Conservation of Telangana's Manjeera Sanctuary Essential to Prevent Extinction of Painted Storks

Painted Storks at Manjeera Wildlife Sanctuary.
Courtesy: Wikipedia. By User:Ravinder Thakur, CC BY-SA 3.0,

Absence of Painted Stork Breeding in Telangana's Manjeera Sanctuary Flagged by BNHS researchers

 

In 2018, researchers from the BNHS recorded over 7,500 Painted Storks nesting at Puttigadda Island of the Manjeera Wildlife Sanctuary; In 2019 and 2020, the numbers dropped to ZERO

 

V Nilesh | Hyderabad

Raising the alarm over the absence of Painted Storks breeding in the Manjeera Wildlife Sanctuary in 2019 and 2020, a study published in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society(JBNHS) has underscored the role of the Sanctuary in maintaining the global population of the species.

Cause of Worry

In March 2018, researchers from the BNHS recorded over 7,500 Painted Storks nesting at Puttigadda Island of the Manjeera Wildlife Sanctuary — around 30 percent of the estimated global population of the species!

In 2019 and 2020, the numbers dropped to ZERO as water levels drastically depleted and the Sanctuary dried up, according to the study Bird Ringing Programme in Manjeera Wildlife Sanctuary, Telangana, India: Findings and Conservation Issues. 

This is a matter of grave concern because Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala) is listed as a 'Near Threatened' species on IUCN Red List, with an estimated global population of 24,000 mature individuals. This makes Manjeera Wildlife Sanctuary one of the largest nesting sites of Painted Stork in South Asia.

If the Telangana forest department does not make efforts to ensure that Painted Storks continue to breed at the Sanctuary, the species' global population is at risk.    

It's not just the Painted Stork that is under threat. The BNHS researchers could not see the nesting of many other heronries in the Sanctuary in 2019 and 2020, recorded in large numbers in 2018. These include the Oriental Darter(Anhinga melanogaster), Asian Openbill(Anastomus oscitans), Black-headed Ibis(Threskiornis melanocephalus), and Black-crowned Night-Heron(Nycticorax nycticorax).

Significance of Manjeera Wildlife Sanctuary

Birds

The Sanctuary is a crucial habitat for 286 migratory and resident bird species. The Sanctuary's significance also lies in the fact that it supports more than 1 percent population of various species of birds, according to the Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas in India by BirdLife International and BNHS.

The document mentions, "For instance, the biogeographic population of Bar-headed Goose(Anser indicus) is estimated to be between 52,000 to 60,000 (Wetlands International 2012). At Manjira, up to 500 are found regularly which is almost 1% of the population. To give a more specific example, about 3% of the non-breeding population of Ruddy Shelduck(Tadorna ferruginea) winters in Manjira. Wetlands International (2012) estimates about 50,000 individuals of this species in South Asia, and in Manjira, Vijaya Kumar & Choudhury (1995) found up to 1,500."

Mugger Crocodiles

The Sanctuary was established in 1978 to conserve Mugger Crocodile(Crocodylus palustris), listed as 'Vulnerable' on the IUCN Red List. The Mugger Crocodile population in the Sanctuary was 171 in 2017.

Fishes

A study on ichthyofaunal diversity of Manjeera Wildlife Sanctuary taken up in 2015-2016 reported sightings of 57 species of fish, most of which were native species. Two are listed as 'Endangered' and four as 'Near Threatened'.

Anthropogenic Stress

The Manjeera Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Siddipet district of Telangana, is a 36km stretch along the course of the Manjeera river located between two dams - Singur and Manjeera. Water from the Sanctuary serves as drinking water to nearby areas and Hyderabad. Also, farmers along the Sanctuary's shoreline use the water for irrigation.

While the Sanctuary faces stress due to anthropogenic factors during the average rainfall years, the pressure becomes severe during poor rainfall years. This affects the breeding of local and migratory birds and forces crocodiles to seek refuge in agricultural fields, endangering the lives of the creatures and humans. 

A Mugger Crocodile that ventured outside the Manjeera Wildlife Sanctuary, captured by the Telangana Forest department.

The study in JBNHS points out, "Besides inadequate water during low-rainfall years, extension of agricultural activities in the periphery of Manjeera, excess use of pesticides in the nearby agricultural fields, spread of invasive species such as Prosopis juliflora and Ipomoea carnea are other conservation issues facing this wetland, as observed during our study and also reported by earlier workers".

It's time the Telangana government takes up the responsibility of putting conservation measures at the Manjeera Wildlife Sanctuary to protect the Painted Storks from extinction along with other species of birds and the Mugger Crocodiles.

This must also includes all the protection measures as mandated by law in the Eco-Sensitive Zone of the Sanctuary, which extends one kilometer from its boundary covering an area of around 65sq.km. 

Manjeera Wildlife Sanctuary Eco-Sensitive Zone. Source: MoEF.

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