Bahour Lake (18343)
India, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2004
National site name: Bahour Lake
Central coordinates: Latitude: 12.0353, Longitude: 79.8553
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 8 00
Area of KBA (km2): 4.29374
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Bahour lake is the second largest wetland in Pondicherry. It is located near the Bahour village about 20 km from Pondicherry city, north of the Pennaiyar river. It is a seasonal freshwater wetland that receives water during the monsoon between September and March. The lake is dry for about 5 months.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: AVIFAUNA: Balachandran and Alagarrajan (1995), and Jhunjhunwala (1998) conducted surveys of the wetlands of Pondicherry and recorded over 25,000 waterfowl in Bahour, belonging to 16 species. Over 10,000 Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope and over 3,000 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis have been recorded (Balachandran and Alagarrajan 1995). Both occur much above the 1% population threshold determined by the Wetlands International (2002). For instance, according to Wetlands International (2002), the nonbreeding population of Eurasian Wigeon wintering in South Asia is 2,50,000. This means that at least 4% of this population is found in Bahour lake. In March (outward migration period), Bahour lake provides staging and feeding sites for thousands of migratory waterfowl, waders and terns. For example, in March 1995, Balachandran and Alagarrajan (1995) counted about 25,000 waterfowl. After March, the water is drained for fishing but by that time, most of the migratory birds move out. The impact of draining of water on resident birds needs to be studied to provide management recommendations. OTHER KEY FAUNA: As this is basically a wetland surrounded by agricultural fields and human habitation, no mammal or reptile of conservation concern is found here.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | fisheries/aquaculture | rangeland/pastureland | water management
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 100 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: MAIN THREATS: Agricultural intensification and expansion; Poaching; Fisheries; Livestock grazing. Bahour is the main source of irrigation for the surrounding fields. Agricultural runoff from the surrounding fields and pesticides and fertilizers from the agriculture in the dry months could pollute the lake. There are instances of poaching, and the lake is under no formal protection.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Natural system modifications | Dams & water management/use | Abstraction of surface water (agricultural use) | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | 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 | Nutrient loads | Only in the future |
| Pollution | Agricultural & forestry effluents | Herbicides and pesticides | Only in the future |
Additional information
References: Balachandran, S. and Alagarrajan, R. (1995) An ecological survey of the wetlands of Pondicherry with special reference to Ousteri lake. Institute of Restoration of Natural Environment. Nagercoil. Pp. 40. Jhunjhunwala, S. (1998) The Ornithological importance of Ousteri lake and Bahour lake: A study of the habitat preferences of their waterfowl and waders. M.Sc. Dissertation. Salim Ali School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University. Wetlands International (2002) Waterbirds Population Estimates: Third Edition. Wetlands International Global Series No. 12. Wageningen, the Netherlands.