sangat sindh report on deh akro-11 wetland seminar report.doc wwf

8/9/2019 Sangat Sindh Report on DEh Akro-11 Wetland Seminar Report.doc Wwf

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Sangat Development Foundation (SDF)

Seminar Report

Deh Akro-II WetlandBiodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Wetland

Management

Deh Akro-11 Wildlife Sanctuary is considered internationally important,and in 1998, the wetland was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary. The Ramsar

Bureau Switzerland announced this wildlife sanctuary on 5 November2002, It represents the example of a natural inland wetland eco-systemconsist of 32 lakesand is a uniquedesert habitat whichsupports large

variety of fauna andflora species mainlydesert and wetlandhabitats. Many rareand endangeredwildlife species also

breed in this area.

The plant speciesfound in thesanctuary includeProsopis cineraria,Prosopis juliflora,Acacia jacquemontii, Acacia nilotica, Aerva javanica, Salvadora oleoides,Capparisdecidua, Cassia sp, Calligonum polygonoides, Euphorbiaprostrata, Saccharum spontaneum, Saccharum bengalensis, Tamarixaphylla, Zizyphus maauritiana, Zizyphus nummularia, Alhagi maurorum,Indigofera sp., Phyla nodiflora, Typha domingensis, Tpypa elephantina,Achyranthes aspera, Calotropis procera, and Tamarix indica.

Reed vegetation and Tamarix spp can be observed at the margins of theselakes. The lakes support a goodpopulation of waterfowl, marshcrocodiles, otters and fishes.

About 1% of the globalpopulation of the threatenedMarbled teal breeds in theselakes in May to July. The waterlevels of these lakes increaseand decrease due to thefluctuations in the water levels

of Jamrau and Nara canals. Lowrainfall has a significant impact

on these wetlands. Some of thewetland floraspecies are Farsetia hamiltonii, Limeton indicum, Tribuluslongipetalus, Cynodon dactylon and Stipagrostis plumose.

Sand dunes are the characteristic feature of this habitat. Well-developedherbs/shrubs including Calligonum polygonoides, Aerva javanica and treessuch as Tamarix aphylla, Prosopis cineraria, Salvadora oleoides andCapparis decidua manifest the permanent landscape over the dunes andinter-dunal gaps in this area. Farsetia hamiltonii, Limeton indicum,




Tribulus longipetalus, Cynodon dactylon and Stipagrostis plumose arecommon herbs. Due to long dry spells in the area, the herbaceouscommunities and Amaranthus virdis, Aristida adscensionis, Brachiariaeruciformis, and Celosia argentea.

This habitat is concentrated along the length of the Nara and Jamraucanals and is formed as a result of the seepage from these canals. Themost common reed vegetation species are Saccharum spp., Pluchea

lanceolata, Prosopis cineraria and Limeton indicum. This habitat alsosupports hog deer, crocodiles, Indian monitor lizard, jungle cats and alarge variety of birds. Clearing and burning of vegetation in the marshyarea are the main threats to this habitat. Some of the marshy habitatspecies are: Aehuropus lagopoides, Alhagi maurorum, Bacopa monniera,Boerhavia procumbense, Caparis decidua and Cenchrus ciliaris.

Important wildlife species in the sanctuary area can be classified asfollows:Rare: Desert cat (Felis lybica), Fishing cat (Felis viverrina), Darter orSnake bird (Anhinga melanogaster pennant), Garganey (Anasquerquedula), Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia), Black ibis (Pseudibispapillosa).

Endangered: Hog deer (Axisporcinus), Marsh crocodile (Crocodyluspalustris), Houbara bustard(Chlamydotis undulata), Marbled teal(Marmaronetta angustirostris), andWhite-eyed pochard (Anthya nyroca).Abundant: Grey partridge (Francolinuspondicerianus), Black partridge(Francolinus francolinus), Mallard(Anas platyrhynchos), Pintail (Anas

acuta), Gadwall (Anas strepera),Common coot (Fulica atra), Indian moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), Black-

winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus), Shoveler (Anas clypeata ), Littleegret (Egretta garzetta), Intermediate egret (Egretta intermedia), Indianpond heron (Ardeola grayii), Grey heron (Ardea cinera), Redshank (Tringatotanus), Indian roller (Coracias benghalensis), Glossy ibis (Plegadisfalcinellus), Common pochard (Aythya ferina), Common teal (Anascrecca). Marsh crocodile Marsh (or Mugger) crocodile has been declaredan endangered species. Previously, Muggers and Gavials inhabited Naracanal (Old Hakra River) and its tributaries, but after the emerging of thesewetlands through seepage from Nara canal during the early 1950s,crocodiles have taken refuge in these lakes and are now breeding

successfully. Gavial is now extant from Nara canal and from the wild inPakistan since 1976. Nara canal has a crocodile population of about 200-

250, while the estimated population of crocodiles in the wetland complexof Deh Akro-II Wildlife Sanctuary is believed to be between 550-600animals. These crocodiles permanently inhabit these lakes year round.

