Study about Gogabeel: Bihar’s First Community Reserve

The state government wants to make Gogabeel Lake and its important bird area (IBA) in Katihar’s Manihari district a popular tourism destination for birdwatchers, environment enthusiasts, and researchers.

The lake covers an area of 87 hectares, with 57 hectares designated as a community reserve and the remaining 30 hectares designated as a conservation reserve. This lake is the 15th to be designated as a protected area. Gogabeel is Bihar’s 15th Protected Area, as well as the first Community Reserve in the state. On August 2, 2019, the State Board for Wildlife incorporated Gogabeel as a Community Reserve, pursuant to the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, as amended in 2002. The Important Bird Areas (IBA) in Asia include Gogabeel, Bagharbeel, and Baldia chaur, which are all important wetlands.

Community Reserve (CR): 

The type of Protected Areas (PAs) serving as connectors and migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and India’s reserved and protected forests as buffer zones are referred to as Community Reserve. The Wildlife Protection Act 1972 provides legal protection to four types of protected areas in India: National Parks, Sanctuaries, Conservation Reserves, and Community Reserves.

Any private or community land not included within a National Park may be declared as CR by the State Government if the community or an individual has volunteered to conserve wild species and their habitat. These categories were introduced to address the lack of protection in proposed protected areas having private ownership. Meghalaya has the highest amount of CRs in India.

About Gogabeel: 

It is a model oxbow lake with a diameter of 1 to 5 kilometers and a year-round water supply. Gogabeel’s waterbody and land area cover 217 acres, with the government owning 73.78 acres and the rest being owned by the local community of Katihar’s Amdabad and Manihari blocks. 

Rains and spillover from the Kankhar, Mahananda, and Ganga rivers flood the area every year during the monsoon season. The lake is abounding in aquatic vegetation and wildlife, which attracts migratory birds throughout the winter months. The lake is home to over 130 different bird species, with about 30 of them being migratory. There are 13 bird routes in the world, two of which pass through Bihar, namely the Central Asian and South Asian bird ways.

Gogabeel to be protected as Bird Paradise:

The IUCN lists the Lesser Adjutant Stork as ‘Vulnerable,’ whereas the Black Necked Stork, White Ibis, and White-eyed Pochard are categorized as ‘Near Threatened.’ Black Ibis, Ashy Swallow Shrike, Jungle Babbler, Bank Myna, Red Munia, Northern Lapwing, and Spotbill Duck are among the other species seen at this location. 

During the winter, a variety of migrating species visit the lake and its surroundings. However, this vital lake has lacked the status of a protected area for a long time, even in the guise of a Conservation Reserve. For more than a decade, the site has been designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA). As a result, it is critical to declare this lake a Community Reserve under Bihar’s protected areas to maintain the lake’s flora and wildlife in the future. 

Threats to Gogabeel Lake: 

• The lake’s waterbody has diminished over the years as silt has accumulated due to intensive agricultural operations affecting phytoplankton and zooplankton populations as well as bird toxic levels. 
• Plastic, polythene, thermocol, metal, detergent, kerosene, Mobile, and other non-biodegradable items cause water pollution.
• Roads, bridges, check dams, power grids, transmission lines, and mobile towers are examples of human-made structures that contribute to the loss.
• Poaching and fishing operations are undeniable risks to birds.

How Gogabeel was declared as Bihar’s First Community Reserve? 

In 1990, the state administration declared Gogabeel a ‘Closed Area’ for a period of five years. Years later, the IBCN designated Gogabeel, together with the nearby Baghar Beel and Baldia Chaur, as an IBA (Important Bird Area of India) in 2004.

IBCN re-designated Gogabeel as an IBA in 2017, based on Arvind Mishra’s suggestion. Mishra further suggested that the site be considered for designation as an Indian Ramsar Site.

Members of local non-profits such as Goga Vikas Samiti, Janlakshya (Katihar), Mandar Nature Club, and Arnav from Bhagalpur worked tirelessly over the years to persuade locals to proclaim the area as Community Reserve. Every initiative to make Gogabeel a bird and wildlife reserve was backed by the entire community.

Finally, the State Board for Wildlife enacted a bill on November 2, 2018, which marked the end of the long journey of 28 years.

Purpose of declaring areas as Community Reserves: 

• Improving the socioeconomic circumstances of those who live in these locations.
• It establishes a flexible structure that ensures animal protection without jeopardizing community requirements
• Conserving the area’s fauna and variety.
• It established a system for community-led wildlife protection projects to receive recognition and legal backing.

Conclusion: 

Constraints on ecosystems and natural resources are increasing as the world continues to expand. Protected areas such as Gogabeel lake are critical instruments for preserving biological diversity and are essential components of long-term development plans. They can provide nature-based remedies to this problem when properly administered and integrated into development programs.