The Hindu : Kerala News : Kattampally a priority site for conservation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 16, 2006
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Kerala

Kerala

Kattampally a priority site for conservation

Mohamed Nazeer

KANNUR: The Kattampally wetland ecosystem here is one of the 24 Important Bird Areas (IBA) in the State identified by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and the Birdlife International as priority sites for conservation since they hold a considerable population of globally-threatened birds.

The move to reclaim 15 acres of the `kaipad' (wetland paddy cultivation) land at Varamkadavu, which forms part of the Kattampally wetland ecosystem, for developing an ayurveda health resort, has raised concern among environmentalists. They say the filling of the land for the big project would only speed up the destruction of the wetland system and habitats of birds.

Bird watchers associated with the Malabar Natural History Society (MNHS) say that 24 areas in the State have been identified as Important Bird Areas (IBA) by BNHS and the Birdlife International as priority sites for conservation. Of these, three sites are wetlands and the rest forests, including wildlife sanctuaries. The avian population of Kattampally has been regularly monitored since 1979, they say. C. Sashikumar of the MNHS, who has been monitoring the bird population of the Kattampally wetland region over the last few decades, says the water-bird census conducted in January 2006 has showed a population of 18,622 birds belonging to 51 species. Out of the 63 sites covered under the census in North Kerala, Kattampally is the most important in species diversity as well as in the number of birds, he says.

This included 6,538 Garganey (a migratory wild duck, wintering in India from Northern Europe and Siberia). Mr. Sashikumar says that 2,500 of these ducks are estimated to comprise one per cent of the bio-geographical population, a criteria for qualifying a site as an IBA.

Northern Shoveller, another rare duck in Kerala, is found at Kattampally. Another species found in thousands is Northern Pintail. Both are migratory ducks breeding in Northern Europe and Siberia, he says. The large number of birds that subsists in this wetland, in turn, supplies `guano' (bird droppings) which provides the nutrients essential for the abundance of fish fauna, he adds.

Six globally threatened species of birds have also been reported from Kattampally. They include Oriental Darter, Greater Spotted Eagle, Indian Spotted Eagle, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Black-tailed Godwit and Black-headed Ibis.

Mr. Sashikumar says that Kattampally is the only place in the State where Oriental Pratincole has been found to breed regularly since 1992.

In 2006, this species was found to breed in the Kole wetlands in Thrissur. Kattampally is the feeding ground of the vast number of water-birds nesting at the Pamburuthy heronry, he says.

The ornithologist says that Kattampally is the only place in the State where four species of Aquila Eagles (large black eagles, all of them migrants to Kerala, forming the apex predators of the ecosystem), namely, Greater Spotted Eagle, Indian Spotted Eagle, Eastern Imperial Eagle and Steppe Eagle have been reported. Greater Flamingo, an extremely rare visitor to the State, is occasionally found here, he says.

Environmentalists say that wild-birds and their habitat in India are protected by several legislations such as the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 (amended in 2003), the National Forest Policy, 1988, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Rules, 1975, the National Wildlife Action Plan, 2002-2016 and the National Biodiversity Bill, 2000 (Act, 2002).

Moreover, the Central Government is a signatory to several conventions and international treaties. Those related to water-birds are: Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, 1972, Convention on Migratory Species (Bonn Convention), 1979, Biodiversity Convention (Rio), 1992, and the Convention on Protection of Migratory Birds between India and Russia, 2002.

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