PARENT SESSION
Contributed Oral Session 36: Late Breaking and Newsworthy Research: Distribution; Disturbance
Monday, August 8, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM, Meeting Room 524 C, Level 5, Palais des congrès de Montréal
Ecological studies of Uchalli Wetlands Complex, Pakistan with a note on their deteriorating status and conservation.
Ali, Zulfiqar1, Akhtar, Muhammad2, Akbar Khan, Muhammad4, 1 All kinds of the ecological studies of the area, Lahore, Pakistan2 Critical Analysis, Lahore, Pakistan4
ABSTRACT- Wetlands are the earths most important freshwater resource and are also the most threatened. They perform manifold functions in the maintenance of the ecological balance of a region. Uchalli Wetland Complex is an internationally well known site (72°14'E, 32° 29'N) where wetland conservation activities have been undertaken in recent years. The Complex is a combination of three independent wetlands: Uchalli, Khabbaki and Jahlar. This site is located in the Salt Range of north central Punjab, Pakistan. For assessment of the diversity and population density of birds, a range of widely used research methods was applied in the field to accumulate the maximum information. From 1992 to 2004, extensive surveys were conducted of avian distribution and abundance in the study area. During these 13 years, maximum numbers of birds recorded were 25,674 in 1994 and minimum 952 in 2003 with an annual average of 13,813 birds. A total of 173 bird species representing 46 families and sub-families were recorded from 10 km2 (964 km2) buffer zone of the Uchalli Wetlands Complex, which constitute nearly 24% of the birds in the territorial range of Pakistan (729), almost 13% of Indian Sub-Continent (1,295), more than 5% of Asia (3,388) and about 2% of the world (9,225). Water spread areas of three lakes have considerably reduced during the last ten years because of drought conditions prevailing in the Salt Range. Rainfall data depicts that almost 50% decline in rainfall has reduced the morphometry of lakes up to 73% (maximum 1241 ha in 1993 to only 336 ha in 2004). Khabbaki lake has totally dried up since 2002. Sedimentation and encroachments for agricultural activities have also had a profound impact on wetlands. Several ecological factors, such as habitat loss related to siltation, pollution, expanding agricultural activities and drastic hydrological fluctuations, have induced considerable changes in the dynamics and distribution pattern of sustained biota. The shrinkage of the wetland areas is a cause for environmental concern. This highlights the rapidly deteriorating environmental status of the Uchalli Wetlands Complex, and stresses the need for its urgent ecological restoration. The information is presented with the fervent hope that it will assist in the establishment of more comprehensive wetlands management programmes and policies.
Key words: Avian Diversity, Wetlands, Uchalli Wetlands Complex, Pakistan, Ecology Conservation