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  • Ramsar Convention� International treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands. It is named after the Iranian city of Ramsar where the treaty was signed on February 2, 1971

​

  • A wetland should be considered internationally important if it:

• Contains a representative, rare, or unique example of a natural or near-natural wetland type found within the appropriate biogeographic region

• Supports populations of plant and/or animal species important for maintaining the biological diversity of a particular biogeographic region

  • Regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds

• Supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterbird.

​

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  • Objectives
    • Population trend of the species across the sites
    • Species and count
    • Conditions and threats faced by the wetlands
    • Seasonal heronry monitoring
    • Educating local communities
    • Monitoring Avian influenza during migratory season

​

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How are we doing it?

  • Monthly site visit following the AWC protocol
  • eBird
  • 200+ Volunteers

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​

  • Ramsar sites

​

​

  • Ashtamudi
  • Sasthamkotta
  • Vembanad
  • Kole

​

​

​

​

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Results (May 23 to Apr 24)

No of Species

232

No of Individuals 2,81,067

5

NEAR THREATENED

12

​

34

Transcontinental Migrants

38

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Contribution to IUCN Red List Assessment

©Dr Geetha

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IUCN Vulnerable

©Dr Adil

© Manoj Karingamadathil

© H Nambiar

Greater Spotted Eagle

Indian Spotted Eagle

River Tern

© Bindu Krishnan

Bristled Grassbird

Black-capped Kingfisher

©Subin K S

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IUCN Near Threatened

Bar-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

Green Imperial Pigeon

©Shino Jacob Koottanad

©Sneha Binil

Black-headed Ibis

©Sneha Binil

©Shino Jacob Koottanad

©Nigin Babu

©Lasina P M

©Sreedevi A

© Hari Mavelikkara

Spot-billed Pelican

Eurasian Curlew

Curlew Sandpiper

Asian Woolly-necked Stork

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SoIB High Priority

© Aneesh sasidevan

Northern pintail

Little Tern

© Hari Kumar

Little Ringed Plover

© Kiron Vijay

© Arun Gopi

Western Marsh Harrier

Kentish Plover

© Vishnu Nandakumar

© Alen Alex

Caspian Tern

Black-capped Kingfisher

Little Tern

Black-headed Gull

Marsh Sandpiper

Black-tailed Godwit

Northern Pintail

Bristled Grassbird

Northern Shoveler

Brown-headed Gull

Oriental Skylark

Caspian Tern

Osprey

Common Greenshank

Pied Avocet

Common Kestrel

Pintail Snipe

Common Redshank

Ruff

Curlew Sandpiper

Sanderling

Eurasian Curlew

Slender-billed Gull

Eurasian Spoonbill

Spotted Redshank

Garganey

Terek Sandpiper

Gull-billed Tern

Western Marsh Harrier

Kentish Plover

Western Reef Egret

Lesser Sand Plover

Whiskered Tern

Little Ringed Plover

Little Stint

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​

Number of Species

Ramsar Site

May-23

Jun-23

Jul-23

Aug-23

Sep-23

Oct-23

Nov-23

Dec-23

Jan-24

Feb-24

Mar-24

Apr-24

Ashtamudi Lake

55

52

52

41

54

56

56

64

54

61

56

55

Kole wetlands

86

87

77

87

84

104

106

108

118

127

93

102

Vembanad Lake

93

96

90

104

96

116

121

134

139

123

126

99

Sasthamkotta Lake

46

52

44

52

53

57

50

51

64

59

61

61

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​

Number of Individuals

Ramsar Site

May-23

Jun-23

Jul-23

Aug-23

Sep-23

Oct-23

Nov-23

Dec-23

Jan-24

Feb-24

Mar-24

Apr-24

Ashtamudi

2157

1608

2172

3937

955

2385

469

413

2642

2387

2511

2955

Kole

5962

3048

1731

2711

4604

6168

5633

13227

11030

4849

5053

4026

Vembanad

9458

7404

8051

12454

5994

8955

11162

38321

40439

16114

15447

8643

Sasthamkotta

210

263

212

269

381

373

314

320

407

413

537

311

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Total number of species recorded from the Ramsar sites��

