in India. Now working for conservation
of the species through awareness.
BREEDING BIOLOGY OF BIRDS
SNM realised that adequate
scientific data on breeding biology of
birds are unavailable; therefore, SNM
started study of breeding biology of
bird species of Konkan region and
studied 22 bird species eg. Yellow-
throated Sparrow, White bellied
Drongo, Rufus-tailed Finch-Lark and
Crested Tree Swift., collected
information and published in the
journals.
SCHOOL NATURE CLUB
SNM has been promoting to form
school nature clubs in schools for
students. SNM visits school nature
club periodically and arrange slide
shows, lectures, film-shows, essay and
White-bellied Sea-eagle
Turtle Festival organised by Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra
Mr. Bhau Katdare climbing Coconut tree to fix Close Circut (CC) camera to capture the
activities of the vultures
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22 MISTNET Vol. 10 No. 4 October-December 2009
CMYK
I B C N P A R T N E R ’ S F A C T F I L E
drawing competitions on birds and
nature to create awareness among the
students. SNM conducted 489 school
programs in 451 schools and 62000
students participated in the Ratnagiri
district in 2008-09.
MANGROVE PROJECT WITH BNHS
SNM started awareness campaign on
the Konkan coast with the help of BNHS
that includes awareness campaigns. A
film show, slide show, photo exhibitions,
meetings and lectures have been
organised to create awareness between
the costal communities.
MARINE TURTLE CONSERVATION
IN MAHARASHTRA
Since 2002, SNM is working on
conservation of marine turtles,
especially, on Olive Ridley along the
coastline of Maharashtra. During the
period 2002 -2003 to 2008-2009, 530 nests
of Olive Ridley are protected and 25000
hatchlings from nests are released into
seawater of Maharashtra. In Raigad
district Pokarna Charitable Trust, Pune
is SNM’s partner, to work at grass root
level for various conservation projects
and increase the peoples participation.
UNDP-GEF-SGP, CEE CNTRAL
PROJECT
The project, Marine Turtle
Conservation and Awareness through
community Participation in
Maharashtra, has been implemented in
five coastal villages of Ratnagiri district
and aimed to marine turtle conservation,
increase community participation,
upliftment of standard level of the local
community, and development of
livelihood activities.
TURTLE FRIEND AWARD
Since 2004, SNM is felicitating
individuals and organisations for their
outstanding performance towards
conservation of marine turtles. The
award includes Rs. 5000, a trophy and a
certificate.
KASAV MITRA MANDAL, VELAS
A group of villagers had established
Kasav Mitra Mandal at Velas village in
Mandangad taluka, Dist- Ratnagiri, with
the help of SNM, to provide
accommodations and food for tourists
with reasonable charges and small
amount from it is used towards the
Marine Turtle Conservation program
MARINE TURTLE KNOWLEDGE
INFORMATION CENTRE
SNM has formed and established the
MTKIC at Velas, taluka Mandangad,
dist. Ratnagiri for tourist to understand
more about marine turtle. This centre
provides information on the life cycle
of the marine turtles, through talks,
panels and photographs.
