A black-winged stilt looks for prey at a shallow portion of Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary in Tiruppur district.
| Photo Credit: SPL
About two years after the Tamil Nadu Government notified the Nanjarayan Tank in Tiruppur district as the 17th bird sanctuary in the State, the Central Government has brought the wetland in the list of 85 Ramsar Sites, much to the relief of environmentalists.
As the newly- designated site reflects a testament to the significant policy push from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for wetlands conservation and management in the country, the Forest Department is in a strong position to safeguard the Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary from encroachments, and put in place measures to make it a protected area.
More than 20,000 birds, including a chunk encompassing migratory species congregate at the marshland during the peak season, Ravindran Kamatchi, president, Natural Society of Tiruppur, said.
The declaration of the tank, the ecosystem of which was hitherto endangered, as Ramsar Site has meant the scope has been enlarged to protect endangered species and rare birds that are usually spotted only in coastal locations, Mr. Ravindran said.
Bar-headed goose that fly long distances at a height of 8,000 metres have been spotted. Likewise, rare birds including ruddy shelduck, gadwall, and pied avocet birds visit the tank every year to feed on microorganisms and planktons.
Until 2022, the fishing activities were intensively carried out in the tank.
The safeguards were stepped up once the ownership of the tank was passed on to the Forest Department by the Public Works Department, birders say.
There are watchers monitoring the water body, ensuring that wastes in any form are not dumped.
On its part, the Forest Department has initiated efforts to fence the 330 acres notified as bird sanctuary wherever possible.
Karuvel trees where the birds nest in large numbers are being raised around the tank, and these trees have also started growing indigenously on the handful of mounds in the tank, Mr. Ravindran said.
