Parvati Aranga Wildlife Sanctuary, India
Site Overview
KBA status: confirmed
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)
Text account
Parvati and Aranga are two connected waterbodies comprising an area of 1,084 ha.They are rainfed lakes in a deep natural depression in the Gangetic plains of the terai region. The Parvati Aranga Sanctuary was established in 1997. However, core and buffer zones have not yet been demarcated. Although no village is located in the immediate vicinity of the Sanctuary, agricultural fields have reached the edge of the wetland. According to the Forest Department, many agricultural fields have encroached on forest land. For proper management, settlement of rights and demarcation of the true boundaries of the Sanctuary are required. It is also essential to involve local people in the management of the wetland, so that both people and birds benefit. The Sanctuary lacks an interpretation centre and there are no publicity pamphlets on this important wetland. No visitor record is kept. The staff is not trained in bird watching.
MAIN THREATS: Disturbance to birds from fishing; Drainage; Pesticides. Till 1996, the Fisheries Department used to auction the fish in the area, which has now stopped. Fishing, however, continues illegally. Birds are trapped with nets, but not to any significant extent. The Sanctuary has no weeds, but on the banks some wild Cannabis has made an appearance. This needs to be removed to maintain the wetland. The pesticide used in the surrounding fields runs off into the lakes, but its impact on birds has not been assessed.
Habitats
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage level | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. Wetlands (inland) | - |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | 5.1.1 Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Ongoing | Affects the minority of the population (<50%) | Causing or likely to cause negligible declines | Low |
| 5 Biological resource use | 5.4 Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | 5.4.3 Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing | Affects the minority of the population (<50%) | Causing or likely to cause relatively slow but significant declines (<20% over 10 years or three generations; whichever is the longer) | Medium |
| 6 Human intrusions & disturbance | 6.3 Work & other activities | Ongoing | Affects the minority of the population (<50%) | Causing or likely to cause relatively slow but significant declines (<20% over 10 years or three generations; whichever is the longer) | Medium | |
| 7 Natural system modifications | 7.2 Dams & water management/use | 7.2.3 Abstraction of surface water (agricultural use) | Ongoing | Affects the minority of the population (<50%) | Causing or likely to cause relatively slow but significant declines (<20% over 10 years or three generations; whichever is the longer) | Medium |
| 8 Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | 8.1 Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases | 8.1.2 Named species | Ongoing | Affects the minority of the population (<50%) | Causing or likely to cause negligible declines | Low |
| 9 Pollution | 9.3 Agricultural & forestry effluents | 9.3.3 Herbicides & pesticides | Ongoing | Affects the minority of the population (<50%) | Causing or likely to cause negligible declines | Low |
