Five prominent and protected forests of Jharkhand are likely to be identified as ‘Important Bird Areas’ (IBAs) in order to give a boost to conservation of bird population.
According to a survey report on ‘Identification of Potential IBA in Jharkhand’, these forests include Topchanchi Wildlife Sanctuary, Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary, Tilaiya Dam, Maithon Dam and North Karanpura Forests.
“The recognition will enhance the bird conservation in the mentioned areas which possessed poor documentation of bird species till date. Also, the yearly update on the status of these IBAs will become mandatory for the concerned authorities,” Ranchi University Pro Vice Chancellor M Raziuddin said on Monday.
Raziuddin happens to be a member of the 10-member team of ornithologists, which has conducted the survey and will be submitting the report to Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) within a week. Presently, the State has three IBAs namely Palamau Tiger Reserve, Udhuwa Bird Sanctuary and Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary.
The selection of Important Bird Areas (IBAs) is achieved through the application of quantitative ornithological criteria, grounded in up-to-date knowledge of the sizes and trends of bird populations. The criteria ensure that the sites selected as IBAs have true significance for the international conservation of bird populations, and provide a common currency that all IBAs adhere to, thus creating consistency among, and enabling comparability between, sites at national, continental and global levels.
Speaking about the criteria for declaration of IBAs, Indian Bird Conservation Network State Coordinator cum Asian Water Bird Census State Coordinator (Wetland International) Satya Prakash, said, “A wetland should atleast have 20,000 birds especially the globally threatened species to get the IBA identity. We completed the one year survey in the month of March. This international recognition will definitely benefit Jharkhand.”
Focusing on the rare varieties of birds, Satya Prakash said, “Egyptian Vultures are found in North Karanpura, Palamau and Dalma. Alexandrine Parakeet species are seen in Hazaribagh and Topchanchi. Ferruginous Ducks, a new bird species considered as threatened exists in Udhwa and Tilaiya. Tufted Ducks are found in large numbers at Maithon.”
Confirming the data, Palamau District Forest Officer Anil Kumar Mishra who too was a member of the team, said, “We need to talk on biodiversity management of our state instead of emphasizing only on wildlife scenario. Ever since PTR has been declared an IBA, the study of birds has become an important matter for the government. Till now, only 170 bird species were listed in PTR but our latest study shows the existence of 205 bird species. We will soon send the list of 205 birds to Government of India for incorporating the figure in the Tiger Conservation Plan.” “Similar IBA recognition to popular faunas of Jharkhand will attract government’s attention to various projects,” Mishra added.