Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) that surveys sites across 23 countries (including Australia) was recently conducted.
The trends highlight the dangers facing water birds and their habitats.
How does the migratory bird landscape look?
Every winter, the thousands of wetlands that dot India, transform from muddy slips of water to harsh bird parties.
Ducks and geese from Ladakh and Tibet swim through aquatic vegetation, and wader on half-submerged banks, and ‘oriental darters’ spear the water for fish.
While the data for the current census isn’t out yet, the census by energetic citizens over the years has pointed to some clear trends.
India has the biggest species diversity among the regions sampled by AWC, tallying to a mean figure of 1.8 million water birds over 300 sites.
Chilika Lake in Odisha alone supports a staggering half-a-million water birds.
Most of these water birds are migratory and winter in India’s wetlands.
For instance, the bar-headed goose, breeds in Mongolia, Tibet and Kyrgyzstan and crosses the Himalayas and Hindu Kush to reach India.
Are the bird numbers declining?
There has been a noticeable decline in several species visiting India over the years, which is concerning.
The Oriental darter (long necked), which was once a common sight in many wetlands, numbered just 4,000 in the sites that got surveyed currently.
The Indian skimmer (with a bright orange bill) — which can ‘skim’ over water to snap up fish, were counted to be just 300.
Sarus crane, the world’s tallest flying bird, often found in pairs or small groups, accounted for as little as just about 100 birds over several years.
These are mainly because, the wetlands, which are cherished equally by local residents, and birdwatchers are in peril.
What is the status of wetlands in India?
The National Wetland Atlas, prepared by the ISRO in 2011, found that India has over 2 lakh wetlands, most which aren’t notified as such.
They thus run the risk of being destroyed and many court cases across the country reflect the precarious existence of wetlands.
The iconic East Kolkata Wetlands, which is also designated ‘Ramsar wetland’ of international importance, is being steadily eaten up by construction.
Like in many cities, this wetland too is becoming a sewage canal, and a case has been filed with the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
In Delhi-NCR, birdwatchers have filed a case to protect the Basai wetland, which is fed by sewage but continues to harbour almost 300 bird species.
Similar cases were also filed to conserve Najafgarh jheel (a riverine wetland).
Also, Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh, Deepor Beel in Guwahati, and the lakes in Nainital, are all choked by sewage, garbage and encroachment.
Notably, the new “Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017” has made matters worse as it denounces manmade water bodies as wetlands.
The previous rules had stated that manmade water bodies like tanks and salt pans are also wetlands (these do support bird populations in reality).
How does the future look?
The census clearly indicates that several water bird populations in the Central Asian flyway (comprising migratory routes) are declining.
Urgent national and regional action is needed to reverse this trend and hundreds of wetlands in India are in need of identification and notification.
India was an active participant in the 2017 Conference of the Parties to the “Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals”.
It even offered to initiate consultations for the creation of a “Central Asian Flyway Action Plan” to Conserve Migratory Waterbirds and their Habitats.
The vision of the action plan is to reduce threats to waterfowl and conserve wetlands while also tackling threats such as power lines and windmills.
