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Keoladeo Ghana National ParkÂ
The Keoladeo Ghana National Park (formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary) is located in Rajasthan. It is an important wintering location for many aquatic birds in India. It is particularly widely recognised for its enormous gathering of non-migratory resident breeding birds, making it an important bird watching location. The Sanctuary attracts a variety of species from far-flung places and countries such as Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Siberia, and China.
Why is the Keoladeo Ghana National Park Making Headlines?
After 22 years, the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary (formally known as the Keoladeo National Park) has resumed ringing of Oriental Darters in order to study and monitor seasonal oscillations in bird movement. Ringing birds with colourful bands will aid in determining their tendency of returning to previous nests and will also contribute in the conservation of Oriental Darters. Ringing was previously used mostly on migrating birds to determine flight patterns, stopover spots, and breeding zones.
Oriental DarterÂ
1 The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies these birds as ‘near-threatened’ (IUCN).
2.Anhinga melanogaster is the scientific name for this species.
3.It is a tropical South Asian water bird.
4.It is also known as a snakebird (it has a long and slender neck that looks like a snake when it swims in water and catches fish)
Facts of Keoladeo National ParkÂ
1.Previously, it was a Maharajas’ duck hunting reserve.
2 It is a wetland that was constructed and maintained artificially (1850).
3.On March 13, 1956, it was designated as a bird sanctuary.
In 1981, the Ramsar Convention classified it as a Wetland of International Importance.
4.On March 10, 1982, it was designated as a national park.
UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site in 1985.
5.It is home to about 375 different bird species.
6.The national park is home to Sarus cranes, cormorants, peacocks, darters, owls, waterhens, the common coot, and the purple sunbird. Baer’s pochard, Dalmatian pelican, lesser and larger adjutants, cinereous vulture, spot–billed pelican, and other threatened avifauna species can be found here.
7.Animals found here include the Jackal, Bengal Fox, blackbuck, Chital, common palm civet, hog deer, and sambar.
8.The main supply of water for the national park is a temporary reservoir, the Ajan dam, because it is not a natural wetland. The dam derives its water from the Gambhir River. Water scarcity is an issue in the park, and the construction of the Panchana dam over the Gambhir River in 2003-04 exacerbated the problem.
9.This is India’s only national park that is totally surrounded by a 2 m high border wall, aiming to reduce the possibility of encroachment, illegal activity, and other biotic disturbances.
10.The Keoladeo National Park is officially protected by the Indian Forest Act of 1927 and the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972. The Rajasthan Forest Department manages the park with the assistance of local communities, national conservation organisations, and other international organisations.
Threats of Keoladeo National ParkÂ
A variety of issues endanger the national park’s ecosystem and fauna. Some of the factors are as follows:
1.Water scarcity in the park (source of water, its quantity and quality also affects the park).
2.invasive plant life (Prosopis, Paspalum, Eichhornia)
3.Improvements to the Keoladeo National Park’s Habitat
4.The government has taken several initiatives to preserve and maintain the national park’s habitat, with the assistance of local communities.Â
Some of the measures are as follows:
1.Wetland edge repair
2.De-silting
3.Water body depthening
4.Removal of invasive foreign species such as Prosopis juliflora, African catfish, and others.
Conclusion
It may be concluded that the Keoladeo National Park is not only a site of great avian biodiversity, but also a site of significant intraspecific variation among species, due to the richness of resources in and surrounding the park.