PROPOSED PROJECTS
1. Permanent Marine Turtle
Rehabilitation and Research
Centre
2. Nature Education Centre
3. Vulture Conservation Centre
4. Identification and protection of
Indian Swiftlet breeding colonies
in India
5. School nature Club chain
throughout Konkan
6. Publication of CD/DVD of local
flora and fauna
Nature Club activities in schools
Bird released during Wildlife week
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CMYK
T H R E A T E N E D B I R D S O F I N D I A
24 MISTNET Vol. 10 No. 4 October-December 2009
Checklist of Threatened Birds of India 2008 by BirdLife International
Sr. Species
Vulnerable
14. Socotra Cormorant Phalacrocorax nigrogularis
15. Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni
16. Pallas’s Fish-eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus
17. Nicobar Sparrowhawk Accipiter butleri
18. Indian Spotted Eagle Aquila hastata
19. Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga
20. Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca
21. Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis undulata
22. Masked Finfoot Heliopais personatus
23. Sarus Crane Grus antigone
24. Hooded Crane Grus monacha
25. Black-necked Crane Grus nigricollis
26. Wood Snipe Gallinago nemoricola
27. Indian Skimmer Rynchops albicollis
28. Pale-backed Pigeon Columba eversmanni
29. Nilgiri Wood-pigeon Columba elphinstonii
30. Pale-capped Pigeon Columba punicea
31. Red-faced Malkoha Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus
32. Dark-rumped Swift Apus acuticauda
33. Rufous-necked Hornbill Aceros nipalensis
34. Narcondam Hornbill Aceros narcondami
35. White-naped Tit Parus nuchalis
36. Grey-crowned Prinia Prinia cinereocapilla
37. Yellow-throated Bulbul Pycnonotus xantholaemus
38. Nicobar Bulbul Hypsipetes nicobariensis
39. Bristled Grassbird Chaetornis striata
40. Broad-tailed Grassbird Schoenicola platyurus
41. Marsh Babbler Pellorneum palustre
42. Rusty-throated Wren-babbler
Spelaeornis badeigularis
43. Tawny-breasted Wren-babbler Spelaeornis longicaudatus
44. Snowy-throated Babbler Stachyris oglei
45. Jerdon’s Babbler Chrysomma altirostre
46. Slender-billed Babbler Turdoides longirostris
47. Bugun Liocichla Liocichla bugunorum
48. Black-breasted Parrotbill Paradoxornis flavirostris
49. Beautiful Nuthatch Sitta formosa
50. Grey-sided Thrush Turdus feae
51. White-bellied Shortwing Brachypteryx major
52. White-browed Bushchat Saxicola macrorhynchus
53. White-throated Bushchat Saxicola insignis
54. Kashmir Flycatcher Ficedula subrubra
55. Yellow Weaver Ploceus megarhynchus
56. Green Avadavat Amandava formosa
57. Yellow-breasted Bunting Emberiza aureola
Critically Endangered
Sr. Species
1. Himalayan Quail Ophrysia superciliosa
2. Pink-headed Duck Rhodonessa caryophyllacea
3. White-bellied Heron Ardea insignis
4. Christmas Frigatebird Fregata andrewsi
5. White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis
6. Indian Vulture Gyps indicus
7. Slender-billed Vulture Gyps tenuirostris
8. Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus
9. Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis
10. Siberian Crane Grus leucogeranus
11. Sociable Lapwing Vanellus gregarius
12. Spoon-billed Sandpiper Eurynorhynchus pygmeus
13. Jerdon’s Courser Rhinoptilus bitorquatus
14. Forest Owlet Heteroglaux blewitti
Endangered
Sr. Species
1. Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis
2. White-winged Duck Cairina scutulata
3. Baer’s Pochard Aythya baeri
4. White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala
5. Oriental Stork Ciconia boyciana
6. Greater Adjutant Leptoptilos dubius
7. Saker Falcon Falco cherrug
8. Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus
9. Great Indian Bustard Ardeotis nigriceps
10. Lesser Florican Sypheotides indicus
11. Spotted Greenshank Tringa guttifer
12. Rufous-breasted Laughingthrush Garrulax cachinnans
Vulnerable
Sr. Species
1. Nicobar Megapode Megapodius nicobariensis
2. Swamp Francolin Francolinus gularis
3. Manipur Bush-quail Perdicula manipurensis
4. Chestnut-breasted Partridge Arborophila mandellii
5. Western Tragopan Tragopan melanocephalus
6. Blyth’s Tragopan Tragopan blythii
7. Sclater’s Monal Lophophorus sclateri
8. Cheer Pheasant Catreus wallichi
9. Green Peafowl Pavo muticus
10. Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus
