Udhuwa Lake Bird Sanctuary (18179)
India, Asia

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2004

National site name: Udhuwa Lake Bird Sanctuary

Central coordinates: Latitude: 25.0000, Longitude: 87.8225

System: freshwater, terrestrial

Area of KBA (km²): 6.57962

KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: Udhuwa or Udhwa Lake is situated 11 kms southeast of Rajmahal in the Sahebganj district of Jharkhand state. This Bird Sanctuary is constituted by two waterbodies, namely Pataura (155 ha) and Berhale (410 ha). Pataura is a comparatively clean waterbody and the average depth is about 2 m whereas Berhale is a shallow one having average depth of about 70 cm. Berhale is largely choked with aquatic vegetation, with small pockets of clear water. Both these waterbodies are inter-connected by a water channel and the whole bird Sanctuary is connected with River Ganga at Farraka by Udhuwa Nala which is a 25 km stretch. Pataura is surrounded by hillocks on one side, and on the other side, the Forest Department has done some plantations (on the hillocks).

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)

Additional biodiversity: AVIFAUNA: Not much work has been done on this Sanctuary, but Choudhary et al. (1992) have identified 83 species of birds, including many forest species. The list includes such rarities as Nordmann’s Greenshank or Spotted Greenshank Tringa guttifer but this needs confirmation. A. Mishra (pers. comm. 2001) has sighted the Near Threatened Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus. At present, it does not qualify in A4iii criteria but once it is properly protected, Udhuwa has great potential to become an important waterfowl refuge (A. Mishra pers. comm. 2001). OTHER KEY FAUNA: There are not many large mammals of conservation concern. The lake has about 22 fish species, most of them of commercial value (Choudhary et al. 1992).

Habitats

Land use: agriculture | fisheries/aquaculture

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Artificial - Aquatic	33
Artificial - Terrestrial	33
Wetlands(Inland)	33

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: MAIN THREATS: Agriculture and illegal settlements; Illegal fishing and poaching; Tree felling in surrounding areas; Use of fertilizers and pesticides. Charaching of birds and illegal fishing are the biggest challenges for the Forest Department ever since it was declared as a bird sanctuary under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act. The surrounding hillocks suffer a severe threat due to heavy influx of suspected illegal Bangladeshi migrants who have settled beside the lake and have added to the demand on the surrounding natural resources. Also, the area surrounding both the lakes is used for agriculture, and in summer when the water-level of Berhale recedes, the exposed land is also used for agriculture.

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases	Unspecified species	Ongoing
Biological resource use	Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target)	Ongoing
Agriculture & aquaculture	Annual & perennial non-timber crops	Small-holder farming	Ongoing
Biological resource use	Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources	Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest]	Ongoing
Pollution	Agricultural & forestry effluents	Type Unknown/Unrecorded	Ongoing
Human intrusions & disturbance	Work & other activities		Ongoing

Additional information