Kolleru Bird Sanctuary

Kolleru Bird Sanctuary
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Kolleru Bird Sanctuary
Location	Andhra Pradesh, India
Nearest city	Eluru
Coordinates	16°37′N 81°12′E / 16.617°N 81.200°ECoordinates: 16°37′N 81°12′E / 16.617°N 81.200°E[1]
Area	673 km^2 (166,000 acres)
Established	November 1999
Governing body	Andhra Pradesh Forest Department
Ramsar Wetland
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

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

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

The local Fisherman community known as Suryavansha Vaddis^[6] 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.^[7]

References

1. "Kolleru Lake". RAMSAR Wetlands. RAMSAR. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
2. "Kolleru Bird Sanctuary". www.sanctuariesindia.com.
3. Ramsar convention, Wet land. "Kolleru Lake". www.rainwaterharvesting.org.
4. Wetlands of the World I: Inventory, Ecology and Management edited by Dennis F. Whigham, D. Dykyjová, S. Hejný (page-382)
5. Kolleru Lake, Flora. "C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre". www.cpreec.org.
6. Kolleru lake. "Panchayat reigns supreme". www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.
7. The imperial gazetter of India, Volume 8 By Sir William Wilson Hunter

External links

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