11. Baikal Teal Anas formosa
12. Marbled Teal Marmaronetta angustirostris
13. Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus
13. Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus
CMYK
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25MISTNET Vol. 10 No. 4 October-December 2009
Near Threatened Near Threatened
Sr. Species
1. White-cheeked Partridge Arborophila atrogularis
2. Satyr Tragopan Tragopan satyra
3. Tibetan Eared-pheasant Crossoptilon harmani
4. Hume’s Pheasant Syrmaticus humiae
5. Falcated Duck Anas falcata
6. Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca
7. Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor
8. Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala
9. Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus
10. Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus
11. Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis
12. Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster
13. Laggar Falcon Falco jugger
14. Red Kite Milvus milvus
15. Lesser Fish-eagle Ichthyophaga humilis
16. Grey-headed Fish-eagle
Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus
17. Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus
18. South Nicobar Serpent-eagle Spilornis klossi
19. Andaman Serpent-eagle Spilornis elgini
20. Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus
21. Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax
22. Andaman Crake Rallina canningi
23. Beach Thick-knee Esacus giganteus
24. Great Snipe Gallinago media
25. Asian Dowitcher Limnodromus semipalmatus
26. Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa
27. Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata
28. Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis
29. Black-bellied Tern Sterna acuticauda
30. Andaman Wood-pigeon Columba palumboides
31. Andaman Cuckoo-dove Macropygia rufipennis
32. Nicobar Pigeon Caloenas nicobarica
33. Nicobar Parakeet Psittacula caniceps
Sr. Species
34. Long-tailed Parakeet Psittacula longicauda
35. Andaman Scops-owl Otus balli
36. Andaman Hawk-owl Ninox affinis
37. Ward’s Trogon Harpactes wardi
38. European Roller Coracias garrulus
39. Brown-winged Kingfisher Pelargopsis amauroptera
40. Blyth’s Kingfisher Alcedo hercules
41. Austen’s Brown Hornbill Anorrhinus austeni
42. Malabar Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros coronatus
43. Great Hornbill Buceros bicornis
44. Yellow-rumped Honeyguide Indicator xanthonotus
45. Andaman Woodpecker Dryocopus hodgei
46. Andaman Drongo Dicrurus andamanensis
47. Andaman Treepie Dendrocitta bayleyi
48. Rufous-vented Prinia Prinia burnesii
49. Rufous-rumped Grassbird Graminicola bengalensis
50. Long-billed Bush-warbler Bradypterus major
51. Tytler’s Leaf-warbler Phylloscopus tytleri
52. Rufous-throated Wren-babbler Spelaeornis caudatus
53. Long-tailed Wren-babbler Spelaeornis chocolatinus
54. Blackish-breasted Babbler Sphenocichla humei
55. Chevron-breasted Babbler Sphenocichla roberti
56. Giant Babax Babax waddelli
57. Chestnut-backed Laughingthrush Garrulax nuchalis
58. Grey-breasted Laughingthrush Garrulax jerdoni
59. Rusty-bellied Shortwing Brachypteryx hyperythra
60. Firethroat Luscinia pectardens
61. Black-and-rufous Flycatcher Ficedula nigrorufa
62. Nilgiri Flycatcher Eumyias albicaudatus
63. Nilgiri Pipit Anthus nilghiriensis
Data Deficient
Sr. Species
1. Nicobar Scops-owl Otus alius
2. Large-billed Reed-warbler Acrocephalus orinus
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CMYK
14. Maharashtra1. Mr. Bishwarup Raha
Hemant Vihar, 13, Savarkar NagarOff. Gangapur Road, Nashik–422005Email: [email protected]
2. Raju Kasambe (Vidarbha)G-L, Laxmi Aparatments64, Vidya Vihar ColonyPratap nagar, Nagpur – 440002Email [email protected]
15. ManipurDr. R. K. Ranjan SinghManipur Association for Science and Society (MASS)Manipur Cultural Integrated ConferencePalace Compound, Imphal - 795 001Email:[email protected]
16. MizoramMr. N. R. PradhanAsstt. Conservator of ForestsC/o. Chief Conservator of Forests, WL, MizoramAizawl, Mizoram Email:[email protected]
17. NagalandMr. Thomas KentAsstt. Director of TourismC/o. Directorate of Tourism, Kohima,Nagaland - 797 001 Email: [email protected]
18. OrissaMr. Biswajit MohantyWildlife Society of Orissa“Shantikunj”, Link Road, Cuttack- 753 012Email: [email protected]