This habitat comprises patches of irrigated agriculture fields lying adjacent(southeast) to the desert habitat. It houses a good population of Blackand Grey partridges, reptiles and small mammals. Some of the commonbirds also perch in these fields. The use of pesticides and clearing of landsfor agriculture practices are threats to the wildlife in this area. Plantspecies include: Achyranthes aspera, Alhagi maurorum.




The soil texture of the area is of two types: 1) sandy in the desert; and 2)sandy clay-mixed soil in thelow-lying areas. Salinity andwater logging are commonproblems in the area. The

area is devoid of anyperennial surface fresh waterresources and the main

water sources are surfacewater lakes. These lakescover an area of 5,000 haand are formed, one afterthe other, in valleys betweenthe dunes. The size, shape,water quality and depth

differ among the lakes. The largest lake is about 750 ha. Out of 32 lakes,5 are fresh water and the rest are brackish. Another surface water sourceis the irrigation water system of Jamrau Canal, which emerges from NaraCanal in the southeast of the sanctuary.

Deh Akro-II also supports many indigenous fish species, such as

Dambhro/Rahu (Labeo rohita), Thalia (Catla catla), Morakha (Cirrhinusmrigala), Singhara (Mystus seenghala), Malli/ Jerki (Wallago attu),Gandan (Notopterus notopterus) and Dimmon (Ompok bimaculatus).Commercial fishing is banned by law in wildlife sanctuaries, but localcommunities do catch fish for themselves as a food source.

The wetland supports diverse fauna and flora, mainly desert andwetland habitat. This unique desert wetland ecosystem supportsmore than 18 species of mammals, 16 species of reptiles includingthreatened Marsh Crocodile, 14 species of fishes and 101 species of birds.

The resident and migratory populations of all the species are

dependent of this wetland system for survival in different time of their life It regularly supports more then 20 thousand waterfowls and other

birds of different species. (Please refer to the attached Reference:Sindh Wildlife Waterfowl Counts 1992-2000.)

This wetland complex supports 6% of the relevant bio-geographicpopulation of Marbled teal. (Marmaronetta angustirostris). Morethan 300 birds were count regularly each year and some alsobreeding in the wetland complex.

This wetland complex supports a significant proportion of speciessuch as Dambro/Rohu (Labeo rohita), Thaila (Catla catla), Morakha

(Cirrhinus mrigala), Singhara (Mystus seenghala), Malli/Jerki

(Wallago attu), Gandan (Natopterus notopterus) and Dimmon(Ompok bimaculatus) which are food source of Marsh Crocodile and

local resident communities. All the fishes are totally dependent onthese wetlands as spawning ground, for their food source and asnursery.

ThreatsMajor threats to the ecological character of the area are as follows

• Destruction and degradation of wetland Habitat• Loss of wetland eco system integrity• Depletion of species abundance and diversity




• Water scarcity due to long dry spells;• Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) of the National Drainage Programme

of the Government of Pakistan;• Illegal Hunting,• Over Fishing,

• Grazing• Fuel wood collection;• Agricultural practices and use of pesticides and agro-chemicals

increase in human settlement• Encroachment over sanctuary lands; and• Oil and gas exploration activities.

Root Causes

o Poor integration of wetland biodiversity values into economic

o Poor coordination inadequate technical capacity, information baseo Lack of awareness for wetland biodiversity conservation, planning

and managemento Community Low involvement in the wetland managemento Low recognition of wetland values

Recommendation of the seminar

• There is need to mobilize and organise the local communities for

community based wetland management and biodiversityconservation

• Wetland Protection Committee (WPC) should be formed at

wetland site consist upon local community, elected representativeand notable persons to work for the protection and promotions of wetlands

• The skills and capacities of the local communities should bedeveloped for implementing Community based WetlandManagement




• Training workshops should be held on community based wetlandmanagement

• Efforts should be made to rehabilitate the wetland environment andtourist attraction at the wetland

• Hydro fight plants on should be developed on wetland sites to

attract migratory birds and also use as habitats for the fish,crocodiles etc

• Suitable habitats should also be developed on all sites in order to

provide hiding to local endangered bird and wildlife species• Nature camps should be organised in order to develop the interest

of the outsiders and also local community through joint activities forthe development of wetlands and biodiversity conservation

The seminar was addressed by Mr. Nisar A. Brohi, Mr. Baloch Khan, Mr. AliBux Dahri, and Mr. Mahram Khan

SANGAT Team on Deh Akro-11 Wetland Site

sangat sindh report on deh akro-11 wetland seminar report.doc wwf

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