KBA Profile: Chaliyar River

National Site Name Chaliyar River

English Name

KBA delineation Catchment

Focal area delineation yes - New Amarambalam Reserve Forest catchment (overlap with New Amarambalam IBA)

The Chaliyar River catchment is the largest undammed river in Kerala. It flows westward from the New Amarambalam Hills in the Western Ghats. The upper catchment is predominantly Site description evergreen forest and shola grasslands. Deforestation in the upper catchment and rubber and teak plantations in the middle catchment are the major threats to freshwater biodiversity in the KBA.

Management required at Yes catchment scale

Management required at focal yes - New Amarambalam Reserve Forest catchment (overlap with New Amarambalam IBA) area within catchment

KBA Trigger Species

Group Species Criterion1 Criterion2 Criterion3 Notes

Carinotetraodon Fishes VU NA NA travancoricus

Glyptothorax Fishes EN 15343.40029 NA Focal area species anamalaiensis

Horabagrus Fishes VU NA NA Focal area species brachysoma

Hypselobarbus Fishes NA 8106.817049 NA lithopidos

Fishes Laubuca fasciata VU 19969.84887 NA Focal area species

Puntius Fishes EN 15714.06176 NA Focal area species denisonii

Caconeura Odonata NA 15880.73167 NA Focal area species gomphoides

Chlorogomphus Odonata NA 18953.86679 NA Focal area species campioni

Epithemis Odonata NA 32143.88717 NA Focal area species mariae

Odonata Euphaea dispar NA 24731.42411 NA Focal area species

Odonata Idionyx galeata EN 12920.01903 NA Focal area species

Idionyx Odonata NA 18734.76843 NA Focal area species nadganiensis

Idionyx Odonata NA 6134.278767 NA Focal area species rhinoceroides

Idionyx Odonata NA 24819.16101 NA Focal area species saffronata

Idionyx Odonata NA 12146.21987 NA Focal area species travancorensis

Macrogomphus Odonata NA 26655.61097 NA Focal area species wynaadicus

Odonata Macromia ida NA 16836.08527 NA Focal area species

Odonata Macromia irata NA 16836.08527 NA Focal area species

Macromidia Odonata NA 18660.90733 NA Focal area species donaldi

Melanoneura Odonata NA 16893.66913 NA Focal area species bilineata

Merogomphus Odonata NA 26458.05683 NA Focal area species longistigma

Microgomphus Odonata NA 15446.40247 NA Focal area species souteri

Onychogomphus Odonata NA 27739.64776 NA Focal area species nilgiriensis

Phylloneura Odonata NA 41554.26134 NA Focal area species westermanni

Platysticta Odonata VU 29167.59293 NA Focal area species deccanensis

Protosticta Odonata NA 17066.74095 NA Focal area species antelopoides

Protosticta Odonata NA 40533.40822 NA Focal area species hearseyi

Protosticta Odonata VU 24051.87867 NA Focal area species sanguinostigma

Dimeria Plants EN NA NA hohenackeri

Eriocaulon Plants EN NA NA dalzellii

Farmeria Plants VU NA NA metzgerioides

Fimbristylis Plants CR NA NA hirsutifolia

Hydrocotyle Plants EN NA NA conferta

Shrimps Caridina shenoyi NA 19264.83648 NA

Caridina Shrimps NA 13841.84964 NA chauhani

Fishes Tor malabaricus EN NA NA

Endemic to Focal Area. Potential AZE species depending on current taxonomic research. Will also Glyptothorax qualify for Restriced Rangs (Criterion 2) as known only Fishes EN NA NA davissinghi from the Karimpuzha and Paanapuzha tributary of River Chaliyar inside the New Amarambalam Reserve Forest, Kerala, Indi

Endemic to the KBA, will qualify for RR criteria as Travancoriana Crabs NA NA NA known only from two very close localities between kuleera Gudalur and Manjery, Tamil Nadu/Kerala border

Protected Areas Overlap with KBA

Name Designation Desig. Type Status PA Management Focus

Western Ghats World Heritage Site International Inscribed No freshwater management focus

Silent Valley National Park National Designated No freshwater management focus

Karimpuzha National Park National Proposed No freshwater management focus

Wayanad Sanctuary National Designated No freshwater management focus

Nilgiri Tahr National Park National Proposed No freshwater management focus

Mudumalai Sanctuary National Designated No freshwater management focus

New Amarambalam Forest IBA ADD No freshwater management focus

Potential KBA Stakeholders*

Chaliyar Samrakshan Samithi

Kerala Forest Research Institute

Kerala Forest Department

Indian Bird Conservation Network

Indian AZE

Conservation Research Group

Zoo Outreach Organization

Keystone Foundation

RASTA 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]

5.7 Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools(under 8ha)

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

9.10 Estuaries

Threats to KBA

Threats (IUCN Notes Classification Scheme)

1.1 Housing & urban areas

1.2 Commercial & industrial areas

2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops

2.2 Wood & pulp plantations

2.4 Marine & freshwater aquaculture

3.2 Mining & quarrying Sand mining and laterite & granite quarry

5.3 Logging & wood harvesting 5.4 Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources

7.2 Dams & water Future threat - 17 proposed check dams (weirs) in the main river / a number of small hydro electric management/use projects are proposed / water diversion Pandiyar Punnapuzha project

8.1 Invasive non- native/alien Fishes (tilapia) species/diseases

9.1 Domestic & urban Including pollution from poison used for fishing 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

1.1 Site/area protection Yes Protection for the focal area (New Amarambalam Reserve Forest)

1.2 Resource & habitat protection Yes Protection for the focal area (New Amarambalam Reserve Forest)

For whole KBA (especially for future check dam (weir) construction and 2.1 Site/area management Yes water transfer scheme)

2.2 Invasive/problematic species Yes control

4.1 Formal education Yes

4.2 Training Yes

Keystone Foundation already undertaking awareness raising activities 4.3 Awareness & communications Yes Yes at the focal area

5.3 Private sector standards & Check dams, small hydro projects and water transfer scheme and for Yes codes the quarrying

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 2

Essential staple 2

Emergency 0

2. Commercial

Local 2

Regional 2

National 0

3.Migrant fishers 2

Notes Mostly fish

Other

Other biodiversity Endemic birds, Macrobrachium dolichodactylus (shrimp), many endemic plants.

Protected areas Focal area overlaps with New Amarambalam IBA overview

1. Baby, F., Tharian, J., Ali, A. and Raghavan, R. 2010. A checklist of freshwater fishes of the New Amarambalam Reserve Forest (NARF), Kerala, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 2(12): 1330-1333. 2. Bahir, M.M. and Yeo, D.C.J. 2007. The Gecarcinucid freshwater crabs of southern India (Crustacea: References Decapoda: Brachyura). The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 16:309-354. 3. River Research Centre. 2013. Report on Monitoring of Fish Diversity of Rivers in Kerala. Kerala State Biodiversity Board, Thiruvananthapuram. 98 pp.

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