19. PondicherryDr. Priya DavidarSalim Ali School of Ecology &Environmental Sciences Pondicherry University,Kalapet - 605 014 Email:[email protected]
20. RajasthanMr. Manoj KulshreshthaSnehdeep, B-33, Sethi Colony,Jaipur - 302 004Email: [email protected], [email protected]
21. SikkimMs. Usha Ganguli-LachungpaSr. Research Officer (WL), Government of SikkimDepartment of Forest, Environment & WildlifeDeorali-737 102, Gangtok Email: [email protected],[email protected]
22. Tamil Nadu1. Dr. V. Santharam C/o Institute of Bird Studies & Natural History
Rishi Valley Education Centre, Chittor – 517 352Andhra Pradesh,Email:[email protected]
2. Mr. Kumaran Sathasivan29, Jadamuni, Koil Street, MaduraiTamil Nadu - 625 001Email: [email protected]
23. TripuraMr. Kamal Kanti BanikDishari, Ek No. Tila, Belonia,South Tripura - 799155.Email:[email protected]
24. Uttar Pradesh (East and West)1. Dr. Vijay Prakash Singh (Eastern UP)
Jaidev Nagar (Rajgarh)Lakhimpur Kheri - 262 701Email: [email protected]
2. Mr. Neeraj Srivastav (Western UP)Flat No.303, Plot no.26/10,Kumar Enclave, Wazir Hasan RoadLucknow - 226 001Email:[email protected]
25. West BengalMr. Kushal Mookherjee, Secretary,Prakriti Samsad, 65, Golf Club RoadKolkata-700 033
Email: [email protected]
1. Arunachal PradeshDr. Bharat Bhushan BhattState Forest Research Institute, Van-Vihar, P.B.No. 159,Itanagar - 791 111, Email:[email protected]
2. Andhra PradeshMr. M. Shafaat UllaH.No. 4, St. No. 1, Avenue 8 (Rd No.3)Banjara Hills, Andhra Pradesh 500 003Email:[email protected]
3. AssamDr. Anwaruddin ChoudhuryNear Gate No.1 of Nehru Stadium, Islampur Road Guwahati781 007, Email: [email protected]
4. Bihar and JharkhandMr. Arvind MishraMandar Nature ClubAnand Chikitsalaya Road, Bhagalpur - 812 002, Bihar.Email: [email protected], [email protected]
5. ChhattisgarhMr. Arun M. K. BharosB-101 Gayatrinagar, PO Shankar Nagar, Raipur-492 007Email: [email protected], [email protected]
6. DelhiMr. Nikhil DevasarDelhi Bird Club, C 1/503 Mayfair Tower, Charmwood Village,Eros Garden, Surajkund Rd., Faridabad, Haryana.Email:[email protected]
7. GoaMr. Parag RangnekarR-1, S-3, Techno Park, Near Landscape City,Chogm RoadAlto-Provorim, Bardez, North Goa, GoaEmail:[email protected]
8. Gujarat1. Mr. Jugal Kishor Tiwari (Kutch)
Centre for Desert and Ocean,Po. Moti-Virani, Taluka – Nakhtrana, Kutch – 370 665Email: [email protected]
2. Dr. Bharat Jethva (North Gujarat)322/2, Sector - 7A, Gandhinagar, Gujarat - 382 007
Email: [email protected]. I. R. Gadhvi (Saurashtra)
Plot no. 2200, Ankur Society, Hill Drive,Bhavnagar - 364002, GujaratEmail: [email protected]
9. Haryana and Punjab
Mr. Suresh C. SharmaGokul Nagar, Rohtak Road, Sonipat - 131 001Email:[email protected],[email protected]
10. Himachal PradeshMr. Jan Willem den BestenKuldeep House, Mc Leod Ganj, Kangra - 176 219Email:[email protected]
11. Jammu and Kashmir1. Dr. Ashfaq Ahmed Zarri (Jammu)
Manager Biodiversity Project,Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah UniversityRajouri, Jammu and Kashmir - 185 131Email:[email protected]
2. Dr. Khursheed Ahmed (Kashmir)Panzmulla (Salia), Dist. AnantnagJammu & Kashmir - 192 129Email:[email protected]
3. Mr. Pankaj Chandan (Ladakh)
Project Manager, WWF India Field Office, Hemis Complex,Zangsti Road, Leh - 194101,Ladakh, Jammu & KashmirEmail:[email protected], [email protected]
12. KarnatakaDr. S. SubramanyaPHT Scheme, J Block, GKVK CampusUniversity Of Agricultural Sciences,Banglore, Karnataka- 560 065Email: [email protected]
13. KeralaDr. P. O. NameerAsst. Professor, College of ForestryKerala Agricultural University (KAU), Thrissur 680 656Email: [email protected]
IBCN MISSION STATEMENT
To promote conservation of birds and their habitats through the development of a national network of individuals, organisations and the government
I B C N S T A T E C O O R D I N A T O R S
CMYK
IBCN ORGANISATIONAL PARTNERS
Birdwatcher’s
Society of Andhra Pradesh
Institute of Bird Studies
& Natural History,
Andhra Pradesh Andhra PradeshNallamalai Foundation,
Andhra PradeshBIOMIX
Assam
Green Guard,
AssamAssamAssam
Mandar Nature Club,
Bihar Chhattisgarh Wildlife Society,
Chhattisgarh
GEER Foundation
Gujarat Gujarat
Wildlife Protection Society
of India, New Delhi Bird Conservation Society
of Surat, Gujarat
Delhi
International Society
of Naturalists,
Gujarat
DelhiDelhi, M.P.
