Site description (2004 baseline):
AVIFAUNA: At least 253 species of birds are known to occur in the region, the majority of which are migratory. The reservoir is an important staging and wintering ground for migratory waterfowl, of which over 20,000 have been recorded. These include over 750 Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger, 600 Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus, 700 Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa, 500 Little Stint Calidris minuta and 800 Small Pratincole Glareola lactea. The Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca is the only globally threatened species known from this area. It was first seen in December 1983 by Goenka et al. (1985). Many species have been seen in numbers much above their 1% threshold level determined by the Wetlands International (2002). For example, 100 White Stork Ciconia ciconia were seen (Kumar et al. 2002), while the 1% threshold is only 45 individuals in South Asia. More than 1,000 Demoiselle Crane Grus virgo are seen in and around Nandur Madhmeshwar, while 100,000 of this species winter in the Indian Subcontinent (Wetlands International 2002) therefore, 1% are seen in this IBA site alone, thus qualifying is A4i criteria. This wetland is a prime candidate as a Ramsar site.
OTHER KEY FAUNA: The Fishing cat Felis viverrina and over 20 species of fish including Puntius ticto, Channa ranga and Mystus cavasius are the important components of the biodiversity of this site.
Heavy siltation is causing the reservoir to fill up gradually. The exotic Eichhornia crassipes and Parthenium sp. have infested the area and need to be removed. Aquatic vegetation is removed for food and fodder on a large scale. Excessive fishing and grazing by domestic livestock also cause disturbance. Diesel engines, which are used along with electric pumps to draw water, cause immense pollution (Kumar et al. 2002). The avifauna of the area is considerably disturbed because of blasting undertaken in the area for mining purpose. The reservoir surroundings, along with partly submerged areas in the IBA, are intensively cultivated for wheat, maize, sugarcane and vegetables. Charaching of waterfowl which was quite common earlier (Rane 1983) has been curtailed to a large extent (Kumar et al. 2002) after the declaration of the Sanctuary. Nearly 1,758 ha of submergence area was acquired from the Irrigation Department and distributed to landless tribals (Kumar et al. 2002). This has brought in more people around the lake.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Nandur Madhmeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary (India). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/nandur-madhmeshwar-wildlife-sanctuary-iba-india on 25/12/2024.