KBA Profile: Pamba River

National Site Name Pamba River

English Name

KBA delineation Catchment

Focal area delineation No

The Pamba River is one of the largest rivers of , which flows westwards from the Peryar Tiger Reserve. It is one of the most holy rivers in southern and is heavily impacted by Site description pilgrim visitors (sewage, litter). It is also threatened by heavy sand mining in the lower stretches, and rubber and coconut plantations, rice paddies and urban area in the middle stretches.

Management required at Yes catchment scale

Management required at focal No - though under explored for fishes (and focal areas may be identified in the future) and many area within catchment of the odonata are found within the Goodrikkal Reserve Forest (within Tiger Reserve).

KBA Trigger Species

Group Species Criterion1 Criterion2 Criterion3 Notes

Fishes Batasio travancoria VU 10110.28229 NA

Fishes Carinotetraodon travancoricus VU NA NA

Fishes surendranathanii EN 10294.74923 NA

Fishes Horabagrus brachysoma VU NA NA

Fishes Labeo dussumieri NA 13802.95495 NA

Fishes Laubuca fasciata VU 19969.84887 NA

Fishes Pseudeutropius mitchelli EN 9946.310462 NA

Fishes Pseudosphromenus dayi VU 16673.51639 NA Fishes Puntius chalakkudiensis EN 18143.96546 NA

Fishes Puntius mahecola NA 16651.9995 NA

Fishes Puntius ophicephalus EN 11935.68039 NA

Fishes Travancoria jonesi EN 11679.68056 NA

Odonata Esme mudiensis NA 21199.4574 NA

Odonata Euphaea cardinalis NA 22114.31401 NA

Odonata Idionyx minima NA 17442.77981 NA

Odonata Idionyx travancorensis NA 12146.21987 NA

Odonata Platysticta deccanensis VU 29167.59293 NA

Odonata Protosticta antelopoides NA 17066.74095 NA

Odonata Protosticta davenporti NA 17361.03282 NA

Odonata Protosticta hearseyi NA 40533.40822 NA

Plants Farmeria indica EN NA NA

Plants Farmeria metzgerioides VU NA NA

Plants Murdannia lanceolata VU 5082.758215 NA

Fishes Puntius arenatus VU 13802.26318 NA

Molluscs Paludomus annandalei NA 4088.831686 NA

Odonata Epithemis mariae NA 32143.88717 NA

Shrimps Caridina chauhani NA 13841.84964 NA

Fishes Channa diplogramma VU NA NA

Plants Myristica malabarica VU NA NA

Plants Myristica magnifica EN NA NA

Crabs Vanni deepta NA 7702.203996 715 Protected Areas Overlap with KBA

Name Designation Desig. Type Status PA Management Focus

Western Ghats World Heritage Site International Inscribed No freshwater biodiversity management

Periyar Sanctuary National Designated No freshwater biodiversity management

Potential KBA Stakeholders*

Pamba Parirakshana Samithi

Centre for Environment and Development

Conservation Research Group

Kerala Forest Department

Kerala Agricultural University Dept of Wildlife College of Forestry

Travancore Natural History Society

Periyar Foundation

Manimalayar Samrakshana Samithi

Meera Anna Oommen

Zoological Survey of India, Regional Centre

KBA Freshwater Habitats

5.1 Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks(includes waterfalls)

5.2 Seasonal/Intermittent/Irregular Rivers/Streams/Creeks

5.4 Bogs Marshes Swamps Fens Peatlands[generally over 8ha] 5.6 Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Lakes(over 8ha)

5.7 Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools(under 8ha)

5.8 Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Marshes/Pools(under 8ha)

15.1 Water Storage Areas(over 8ha)

Threats to KBA

Threats (IUCN Classification Scheme) Notes

1.1 Housing & urban areas

1.2 Commercial & industrial areas Planned airport ()

1.3 Tourism & recreation areas

2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops

2.2 Wood & pulp plantations

2.3 Livestock farming & ranching

2.4 Marine & freshwater aquaculture

3.2 Mining & quarrying

6.1 Recreational activities

7.1 Fire & fire suppression destroying forest in catchment

7.2 Dams & water management/use

8.1 Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases

9.1 Domestic & urban waste water

9.2 Industrial & military effluents

9.3 Agricultural & forestry effluents 9.4 Garbage & solid waste

Conservation actions for KBA

Conservation actions (IUCN In Needed Notes Classification Scheme) place

2.1 Site/area management Yes Around pilgimage areas & wider catchment area management

2.2 Invasive/problematic species Yes control

2.3 Habitat & natural process Yes Especially below dams restoration

4.1 Formal education Yes

4.2 Training Yes

Some awareness programmes in the Periyar Tiger Reserve (upper 4.3 Awareness & communications Yes Yes catchment)

5.2 Policies and regulations Yes In particular for pilgramages

5.3 Private sector standards & Yes codes

Implementation of Wetland (Conservation and Management) Act 2010 5.4 Compliance and enforcement Yes & Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974.

Food Security

Used for food security Score Notes

1. Subsistence

Optional/alternative 1

Essential staple 2 Emergency 0

2. Commercial

Local 2

Regional 2

National 0

3.Migrant fishers 0

Notes Mostly fish

Other

The aquatic plants Dimeria kurumthotticalana Jacob is endemic to the KBA, but is not assessed on the IUCN Other biodiversity Red List. Western Ghats endemic birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles. There is also an endemic tree (Podocarpus wallichiana) to the KBA

Protected areas overview

1. River Research Centre. 2013. Report on Monitoring of Fish Diversity of Rivers in Kerala. Kerala State Biodiversity Board, Thiruvananthapuram. 98 pp. References 2. Bahir, M.M. and Yeo, D.C.J. 2007. The Gecarcinucid freshwater crabs of southern India (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura). The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 16:309-354.

Ali, A., Amitha Bachan, K.H., Anatha, L., Dahanukar, N., Jayachandran, K.V., Molur, S., Nameer, P.O., Acknowledgments Raghavan, R., Subbramanian, K.A., Rehel, S.M. and Vinod, T.R.

* Potential KBA stakeholders have not been contacted in any official capacity nor have they endorsed the KBA – they are a list of potential stakeholders to inform any organisation or individual who may want to undertake conservation activities on freshwater biodiversity in this KBA