Kolleru Bird Sanctuary

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Kolleru Bird Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Birds near Kolleru Lake
Map showing the location of Kolleru Bird Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh
Map showing the location of Kolleru Bird Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh
Kolleru Bird Sanctuary
LocationAndhra Pradesh, India
Nearest cityEluru
Coordinates16°37′N 81°12′E / 16.617°N 81.200°E / 16.617; 81.200[1]
Area673 km2 (166,000 acres)
EstablishedNovember 1999 (1999-11)
Governing bodyAndhra Pradesh Forest Department
Designated19 August 2002[1]

Kolleru Bird Sanctuary is a sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh, India. It covers 673 square kilometers. It was established in November 1999, under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. The sanctuary protects part of the Kolleru Lake wetland, which gained Ramsar Convention for International importance in 2002.[1][2]

Geography[edit]

Kolleru Bird Sanctuary is located in the Eluru district of Andhra Pradesh between the River Krishna and River Godavari deltas spread over 10 to 25 km from Eluru City.[3]

Flora[edit]

The main flora of the sanctuary is Phragmites karka,[4] a weed that grows up to 10 feet in height and that offers shelter for some species of birds. The aquatic vegetation includes species such as Nymphaeae nouchali, Nyphoides indicum, Ottelia alismoides, Nechamandra alternifolia, Limnophila indica, Vallisneria spiralis, Blyxa octandra, Ipomoea aquatica, Scirpus articulatus, Paspalidium germinatum, Typha angustata, and Phragmites karka.[5]

Contour dispute[edit]

Contours are lines drawn on a map, joining points of equal height above the sea level (mean sea level). In the past, the water level in the lake was between contour 7 and 10 during the monsoon, and it fell to contour 3 during the dry season. The area in contour 3 is 135 square kilometres and the area in contour 10 is 901 square kilometres.

These conditions do not prevail any more with fish tanks and roads occupying most of the lake. The local fishing community known as Suryavansha Vaddis[6] say that from the times of 13th century during Eastern Ganga Dynasty rule they have had descendant rights on Kolleru Lake; they have appealed to the government to decrease from +5 contour (308 km2) to +3 contour (135 km2), asserting that they were protectors of birds from Langula Gajapathi Raju period.[7]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Kolleru Lake". Ramsar Wetlands. Ramsar. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  2. ^ "Kolleru Bird Sanctuary". www.sanctuariesindia.com.
  3. ^ Ramsar convention, Wet land. "Kolleru Lake". www.rainwaterharvesting.org.
  4. ^ Wetlands of the World I: Inventory, Ecology and Management edited by Dennis F. Whigham, D. Dykyjová, S. Hejný (page-382)
  5. ^ Kolleru Lake, Flora. "C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre". www.cpreec.org. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  6. ^ Kolleru lake. "Panchayat reigns supreme". www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.
  7. ^ The imperial gazetteer of India, Volume 8 by Sir William Wilson Hunter

External links[edit]