By Sobhapati Samom
Imphal,April 8: A recent day long study by a team of local experts in association with the Non-Government Oganisation(NGO) representatives in Manipur`s Loktak lake has spotted 57 different kinds of water birds.
The other water birds recorded or spotted during the study include 23 are local waterbirds,18 are migratory,12 are waterfowl(nganu) birds.
The study was conducted by states environmentalist Dr Kh Shamungou led team in some section of the lake under the sponsorship of state forest department on February 2 this year.The other team members include ornithologists K Jugeshor Singh and RK Birjit.
This came to light when Dr Shamungou shared their study experiences during the concluding session of the Forest department sponsored 3 day capacity strengthening training programme on Bird conservation and management at Keibul Lamjao National park inspection bunglow,around 55 km south of here in Bishnupur district,today.
Interestingly two of water birds namely Nganu Mitngoubi(Ferrigunous pocchard) and Ura-Linmanbi(Darter) were listed as near threatened species by International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN).
Weve recorded a sharp decline in the number of migratory birds visiting our lake(Loktak),states environmentalist Dr Kh Shamungou said.”The unpredicted rain and changes in the Loktaks hydrology would be some of the reasons for the decline”,he reasoned and added, “Thus the number of migratory birds visiting Loktak Lake has been declined unlike the previous year”.
The environmentalist also admitted that a small number of Nganu Thoidingnum(Gadwall ) were spotted unlike the past.Similarly they also hard to spot birds such as Kaksu(Glossy Ibis) or while Ibis in their recent study which was conducted through 27 spots.
However resource persons from Bombay Natural Historical Society (BNHS) who had been imparting new techniques in waterbirds conservation expected that the number of waterbirds in the lake might be increased once the area of water bodies are expanded.
Dr S Balachandran, assistant director of BNHS is expecting that the number of migratory birds would be increased once the phumdis(biomass) are removed from lake.
According to Range Officer Kh Hitler of Keibul Lamjao National Park,altogether around 30 officers of the state forest department,Loktak Development Authority and NGO representatives participated in the training program which was held to create more awareness on state`s forest and wildlife particularly the water birds.
