Riat Khwan - Umiam Lake (18288)
India, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2004
National site name: Riat Khwan - Umiam Lake
Central coordinates: Latitude: 25.6167, Longitude: 91.8167
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 900 to 1400
Area of KBA (km2): 28.49159
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This site includes the Riat Khwan Reserve Forest, Umiam Lake and the forests near the old Guwahati-Shillong road in the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya. The area spreads into two districts, East Khasi Hills and Ri-Bhoi. The terrain of Riat Khwan is hilly and steep, and forms a part of the catchment area of the River Umiam. Barapani, as the Umiam reservoir was and still is popularly known, is a large artificial reservoir of c. 1,000 ha. It is about 16 km from Shillong, the State capital. It was created for the generation of hydroelectric power in the 1960s. This is the second largest reservoir in northeast India after Gumti in Tripura (Choudhury 2002). The area is an important tourist destination and thousands of visitors come to the site every winter. Many of the visitors are picnickers. Since Umiam is located on the busy National Highway- 40 that connects two state capital cities, Guwahati and Shillong, accessibility is excellent and its importance as a tourist centre is increasing. The area has a subtropical climate. Usually, summer is hot and humid and winter is cool and dry. The site lies in a rain shadow area, so the rainfall is comparatively low. In the Riat Khwan-Umiam area, two forest types are seen, namely Pine Forest (Assam Subtropical Pine Forest) and Broadleaf Forest. Riat Khwan RF, is mostly Broadleaf Forest, but the higher parts of the site are dominated by Khasi pine Pinus kesiya (Lahkar 2002). In the Lake, there is some emergent vegetation at the western edge.
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: Umiam Lake is important for wintering waterfowl. Waterfowl censuses were carried out in the area sporadically throughout the 1990s, and more than 40 species of waterbirds were recorded. The Black Stork Ciconia nigra and Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca (Near Threatened) were recorded during a waterfowl census in 1999. Four species of grebes, the Great Crested Podiceps cristatus, Black-necked P. nigricollis, Red-necked P. griseigena and Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis, have been noted. Darter Anhinga melanogaster (Near Threatened), Gadwall Anas strepera, Wigeon A. penelope and Northern Shoveller A. clypeata are other noteworthy waterfowl (Choudhury 1998). More than 70 other species of birds have been reported from the site (Lahkar 2002), and the surrounding forests, but many more are likely to occur. The site lies in Biome-8 (Sino-Himalayan Subtropical Forest). In this biome, BirdLife International (undated) has listed 95 bird species, of which 16 species have been reported from here but more are likely to be present. They are the Golden-throated Barbet Megalaima franklinii, Blue-throated Barbet M. asiatica, Blackwinged Cuckoo-shrike Coracina melaschistos, Rosy Minivet Pericrocotus roseus, Short-billed Minivet P. brevirostris, Striated Bulbul Pycnonotus striatus, Flavescent Bulbul P. flavescens, Crested Finchbill Spizixos canifrons, Mountain Bulbul Hypsipetes mcclellandii, Orange-bellied Leafbird Chloropsis hardwickii, Bluewinged Minla Minla cyanouroptera, Rufous-backed Sibia Heterophasia annectens, Small Niltava Niltava macgrigoriae, Black-spotted Yellow Tit Parus spilonotus, Maroon Oriole Oriolus traillii and Grey Treepie Dendrocitta formosae. This site is selected mainly based on A1 (Threatened Species) and A3 (Biome-restricted assemblage) criteria. Two restricted range species have been identified which are common and not much of conservation concern. However, more are likely to be found as the forests is relatively in good condition. OTHER KEY FAUNA: No particularly significant species occurs, except for the occasional arrival of Flying foxes Pteropus giganteus. Bamboo rats Cannomys badius have been also reported. There were Barking Deer Muntiacus muntjak in Riat Khwan but the current status is unknown. It may have been extirpated due to hunting.
Habitats
Land use: energy production and mining | forestry | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 33 | |
| Forest | 33 | |
| Artificial - Aquatic | 33 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: MAIN THREATS: Encroachment; Hunting and poaching; Illegal felling; Water pollution and siltation in Umiam. The broadleaf forest favoured by birds and other wildlife is being slowly reduced. The major issue of Umiam Lake is pollution from Shillong city, and siltation due to deforestation in the catchment area. The area should be declared as a bird sanctuary, awareness programmes carried out and steps should be initiated to check pollution from the city effluents.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Agricultural & forestry effluents | Soil erosion, sedimentation | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Domestic & urban waste water | Type Unknown/Unrecorded | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: BirdLife International (undated) Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Asia: Project briefing book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K., unpublished. Choudhury, A. U. (1998) Birds of Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary and adjacent areas. The Rhino Foundation for Nature in NE India, Guwahati. Pp 31, map. Choudhury, A. U. (2002) Conservation of the White-winged Wood Duck Cairina scutulata in India, pp. 52-64. In: Birds of wetlands and grasslands: Proceedings of the Sâlim Ali Centenary Seminar on Conservation of avifauna of Wetlands and Grasslands. Eds: Rahmani, A.R. and Ugra, G. Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai. Pp. x+228. Lahkar, K. (2002) Birds of Upper Shillong, Norpuh, Umiam and Mawphlang. Unpubl. Report to the Bombay Natural History Society. Mumbai. Pp 41. + 2 maps.