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Site description (2004 baseline):

The Chushul Marshes lie within Changthan, east and west of Chushul village near the Chinese border. The habitats consist of shallow ponds, marshes, borax plains and wet meadows in a broad sandy valley. Springs and streams flowing down into the Valley from the Ladakh range create the ponds and marshes. Some streams terminate on the sandy plains in stagnant pools which become more saline as they evaporate. Others carry enough water to flow into the Pangong Tso. Most of the ponds and marshes remain frozen from November to March. The principal vegetation consists of species of Hydrilla, Myriophyllum in the ponds and Carex, other sedges and grasses in the marshes. The surrounding steppe is dominated by Caragana.

AVIFAUNA: The wetland is an important breeding area for several species of waterfowl, such as the Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus, Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea, Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus, Common Redshank Tringa totanus and Common Tern Sterna hirundo. Three pairs of Black-necked Crane Grus nigricollis inhabit the Chushul marshes, of which two pairs are consistently breeding at Tsigul Tso and Tso Nyak (Hussain and Pandav 2001; Rauf Zargar pers. comm. 2003). Some pairs of Barheaded Geese Anser indicus also breed here. The Tibetan Sandgrouse Syrrhaptes tibetanus, and Tibetan Partridge Perdix hodgsoniae representing Biome-5 occur on the surrounding dry plains.

OTHER KEY FAUNA: The other important fauna of the site include Tibetan Wild Ass Equus kiang. Tibetan Argali Ovis ammon, Blue Sheep or Bharal Pseudois nayaur and Tibetan Gazelle Procapra picticaudata (Rauf Zargar pers. comm. 2003).

MAIN THREATS: Urbanization; Livestock grazing; Feral dogs; Disturbance to birds; Soil erosion.

The wetland lies within the proposed High Altitude Cold Desert National Park in east Ladakh. Human activities in the area are increasing. Livestock grazing in and around the wetlands poses a threat to the vegetation and causes soil erosion. Yaks regularly wade out in shallow waters and disturb the nesting birds. Permanent human settlements cause contamination of the water, brooks are diverted for agriculture which drains the marshes, and increased garbage production attracts ravens Corvus corax which, together with the semi-feral dogs (locally called Yankis), prey on small mammals, eggs and nestlings of waterfowl. Freshwater marshes are rare in Ladakh; they are thus a focal point for human beings as well as wildlife, particularly during spring and summer, and during autumn for migratory birds. Caragana bushes are, collected by local people to feed livestock. During religious festivals, people use these wetlands and there is increased diversion of water channels for domestic use (Rauf Zargar pers. comm. 2003).

Key contributors: Rauf Zargar, Bivash Pandav and S. A. Hussain.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Chushul marshes (India). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/chushul-marshes-iba-india on 25/11/2024.