Abstract
We studied the diversity, abundance and population trends in three flourishing wetlands of southern Bengal over 16 years. These wetlands constituted a major shift from the present scenario of overall wetland deterioration, including monotonous declines in important winter visitors prevailing in surrounding wetlands, especially in Tilpara Reservoir and Purulia Saheb Bandh Lake. All the three wetlands support rich waterbird diversity and almost all of them tend to exhibit consistently stable or increasing trends in their populations during the course of the study. The waterbird communities did not differ greatly during the study period and were tending to arrive at their equilibria. These wetlands consistently support strong waterbird food-bases, which may support rich diversity. Since, they have already been supporting increasing or stable populations of a majority of the important waterbird species they are expected to emerge as important waterbird abodes in northeastern India very soon, provided we keep them undisturbed and allow them to follow their own course.
Highlights
MATERIAL AND METHODSWetlands provide vital habitats for waterbirds
Waterbird abundances and diversity A total of 442,345 waterbirds belonging to 24 species were recorded during the course of this study (Table 2)
The analysis suggested that both spatial and temporal gradients existed in the waterbird community structure of these wetlands
Summary
MATERIAL AND METHODSWetlands provide vital habitats for waterbirds. man has caused destruction and degradation of wetlands worldwide (Moser et al 1996). Almost half the world’s natural wetlands, including those from India, have disappeared in the last century due to imprudent anthropogenic activities, while the others are variously affected (Shine & Klemm 1999; Khan et al 2005; Sinha et al 2011) Artificial wetlands such as ponds, man-made lakes, reservoirs have increased worldwide, and these provide alternative, often suitable, habitats for waterbirds (Elphick & Oring 1998; Elphick 2000; Tourenq et al 2001; Ma et al 2004; Okes et al 2008; Rendon et al 2008; Sinha et al 2012). We have very little information about the waterbird species which are capable of adopting such transformed habitats, and which fail to do so
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