Kolleru Bird Sanctuary

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Kolleru Bird Sanctuary
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Map showing the location of Kolleru Bird Sanctuary
Map showing the location of Kolleru Bird Sanctuary
Kolleru Bird Sanctuary
Location Andhra Pradesh, India
Nearest city Eluru
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[1]
Area 673 km2 (166,000 acres)
Established November 1999 (1999-11)
Governing body Andhra Pradesh Forest Department
Designated 19 August 2002[1]

Kolleru Bird Sanctuary is a sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh, India. It covers 673 square kilometers. It was established in November 1999, under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. The sanctuary protects part of the Kolleru Lake wetland, which gained Ramsar Convention for International importance in 2002.[1][2]

Geography

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Kolleru Bird Sanctuary covers mainly two districts of Andhra Pradesh they are Krishna and West Godavari districts and between the River Krishna and River Godavari deltas.[3]

History

The History of the Kolleru Bird Sanctuary dates back to the year 1999. Kolleru Lake, the largest freshwater lake in India, and the marshlands spread around it were declared as Kolleru Wildlife Sanctuary in November 1999 under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Later the sanctuary area was designated as a wetland of international importance in November 2002 under the international Ramsar Convention.[1] KBS was established with an objective of protecting the species of resident and migratory birds in Andhra Pradesh, India.

Flora

The main flora of the sanctuary is Phargmytis karka,[4] a weed that grows up to 10 feet in height and that offers shelter for some species of birds.The aquatic vegetation includes species such as Nymphaeae nouchali, Nyphoides indicum, Ottelia alismoides, Nechamandra alternifolia, Limnophila indica, Vallisneria spiralis, Blyxa octandra, Ipomaea aquatica, Scirpus articulatus, Paspalidium germinatum, Typha angustata, and Phragmites karka.[5]

Fauna

Spot-billed pelicans Pelecanus philippensis at Attapaka in Kolleru Lake, Andhra Pradesh, India

In the sanctuary, the Kolleru Lake Development Committee identified a critically endangered species called the spoon-billed sandpiper in 2010. Other fauna include the painted stork, oriental white ibis, and ferruginous pochard found in the sanctuary are near threatened species, and spot-billed pelican is a vulnerable species. Significant populations of waders and mangrove birds are also present. Altogether, more than 120 species of birds have been reported and among them some of the commonly found birds in the sanctuary are: little egret, cattle egret, pied kingfisher, small blue kingfisher, black-capped kingfisher, pond heron, reef heron, grey heron, night heron, little stint, sandpiper, redshank, red-wattled lapwing, crow pheasant, flamingos, sea gulls, purple heron, brahmini kite, openbill stork, and little cormorant.

Contour dispute

Contours are lines drawn on a map, joining points of equal height above the sea level(Mean Sea Level).In the past, the water level in the lake was between contour 7 and 10 during the monsoon, and it fell to contour 3 during the dry season. The area within contour 3 is 135 square kilometres and the area within contour 10 is 901 square kilometres. These conditions do not prevail any more with fish tanks and roads occupying most of the lake. The Kolleru Lake, a registered Ramsar Wetland, covers about 901 square km within +10 feet contour, 673 sq km within +7 feet contour,308 sq km within +5 feet contour and 135 sq km within +3 feet contour.During monsoon, the lake spreads generally over+5 feet contour with a water holding of 300 Mm3. Every alternate year, the lake spreads over+7 feet contour, and the storage of water at this level would be 508.4 Mm3.On an average, once in eight years, the lake fills to above +9 feet contour, holding up to 1,222 Mm3 water, in contrast to the storage of about 150 Mm3 at about +3 feet contour.[6]The local Fisherman community known as Suryavansha Vaddis[7] say that from the times of 13th century during Eastern Ganga Dynasty rule they have had descendant rights on Kolleru Lake; they have appealed to the government to decrease from +5 contour (308 sq km) to +3 contour(135 sq km), asserting that they were protectors of birds from the period of Langula Gajapathi Raju.[8]The Kolleru lake has been declared as a wildlife sanctuary up to a contour of plus 5 feet in 1999 over an area of 30,855,20 hectares. This includes 14,861.33 acres of Ziroyathi lands, of which 13,899.47 acres is in West Godavari district and 961.86 acres in Krishna district.[9]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. Wetlands of the World I: Inventory, Ecology and Management edited by Dennis F. Whigham, D. Dykyjová, S. Hejný (page-382)
  5. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. committee makes secret visit to kolleru www.news express.in
  7. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. The imperial gazetter of India, Volume 8 By Sir William Wilson Hunter
  9. www.thehindubusinessline.com Ap seeks changes in contours of kolleru wild life sanctuary

External links

Kolleru Water Lake Tourism Site