Chhattisgarh and
Assam
Haryana
Ashoka Trust
for Research
in Ecology & the
Environment,
KarnatakaNature Conservation Society
Jharkhand
Gujarat
People for Animals,
Madhya Pradesh
Nature Conservation Society
Amravati, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Madhya Pradesh
Karnataka Karnataka
Maharashtra
Nature
Conservation Society,
Maharashtra.Maharashtra
Green Guards, Maharashtra
MaharashtraNature Science (Club’s)
Society, Maharashtra
Maharashtra OrissaAction for Protection
of Wild Animals,
Orissa
Manipur Association
for Sciences and
Society, Manipur
Sahyadri Nisrag Mitra,
Ratnagiri, Maharashtra
Green Friends,
Orissa
Bastar Society for Conservation
of Nature, Chhattisgarh
Madhya Pradesh
Wild Haven
Madhya Pradesh
Kerala
AssamEarly Birds,
Assam
Orissa
Samrat Vikramaditya
Research Institute,
Madhya Pradesh
Asian Wildlife Foundation,
Andhra Pradesh
MaharashtraSrushtidnyan,
Maharashtra
Lakshadweep Marine Research &
Conservation Centre
Jharkhand
Green Hearts Nature Club,
Assam
CMYK
Wildlife Society of
OrissaPahal,
Punjab
Alipurduar
Nature Club,
West Bengal
Rajasthan
Nature Club,
Bishop Heber College,
Tamil Nadu
Arulagam,
Tamil Nadu
NEED,
Rajasthan
Tamil NaduDhan Foundation
Tamil Nadu
Turquoise Wildlife
Conservation
Welfare Society,
Uttar Pradesh
Punjab
Sikkim
Uttar PradeshAmrapali Institute,
Uttaranchal
Aligarh
MuslimUniversity,
Uttar PradeshSociety for Conservation
of Nature,
Uttar Pradesh
West Bengal
The Friends of the
Doon Society,
Uttaranchal
Himalayan Nature &
Adventure Foundation,
West Bengal
West BengalInstitute for Cultural &
Physical Development
Trust, West Bengal
Nandadevi Foundation,
West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal
Nuclear Power
Corporation of India
Limited
Rajasthan
Madhya Pradesh
Centre for Environment
Protection, Mizoram Assam Assam
Gondia Nisrag Mandal,
Maharashtra
Madhya Pradesh
Forest Environment &
Wildlife , Punjab
Generation de New Image
Manipur
Malabar Natural
History Society Kerala
Orissa
Karnataka
Gujarat
Samrakshan Trust,
Meghalaya
Karnataka
IBCN ORGANISATIONAL PARTNERS
Megamix,
Nature Club, AssamGramin Vikash Society
of North East, Assam
Sikkim
Maharashtra
www.ibcn.in
Vattakanal Conservation
Trust, Kerala
Orissa
MaharashtraGujarat
Bird Conservation Society,
Gujarat
Jharkhand
AVES
Arunachal Pradesh
Maharashtra
Krishak Samaj Inter College
Uttar Pradesh
Maharashtra
Barn Owl Nature Club
Tamil Nadu