Ramsar Site

Number of Species

Vembanad Lake

193

Kole Wetlands

176

Sasthamkotta Lake

106

Ashtamudi Lake

96

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Peak counts

Species

Count

District

Location

Month

Black-tailed Godwit

9000

Alappuzha

Kuttanad Wetlands-Pallippad Parayankari Puncha

January 24

Black-tailed Godwit

6000

Alappuzha

Kuttanad Wetlands-Pallippad Parayankari Puncha

February 24

Black-tailed Godwit

5000

Alappuzha

Changaram Wetlands -- Ezhupunna

February 24

Black-tailed Godwit

5000

Alappuzha

Changaram Wetlands -- Ezhupunna

March 24

Medium Egret

4000

Alappuzha

Kuttanad Wetlands-Pallippad Parayankari Puncha

Decemeber 23

Little Egret

3000

Alappuzha

Kuttanad Wetlands-Pallippad Parayankari Puncha

Decemeber 23

Great Egret

3000

Alappuzha

Kuttanad Wetlands-Pallippad Parayankari Puncha

Decemeber 23

Medium Egret

3000

Alappuzha

Kuttanad Wetlands--Moorthitta

Decemeber 23

Lesser Whistling-Duck

2500

Kottayam

Vembanad Wetlands --The Lake

April 24

duck sp.

2000

Thrissur

Kole Wetlands--North Pullu

Decemeber 23

cormorant sp.

2000

Kollam

Ashtamudi--Kandachira

August 24

Little Egret

2000

Alappuzha

Kuttanad Wetlands--Moorthitta

Decemeber 23

Glossy Ibis

2000

Alappuzha

Kuttanad Wetlands--Moorthitta

Decemeber 23

Northern Pintail

1500

Malappuram

Kole Wetlands--Maranchery

Decemeber 23

Great Egret

1500

Alappuzha

Kuttanad Wetlands--Moorthitta

December 23

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Population >1% Threshold

Species

1% Threshold

Count

Location

Month

Painted Stork

250

300

Kole Wetlands

September

 

 

295

Vembanad

January 24

 

 

250

Kole Wetlands

September

 

 

250

Kole Wetlands

October

 

Medium egret

1000

4000

Vembanad

December

 

 

3000

Vembanad

December

 

Great Egret

1000

3000

Vembanad

December

 

 

1500

Vembanad

December

 

Little Egret

1400

3000

Vembanad

December

 

 

2000

Vembanad

December

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History of Vembanad and Kuttanad Wetlands

Ref: Long-term population trends of Waterbirds in Kerala (1987-2014) (Nameer, Jayadevan, Tom, Sreekumar & Sashikumar, 2015)

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Heronry Monitoring

  • Kole Wetlands

​

Name of the Site

Number of Nests

​

Little Cormorant

Indian Pond Heron

Little Egret

Oriental Darter

Indian Cormorant

Black crowned Night Heron

Intermediate Egret

Great Egret

Ayyanthole Collectorate

3

​

​

119

503

​

​

​

Kanjani

71

​

​

36

​

​

​

​

Ayanikkadu

19

18

​

​

11

​

​

​

Thrissur railway station

6

2

40

150

60

55

4

3

Near Irinjalakkuda Railway station

​

​

​

12

29

​

20

​

Irinjalakkuda Railway Station

​

​

11

130

155

​

21

​

Near Post Office

​

3

​

​

​

​

​

​

Shakthan Bus Stand

2

2

7

​

23

35

0

​

Shakthan Market

​

​

​

​

6

1

16

1

Total

101

25

58

447

787

91

61

4

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Vembanad Wetlands

​

Number of Nests

Name of the Site

Little Cormorant

Indian Pond Heron

Little Egret

Oriental Darter

Indian Cormorant

Black crowned Night Heron

Medium Egret

Black headed Ibis

Great Egret

Purple Heron

Painted Stork

CIAL, Nedumbassery

 

 

 

 

 

30

5

 

2

12

 

Alappuzha Pvt busstand

486

57

 

352

152

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pallathiruthi

183

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marine Drive Island 3

14

 

3

10

15

40

 

 

25

 

 

Marine drive Island 2

6

 

 

8

60

30

 

20

10

 

1

Marine drive Island 1

 

 

8

 

 

12

 

40

 

 

 

Kudavallari

68

 

 

152

9

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edasserchira sacredgrove

237

11

 

24

18

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moorthitta

28

9

2

 

