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 Kerala, which flows westwards from the Peryar Tiger Reserve. It is one of the most holy rivers in southern India 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 Periyar 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 Garra 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, Western Ghats 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 (Aranmula)
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