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Site description (2004 baseline):

The North Reef Island Wildlife Sanctuary measures 348 ha and is located in the Andaman archipelago. North Reef Island is among the most beautiful islands in the Andamans and has one of the best beaches, with fine white sand, which stretches far into the sea, with beautiful coral formations (Pande et al. 1991). North Reef, along with Interview Island, has one of the richest coral reef formations in the Andaman and Nicobar group, with associated molluses such as, Trochus and other shells, and Holothurians (Andrews and Sankaran 2002). The forest types include Andaman Evergreen, Andaman Semi- Evergreen, Tidal Mangrove and Littoral forests. The major tree species are Dipterocarpus sp., Ficus retusa, Manilkara littoralis, Pongamia pinnata, Terminalia bialata, Mesua sp. and Bombax ceiba (Pande et al. 1991). The mangrove forest is dominated by species of Rhizophora.

AVIFAUNA: North Reef Island is among the large refugia for the endemic and Endangered Andaman Teal Anas albogularis, earlier considered as an endemic subspecies of the Grey Teal A. gibberifrons, and now listed as full species by Rasmussen and Anderton (in press). With as estimated population between 500 to 600 (Vijayan and Sankaran 2000), it could be one of the rarest Anatidae in the world. It used to occur in huge flocks throughout the Andaman Islands (Hume 1874, Osmaston 1906). But in the last 150 years, its population has drastically declined. In the North Reef Island Wildlife Sanctuary, Vijayan and Sankaran (2000) recorded 33 individuals in 1995-96, but in 1998 only three were seen. The reeds on the edges of the wetland which were preferred for nesting had dried up, probably owing to the breach of a bund and ingress of sea water into the wetland. It is obvious that the current status of Andaman Teal is fragile. Stattersfield et al. (1998) have identified 12 extant species as endemic to the Andaman Islands Endemic Bird Area. Three of these species have been reported from this IBA but more are likely to be found (K. Sivakumar pers. comm. 2003).

OTHER KEY FAUNA: The commonly seen fauna of the site are Andaman Wild Pig Sus scrofa andamanensis, Andaman Water Monitor Varanus salvator andamanensis and Green Turtle Chelonia mydas.

The island has rich coral formations with associated species such as sea cucumbers and mollusean shells. Saltwater crocodile and marine turtles nest on the beaches (Gandhi 2000).

MAIN THREATS: Timber collection; Poaching.

The island has no permanent human settlement. Though it is legally protected as a wildlife sanctuary, uncontrolled collection of timber, sea cucumbers, shells and corals is rampant. Crocodiles are being hunted by poachers from Myanmar, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, who pose the greatest threat to these islands. Rodgers and Panwar (1988) have proposed that North Reef Island should be upgraded to the status of a national park.

Key contributors: Ravi Sankaran and Tara Gandhi.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: North Reef Island Wildlife Sanctuary (India). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/north-reef-island-wildlife-sanctuary-iba-india on 23/12/2024.