A Review on the Status of Sambhar Wetland Bird Tragedy

Abstract

Sambhar Lake is India’s largest inland salt lake. It is a shallow Ramsar wetland Subject to seasonal fluctuations. The site is important for a variety of wintering water birds, including large numbers of flamingos. Human activities consist of salt production and livestock grazing. It is also an Important Bird Area (IBA) due to migratory avifaunal population, especially flamingo and waterfowl. Presence of salt-tolerant algae makes the lake one of the most important wintering areas for flamingos. The specialized algae and bacteria growing in the lake provide striking water colors and support the lake ecology that, in turn, sustains the migrating waterfowl. Current conservational threats owing to the drastic reduction in water spread and anthropogenic pressures were major concerns till Oct.2019. The death of thousands of birds was detected on 11th November 2019 which belonged to 25 different species. Majority of were migratory birds and a few local species The main cause identified was avian botulism. The paper reviews the cause and efforts taken to revive it as a safe wetland.