19

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Number of Nests

Name of the Site

Little Cormorant

Indian Pond Heron

Little Egret

Oriental Darter

Indian Cormorant

Black crowned Night Heron

Medium Egret

Black headed Ibis

Great Egret

Purple Heron

Painted Stork

Great Cormorant

Akapparambu railway gate,Nedumbassery

​

52

2

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Aluva--Edayapuram

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

5

​

​

Charummood jn

21

4

635

​

​

​

13

​

10

​

​

​

Pallippad

19

13

​

​

16

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Pallippad Parayankeri

​

14

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Karayamvattom jn

​

​

​

​

​

​

4

​

13

​

​

​

Chennithala-kallummood jn

37

5

​

​

​

​

​

​

24

​

​

​

KTDC, Kumarakom

40

​

​

4

7

6

6

​

18

​

12

16

Municipal Bus stand, Nagampadam Maidan

178

8

​

36

43

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Nehru Stadium Ground, Nagampadam, Kottayam

38

6

​

28

41

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

In front of LIC, Nagampadam, Kottayam

51

​

​

43

0

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

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Ashtamudi

​

Number of Nests

Name of the Site

Little Egret

Pond Heron

Indian Cormorant

Vaddy 1

67

56

​

Vaddy 2

99

42

​

Mundakkal, Perumpuzha

​

15

​

Neendakara 1

178

0

​

Neendakara 2

29

18

​

Mathilil

6

27

21

KGV, Karunagapally School

​

30

​

Edachira

284

9

110

Oachira

​

2

3

Kottarakkara

18

10

​

Perugalam Mangrove

14

50

​

Koivila Mangrove

​

35

​

Thottukara

9

6

​

Kazhukan Thuruthu

10

0

​

Fatima Island

21

0

​

Pathupara

​

45

18

East Kallada

​

52

​

Palli, Near Kazhukanthuruth (New Site)

9

21

​

Kuzhimathicadu

​

4

​

Varambel Palam, Near Savundariya Junction

1

5

​

Mundakkal Kollam

1

14

​

Total

746

441

152

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© Ambika

©Sreedevi A

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No of nests from Kole Wetlands

No of nests from Vembanad Wetlands

No of nests from Ashtamudi Wetlands

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Awareness Sessions

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Monitoring of Avian Influenza

  • Strategies
    • Questionnaire survey on animal farms and Pet shops
    • Mapping
    • Risk analyses in case of outbreaks
    • Awareness class for participants

​

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Activities Done

  • Questionnaire made and data collected
  • Identified Avian Influenza epicentres

​

​

Location

Latitude

Longitude

Thalavady

9.37002

76.49966

Chennithala

9.281725

76.52063

Thazhakkara

9.226059

76.54636

Niranam

9.346387

76.51996

Champakkulam

9.410945

76.41026

Vazhappally

9.456675

76.52708

Cheruthana

9.343271

76.439

Thakazhy

9.370659

76.41147

Muttar

9.396583

76.47603

Edathua

9.358689

76.4813

Ambalappuzha

9.406327

76.35118

Payippad

9.423064

76.5876

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Activities Done

  • Visited Epicentres in Alappuzha District and collected data

​

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Common Threats to Wetlands:

  • Domestic sewage
  • Solid waste
  • Fertilizers and pesticides
  • Partial reclamation of wetland
  • Residential & commercial development
  • Excessive tourism/recreation

�

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Major Threats

Ashtamudi wetlands

Pollution by domestic sewage

 

Pollution by solid waste

 

Pollution by oil

 

Partial reclamation of wetland

 

Residential & commercial development encroaching on wetland

 

Excessive tourism/recreation (large number of tourists, disturbing birds, leaving garbage, playing loud music, etc)

 

Sedimentation

 

Excessive growth of aquatic vegetation

 

Mangrove degradation

Kole Wetlands

Pollution by industrial waste

 

Pollution by domestic sewage

 

Pollution by fertilizers

 

Crematorium at/around wetland

 

Pollution by pesticides

 

Eutrophication/algal blooms of surface water

 

Agriculture along drying margins

 

Partial reclamation of wetland

 

Sedimentation

 

Pollution by solid waste

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Vembanad Lake

Pollution by domestic sewage

 

Pollution by solid waste

 

Pollution by oil

 

Partial reclamation of wetland

 

Residential & commercial development encroaching on wetland

 

Excessive tourism/recreation (large number of tourists, disturbing birds, leaving garbage, playing loud music, etc)

 

Sedimentation

 

Excessive growth of aquatic vegetation,

 

Pollution by fertilizers

 

Crematorium at/around wetland

 

Pollution by pesticides

 

Extensive agricultural activities

 

Dam/barrage construction

 

Cutting/clearance of aquatic vegetation

Sasthamkotta Lake

Pollution by solid waste

 

Pollution by domestic sewage

 

Pollution by solid waste

 

Agriculture along drying margins

 

Sedimentation

 

Excessive growth of aquatic vegetation,

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Discussion

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Thank you