Kolleru Bird Sanctuary
| Kolleru Bird Sanctuary | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
 Birds near Kolleru Lake | |
.svg)  Kolleru Bird Sanctuary | |
| Location | Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Nearest city | Eluru |
| Coordinates | 16°37′N 81°12′E / 16.617°N 81.200°E[1] |
| Area | 673 km2 (166,000 acres) |
| Established | November 1999 |
| Governing body | Andhra Pradesh Forest Department |
| Designated | 19 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
Kolleru Bird Sanctuary covers mainly two districts of Andhra Pradesh they are Krishna and West Godavari districts and between the River Krishna and River Godavari deltas spread over 10 to 25 km from Eluru City.[3]
Flora
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, Ipomaea aquatica, Scirpus articulatus, Paspalidium germinatum, Typha angustata, and Phragmites karka.[5]
Contour dispute
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 sq km) to +3 contour (135 sq km), asserting that they were protectors of birds from Langula Gajapathi Raju period.[7]
References
- ^ a b c "Kolleru Lake". RAMSAR Wetlands. RAMSAR. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
- ^ "Kolleru Bird Sanctuary". www.sanctuariesindia.com.
- ^ Ramsar convention, Wet land. "Kolleru Lake". www.rainwaterharvesting.org.
- ^ Wetlands of the World I: Inventory, Ecology and Management edited by Dennis F. Whigham, D. Dykyjová, S. Hejný (page-382)
- ^ Kolleru Lake, Flora. "C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre". www.cpreec.org.
- ^ Kolleru lake. "Panchayat reigns supreme". www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.
- ^ The imperial gazetteer of India, Volume 8 by Sir William Wilson Hunter
External links
- Kolleru Water Lake Tourism Site
- Committee makes secret visit to Kolleru
- Ap seeks changes in contours of kolleru wild life sanctuary
_in_Kolleru,_AP_W_IMG_4052.jpg)