Mistnet Oct Dect 2009 -15-11-2009 - IBCNibcn.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/2009-Mistnet-Oct-Dec-Vol-10-no... · diversity through action, ... West Bengal. Movement of fishes into

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


Web: www.birdlife.org

This Newsletter is supported by the

RSPB

n

n

n

n

n

Bombay Natural History Society

(For private circulation only)

Oriental Darter Ahinga melanogaster

cover pic by: Vilas Ambre

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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

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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

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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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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

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CMYK



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



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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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 NMONITORING IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS 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


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

shis

Sark

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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


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


The canyon cum gorge of Balpakram in Garo Hills IBA is dominated by pristine tropical rainforest providing refuge to many threatened

mammals and birds

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R E S E A R C H A N D M O N I T O R I N G


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.


CMYK



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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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

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Urugayya, a brackish-saline lake is very important for resident birds during summer

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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

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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:


CMYK


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


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

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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

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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


People live on phumdies, floating vegitation

Fishing is the major occupation of the local people in Loktak Lake

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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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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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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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T H R E A T E N E D B I R D S O F I N D I A


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

T H R E A T E N E D B I R D S O F I N D I A


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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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


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

Documents

Mistnet Oct Dect 2009 -15-11-2009 - IBCNibcn.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/2009-Mistnet-Oct-Dec-Vol-10-no... · diversity through action, ... West Bengal. Movement of fishes into