Bird Species Count in Deepor Beel

                                         Bird Species Count in Deepor Beel

 

 

Why in News?

 

Recently, the Guwahati Wildlife Division of the Assam Forest Department conducted the 2^nd Bird Species Count Exercise after February 2022 (1^st bird count) in Deepor Beel Wetland, which is the only Ramsar Site in Assam.

 

About the Findings of the Bird Count Exercise

1. Altogether 26,747 birds belonging to 96 species were recorded during the 2^nd  bird count at the Deepor Beel wetland.

2. There were 10,289 birds across 66 species in 1^st Bird Count.

3. The 2^nd  Bird count revealed greater species diversity and an increase in the total number of species.

 

So, What is Deepor Beel?

1. It is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Assam and an Important Bird Area as per Birdlife International.

2. Deepor Beel was designated as a Ramsar Site in November, 2002.

3. It is located towards the southwest of Guwahati city, Assam and is the erstwhile water channel of River Brahmaputra.

4. The lake expands up to 30 sq. km in summer and reduces to about 10 sq. km in the winter.

5. The Assam Forest Department manages the 4.1 sq km Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary in the central part of the greater wetland named Deepor Beel.

6. It constitutes a unique habitat for aquatic flora and avian fauna.

7. It has both biological and environmental importance besides being the only major storm-water storage basin for Guwahati city.

8. It provides a means of livelihood for a number of local families.

9. In 2021, 6 young girls from the fishing community from Assam have developed a biodegradable and compostable yoga mat called ‘Moorhen Yoga Mat’.

 

Concerns:

1. Deepor Beel has also suffered contamination because of the  garbage dump on its edge at Paschim Boragaon.

2. Its water has become toxic and it has lost many of its aquatic plants that elephants feed on.

3. It has for decades been threatened by a railway track — set to be doubled and electrified — on its southern rim, a garbage dump, and encroachment from human habitation and commercial units.

 

What are Wetlands?

As per the definition of Ramsar Convention, “Wetlands are “areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water, the depth of which at low tide does not exceed 6 metres.”

Examples of Wetlands are:

1. Marine and coastal areas

2. Estuaries

3. Lakes and rivers

4. Marshes and peatlands

5. Groundwater and human-made wetlands such as rice paddies, shrimp ponds, and reservoirs etc.

What is Ramsar Convention?

1. It’s a convention on wetlands that was signed in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar.

2. The negotiations for the convention started in the 1960s by the different countries and NGOs for the protection of wetlands and their resources.

3. It came into force in 1975. There are 75 Ramsar Sites in India listed under Ramsar Convention.

4. Sundarbans in West Bengal is the largest Ramsar site in India.

5. India’s Ramsar wetlands are spread over 11,000 sq km — around 10% of the total wetland area in the country — across 18 States.

6. No other South Asian country has as many sites though this has much to do with India’s geographical breadth and tropical diversity.

7. Recently, 5 Indian Sites are included in Ramsar list and these are:

1.Karikili Bird Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu):

• It is spread over a 5-kilometre broad belt.
• Many rare species are found in Karikili such as grey heron, open-billed stork, darter, spoonbill, white lbis, night herons, grebes, grey pelican etc.

2. Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest (Tamil Nadu):

• It is One of the last remaining natural wetlands.
• Pallikaranai is one of the few natural coastal aquatic habitats that qualify as a wetland in India.

3. Pichavaram Mangrove (Tamil Nadu):

• It is One of the last mangrove forests in the country.
• It has an island of huge capacity of water covered with mangrove forests.

4. Sakhya Sagar (Madhya Pradesh):

• It was created from the Manier river in 1918.
• Sakhya Sagar is located near Madhav National Park.

5. Pala Wetland in Mizoram (Mizoram):

• It falls under the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot and is therefore rich in animal and plant species.
• The lake is a major component of the Palak Wildlife Sanctuary and provides a great support to its biodiversity.

 

75 Ramsar Sites of India are:

 

 

 

 There are a total of 9 Criteria’s and 1 of the 9 criteria’s must be fulfilled to be the Ramsar Site and these are:

Criterion 1: If it contains a representative, rare, or unique example of a natural or near-natural wetland type found within the appropriate biogeographic region.

Criterion 2: If it supports vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities.

Criterion 3: If it supports populations of plant and/or animal species important for maintaining the biological diversity of a particular biogeographic region.

Criterion 4: If it supports plant and/or animal species at a critical stage in their life cycles, or provides refuge during adverse conditions.

Criterion 5: If it regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds.

Criterion 6: If it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterbird.

Criterion 7: If it supports a significant proportion of indigenous fish subspecies, species or families, life-history stages, species interactions and/or populations that are representative of wetland benefits and/or values and thereby contributes to global biological diversity.

Criterion 8: If it is an important source of food for fishes, spawning ground, nursery and/or migration path on which fish stocks, either within the wetland or elsewhere, depend.

Criterion 9: If it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of wetland-dependent non avian animal species.

 

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