PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR Renjan Mathew Varghese DATA COLLECTION TEAM Sujith V Gopalan (Field Team Leader/ Expert) Balachandran V (Field Expert) Govind G (Field Expert) Kiran S Kumar (Field Expert) Vivek Chandran A Harikrishnan S Elias Rowther Jeffin John Yadhumon A DATA ANALYSIS & DRAFTING Sujith V Gopalan PHOTO CREDITS Sujith V Gopalan Harikrishnan S Goivnd Girija Vivek Chandran A Afsar Nayakan Subin K S © KSBB 2019 Published by WWF-INDIA & Kerala STATE BIODIVERSITY BOARD CONTENTS Sl.No Content Page 1. Introduction 7 2. Study area (Transect and habitat details) 7-22 3. Visual Impact of Flood 23 4. Methodology 23 5. Bird Checklist and Transect data 24-78 6. Birds – Results and Discussion 79-82 7. Birds - Photo Gallery 83-84 8. Amphibian Checklist and Transect data 85-108 9. Amphibian – Results and Discussion 109-110 10. Butterfly Checklist and Transect data 111-144 11. Butterfly – Results and Discussion 145-146 12. Butterfly - Photo Gallery 147-148 13. Odonate Checklist and Transect data 149-177 14. Odonates – Results and Discussion 179-180 15. Odonates - Photo Gallery 181-188 16. Final Conclusion and Recommendation 189 17. Scenarios and Recommendation 190-200 18. Site specific restoration program 200-202 19. Glimpses-filed work 203-205 20. Forest Permission 206 21. Pookode Lake - Permission 207 22. Acknowledgements 209 Wire-tailed Swallow (I¼nhme³ I{XnI) documented from Kattampally Wetlands Sujith V Gopalan INTRODUCTION The 2018 monsoon brought excess rainfall within a short period of time, resulting in flash floods and heavy landslides across the State. Nine out of the fourteen districts in Kerala were severely affected (Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Idukki, Alappuzha, and Pathanamthitta). Idukki and Wayanad in particular were affected by landslides because of the hilly terrain. Kerala has a tropical climate, the dominant climatic phenomena being the monsoons, called the South- West (June to August) and the North-East (September - November) monsoons, the former is more significant than the latter with respect to the amount of rainfall (80% of total rainfall). In Kerala, there are forty four (44) rivers, of which 41 are west flowing and only three (3) are east flowing, whereas all are monsoon-fed rivers origi- nating from the Western Ghats. The study (CESS, 2010) shows that 5642.68 sq.km., which is 14.52% of the total area of the State is prone to floods. In Alappuzha district, more than 50% of area is identified as flood prone. These are mostly confined to the Kuttanad region that host seasonally waterlogged flat lands with anastomosing waterways connected to Vem- banad Lake. The Kole lands of Thrissur district, the coastal tracts of Ernakulam and Malappuram districts and the western part of Kottayam district flanking Vembanad Lake are other major areas prone to floods. Even though Wayanad district is located in an elevated plateau, flood prone areas are noted in the broad flat bottom valleys and flood plains adjacent to Mananthavadi River. Idukki district is the least flood prone area in Kerala owing to the elevated topography, rugged terrain and absence of flat bottom valleys. In light of the flash floods that ravaged the State during August 2018, there are different ecosystems that could have been affected. These different ecosystems have many food webs and food chains among themselves and also countless species that occupy different niches in the web of life. Knowing what species inhabits an ecosystem, and how many of each kind are there, is critical to understanding that ecosystem’s structure and function, under- standing the impact of the natural disaster and predicting future changes. Hence a study with the following design was adopted by the Study Team. It is estimated that the rate of decrease in global biodiversity over the past centuries is quiet similar to pre- vious mass extinctions in Earth’s history. In an era of human activities, global environmental changes, habitat loss and species extinction - conservation strategies are a crucial step toward minimizing biodiversity loss. STUDY AREA SELECTED The flood affected districts are Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Idukki, Alap- puzha, and Pathanamthitta. The study area has been selected based on the different habitats and elevations repre- senting the flood affected areas, namely: 1. Kattampally Wetlands (Kannur) 2. Pookode Lake (Vythiri, Wayanad) 3. Pullu Kole Wetlands (Thrissur) 4. Vazhachal Forest Division (Thrissur) 5. Nedumudi (Vembanad, Alappuzha) 6. Melepadam (Upper Kuttanad, Alappuzha) 7. Vandiperiyar (Periyar Tiger Reserve, Idukki) 7 1. KATTAMPALLY WETLANDS Kattampally Wetlands (11º 55’ 00” N, 75° 19’ 60” E) with an area of 750 ha is