Counting wetland birds

January 17, 2016 05:00 pm | Updated September 23, 2016 12:46 am IST

The birds could be considered as the health indicators of wetlands of a region. Photo: A. Shaikmohideen

The birds could be considered as the health indicators of wetlands of a region. Photo: A. Shaikmohideen

Enthusiastic birders and ornithologists across the country are fanning out to wetlands to take stock of the bird population. The annual exercise, Asian Waterbird Census, which is organised as part of the International Waterbird Census, is going full steam in most parts of the country under the behest of the Bombay Natural History Society and the Wetlands International. This is the 30th edition of such an exercise in the country.

Regional groups of birders including the Natural History societies and other NGOs are taking part in the citizen-science programme which supports “conservation and management of wetlands and waterbirds worldwide.

The purpose

The information helps to promote the designation and management of internationally important sites such as nationally protected areas, Ramsar Sites, and Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) as well as helps in identifying and protecting new sites of importance for waterbirds,” according to the organisers.

The census data and information are essentially used for promoting national waterbird and wetland conservation and international cooperation along the Central Asian Flyway.

Wetlands International (WI) has defined waterbirds as species of bird that are ecologically dependent on wetlands. Waterbirds are well-known indicators of the quality of certain types of wetlands. Any wetland site which regularly holds one per cent or more of a waterbird population qualifies as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, according to WI.

Of the 1,200 species of birds reported in India, around 600 are wetlandsbirds. The birds could be considered as the health indicators of wetlands of a region, explained P.O. Nameer, the Kerala coordinator of the census. In the case of Kerala, one-third of the bird species found are wetland dependent ones, he said.

Though the volunteers are supposed to visit the wetlands during January and wind up the exercise by the end of the month, data collected during February too would be accounted. In 2014, the Kerala volunteers covered 150 sites. Last year, it dropped to around 50 sites as infrastructure support from the authorities was missing that time. This year, efforts are being made to improve the coverage, he said.

Globally, it is estimated that the census takes place every year in over 100 countries with the involvement of around 15,000 counters. Europe predominated with over half the effort is concentrated there. The good news is that, since 1990, there has been remarkable increase in involvement in other parts of the world too. Between 30 million and 40 million waterbirds are counted each year.

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