Jawaharlal Nehru Bustard Sanctuary (18268)
India, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2004
National site name: Jawaharlal Nehru Bustard Sanctuary
Central coordinates: Latitude: 18.3500, Longitude: 75.1938
System: terrestrial
Area of KBA (km2): 10602.48739
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The Jawaharlal Nehru Bustard Sanctuary is situated in Solapur and Ahmednagar districts, covering a huge area of 849,644 ha. Most of the Sanctuary is under cultivation and human habitation, thus it is not suitable for the Great Indian Bustard Ardeotis nigriceps. Within this Sanctuary, the grassland plots where the Great Indian Bustard is regularly seen are identified as IBAs (For details about the Jawaharlal Nehru Bustard Sanctuary, see Rahmani 1989, Bharucha 1996). From 1980, Nannaj and Karmala were selected for special conservation measures by the Forest Department for the protection of the Great Indian Bustard. While bustard has almost become extinct in Karmala due to mismanagement of the habitat, it is still surviving in Nannaj, where it is being monitored for the last 23 years by BNHS and the Forest Department. This IBA site description mainly deals with Nannaj area. Nannaj is a small village 20 km north of Solapur on Solapur-Barshi road. The terrain is generally undulating, characteristic of the Deccan plateau. Rainfall is erratic and poorly distributed, with fluctuations over the years. The area around Nannaj can be broadly divided into plantation and grassland plots of Drought Prone Areas Programme (DPAP) and District Rural Development Authority (DRDA), unprotected grazing land and crop fields. Important grasslands where the Great Indian Bustard is or was seen are: Nannaj plots, Mardi grazing land and grassland, Akolekati plantation and grassland, Vadala grazing land, Gangewadi plantation, Mohol grazing land and grassland, and Gangewadi grazing land. The natural vegetation of the sanctuary can be classified as Southern Tropical Thorn Forest (Champion and Seth 1968) and Tropical Grassland. However, the natural vegetation has more or less disappeared, and in the non-agricultural areas, scrub and grasslands are seen. Grasses such as Sehima nervosum, Eremopogon foveolatus and Cymbopogon martinii dominate the land (Rahmani 1989).
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: Nannaj is one of the critical sites where the Endangered Great Indian Bustard is surviving (Rahmani 1989, 1993 and unpublished). During the monsoon of 2003, six male and 17 female bustards were seen. In 2002-2003, 7 juveniles were seen, indicating successful breeding (B. Habib pers. comm. 2003). Historically the Great Indian Bustard occupied a large range in the Indian subcontinent, mostly from dry areas. Once thought “abundant” throughout its range, currently the population of this species is considered “very rare and apparently decreasing”. The bustard locally called Maldhok in Maharashtra, was earlier seen mainly during the monsoon in the grassland plots of Nannaj and other areas (Rahmani and Manakadan 1986) but during the last 10 years, they are seen throughout the year, although more birds are found during monsoon. They breed in the grassland plots of the Sanctuary and the adjoining areas. Apart from the Great Indian Bustard, about 134 bird species have been recorded in this Sanctuary, including the Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala, White-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus, Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus, Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus, White-eyed Buzzard Butastur teesa, Scavenger Vulture Neophron percnopterus, Black-headed or White Ibis Threskiornis melanocephala, Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber, Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea, Northern Pintail Anas acuta, Common Teal Anas crecca, Spotbilled Duck Anas poecilorhyncha, Gadwall Anas strepera, and Great Horned Owl Bubo bubo. There are occasional records of the Lesser Florican Sypheotides indica also. This IBA is also an important breeding ground for grassland species such as Indian Courser Cursorius coromandelicus, Yellow-wattled Lapwing Vanellus malabaricus, Chestnut bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles exustus, Indian Bushlark Mirafra erythroptera, Sykes’s Crested Lark Galerida deva and Ashy-crowned Finch-lark or Sparrow-lark Eremopterix grisea. In the monsoon, Rain Quail or Black-breasted Quail Coturnix coromandelica, and Rock Bush Quail Perdicula argoondah breed in large numbers. Nannaj grasslands are also wintering site for 25-35 harriers, mainly the Montagu’s Circus pygargus and Pallid or Pale C. macrourus. Redheaded Falcon Falco chicquera is regularly found hunting small birds, especially during the monsoon. OTHER KEY FAUNA: Besides the Great Indian Bustard, Nannaj has a resident pack of Indian or Grey Wolf Canis lupus (Kumar and Rahmani 1997). Occasionally, up to 12 wolves, including juveniles, are seen. Their main natural prey is the Blackbuck Antilope cervicapra, but there are instances when bustards were killed by them. Indian Fox Vulpes bengalensis and Golden Jackal Canis aureus are the other two predators. Both are dangerous to bustard eggs and unfledged chicks. Chinkara Gazelle bennettii is present in Karmala and other parts of the Sanctuary, but is never seen in Nannaj. Common reptiles of the Deccan are also found here.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | nature conservation and research | rangeland/pastureland
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 33 | |
| Grassland | 33 | |
| Forest | 33 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: MAIN THREATS: Overgrazing outside the Grassland Plots of the Forest Department; Expansion of agriculture; Irrigation canal; Poaching; Destruction of bustard habitats. Thanks to good protection and management by the Forest Department, the Great Indian Bustard is still surviving in Nannaj and its environs, but it has disappeared from many other similar areas where it was commonly seen during the early 1980s, e.g. Mirajgaon, Mahi-Jalgaon, Karmala, Karjat and Deulgaon. This is mainly due to neglect, and failure to prevent overgrazing and other biotic disturbances. Despite being inside the Jawaharlal Nehru Bustard Sanctuary, many good grasslands, which were foraging areas of the bustard, were converted into industrial areas. However, the biggest threat which will change the landscape of Nannaj and other areas comes from an irrigation canal, which is being constructed just 3 km from Nannaj. Once this canal is completed, crop and land use pattern may change, directly affecting the bustard and other grassland dependent birds. The Great Indian Bustard uses a large landscape for foraging, nesting and movement. It is urgently required to study its ranging pattern through satellite tracking, and colour marking to determine its movement and breeding success.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Bharucha, E. K. (1996) Evolving a rational strategy for an integrated protection area system in Maharashtra. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 93: 513-554. Kumar, S. and Rahmani, A. R. (1997) Status of Indian Grey Wolf Canis lupus pallipes and its conservation in marginal agricultural areas of Solapur district, Maharashtra. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 94 (3): 466-472. Rahmani, A. R. and Manakadan, R. (1986) Movement and flock composition of the Great Indian Bustard Ardeotis nigriceps (Vigors) at Nannaj, Solapur District, Maharashtra, India. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 83: 17-30. Rahmani, A. R. (1989) The Great Indian Bustard: Final Report. Bombay Natural History Society, Bombay. Pp. 234. Rahmani, A. R. (1993) Project Bustard: Last Chance to Save the Great Indian Bustard. In: Bird Conservation- Strategies for the Nineties and Beyond (eds. Verghese, A., Sridhar, S. and Chakravarthy, A. K.). Ornithological Society of India, Bangalore. Pp.73-75.