situated in the floodplains of the Valapattanam River. The area falls in an altitudinal gradient of 0-5 MSL and receives a rainfall of 3,000 - 4,400 mm annually. The habitat consists of fresh/ brackish water swamp, tidal marsh, sub-tropical secondary scrub and mangroves. The area is a declared International Bird Area (IBA) on the following criteria A1 (Threatened species), A4i (≥1% of biogeographic population), A4iii (≥20,000 waterbirds). Kattampally is not officially protected and ownership is partially private and State. The area comes under coastal biogeographic zone with a temperature gradient of 20 to 38 ºC. The bird and amphibian transect at Kattampally was fixed from 11° 56’ 5.892” N, 75° 22’ 48.36” E to 11° 56’ 1.608” N, 75° 23’ 21.12” E. The map of the transect area is as above. The transect consists of a variety of habitat from fresh/ brackish water swamp, tidal marsh, sub-tropical secondary scrub, paddy-fields and mangroves. The Odonate and Butterfly transect was fixed from 11° 55’ 19.812” N, 75° 22’ 21.468” E to 11° 55’ 13.116” N to 75° 22’ 27.984”E. The map showing the transect area is given below. 8 Ecosystem dynamics - Kattampally 1. Dated: 11-01-2019 2. Dated: 29-05-2019 3. Dated: 25-06-2019 4. Dated: 23-07-2019 5. Dated: 15-08-2019 6. Dated: 25-08-2019 9 2. POOKODE LAKE Pookode Lake (11° 32′ 24” – 11° 32′ 35″ N and 76° 01′ 34″ – 76° 01′ 43″ E) is situated in Vy- thiri Taluk in Wayanad district, Kerala. The Lake is one of the high altitudinal (770 MSL), perennial, rain-fed freshwater lake of the State. The Lake is almost elliptical in shape and nested within the biodiversity rich evergreen forest and mountain slopes of Western Ghats. The Panamaram Rivulet, one of the main tributaries of the Kabani River takes its origin from the Pookode Lake. The Lake has a rich repository of flora and faunal species. Pethia pookodensis (Pookode lake Barb) is a species that is endemic to the Lake and classified as Critically Endangered by IUCN. The Bird, Butterfly, Odonate and Amphibian transect at Pookode was fixed from 11° 32’ 26.556” N, 76° 1’ 36.228” E to 11° 32’ 26.628” N, 76° 1’ 38.46” E. The map of the transect area is as above. The transect consists of a variety of habitat from freshwater swamps, bamboo reeds, forests, aquatic and semiaquatic vegetations. The transect was taken clockwise around the Lake. 10 Ecosystem dynamics - POOKODE 1. Dated: 15-01-2019 2. Dated:28-05-2019 3. Dated: 26-06-2019 4. Dated: 25-07-2019 5. Dated: 14-08-2019 6. Dated: 24-08-2019 11 3. KOLE WETLANDS Kole Wetlands (10° 11’ 29” N, 76° 10’ 50” E) with an area of 13,632 ha is one of the largest inter- connected wetland ecosystem extending from the south of Malappuram District to south of Thrissur District. The area falls in an altitudinal gradient of 0-1 MSL and receives a rainfall of 2,760 mm. The habitat consists of mainly freshwater swamp. The area is a declared International Bird Area (IBA) with following criteria A1 (Threatened species), A4i (≥1% of biogeographic population), A4iii (≥20,000 waterbirds). Kole Wetlands are protected by law as it is a declared Ramsar Site. Ownership of Kole Wetlands is mostly private. The area comes under coastal biogeographic zone with a temperature gra- dient of 21 to 38 ºC. The bird transect at Pullu Kole was fixed from 10° 28’ 6.4308” N, 76° 9’ 17.2332” E to 10° 28’ 14.772” N, 76° 8’ 26.232” E. The map of the transect is as above. The transect consists mainly of fresh- water swamp habitat and paddy-fields. The Amphibian, Odonate and Butterfly transect was fixed from 10° 28’ 4.836” N, 75° 22’ 21.468” E to 10° 28’ 2.64”’ N to 76° 9’ 56.16” E. The map showing the transect is as given below. 12 Ecosystem dynamics - KOLE Wetlands 1. Dated: 11-01-2019 2. Dated: 30-05-2019 3. Dated: 27-06-2019 4. Dated: 13-07-2019 5. Dated: 26-07-2019 6. Dated: 25-08-2019 13 4. VAZHACHAL FOREST DIVISION Vazhachal Forest Division lies in Mukundapuram Taluk of Thrissur district and Aluva Taluk of Ernakulam district. (10° 19’ 4.0440” N, 76° 42’ 7.4880” E) with an area of 41,300 ha. The area falls in an altitudinal gradient of 200–1,300 MSL and receives rainfall of 3,000 mm annually. The habitat consists of low-elevation riparian, evergreen, degraded semi-evergreen, and moist deciduous forests, teak and Oil-palm plantations. The area is a declared International Bird Area (IBA) on the following criteria A2 (Endemic Bird Area 123: Western Ghats), A3 (Biome 10: Indian Peninsula Tropical Moist Forest). Vazhachal, being forests, is under the ownership of the State. The reserve forest falls in Western Ghats biodgeographic zone and has a temperature gradient of 14 to 36 ºC. The bird transect at Vazhachal was fixed from 10° 18’ 12.384” N, 76° 35’ 36.168” E to 10° 18’ 6.228” N, 10° 18’ 6.228” N.