KBA Profile: Valapattanam River National Site Name Valapattanam River English Name KBA delineation Catchment Focal area delineation Yes - Stream catchments in the Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary and Brahmagiri National Park. The Valapattanam River originates in the western slopes of the Brahmagiri Hills, Western Ghats. Its southern tributaries flows through Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary (also an IBA) and Brahmagiri National Park. All the rivers upper tributary catchments are covered with evergreen forest and Site description Shola grasslands which are degraded in some areas. The river then flows through townships, rice paddies and rubber and cashew plantations before reaching the lower river, backwaters and estuary which it shares with the Kuppam and Peruvamba river (which are included in the Madayi Laterite Plateau KBA). Management required at Yes catchment scale Management required at focal Yes area within catchment KBA Trigger Species Group Species Criterion1 Criterion2 Criterion3 Notes Carinotetraodon Fishes VU NA NA travancoricus Puntius Fishes EN 15714.06176 NA denisonii Odonata Euphaea dispar NA 24731.42411 NA Macrogomphus Odonata NA 26655.61097 NA wynaadicus Macromia Odonata NA 21325.4282 NA bellicosa Microgomphus Odonata NA 15446.40247 NA souteri Phylloneura Odonata NA 41554.26134 NA westermanni Platysticta Odonata VU 29167.59293 NA deccanensis Protosticta Odonata NA 40533.40822 NA hearseyi Dimeria Plants EN NA NA hohenackeri Farmeria Plants VU NA NA metzgerioides Nymphoides Plants EN NA NA krishnakesara Will qualify for RR as known only from hill stream of Glyptothorax Fishes NA NA NA Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary (Urutty Stream, malabarensis Valapattanam River drainage New information shows the species also occurs in this KBA (previously only known from its type locality in Caridina Shrimp NA NA NA Karnataka). Will be RR (Criteria 2) only known from the gurneyi type locality (DD), the river Malaprabha at Khanapur, Karnataka (India). Protected Areas Overlap with KBA Name Designation Desig. Type Status PA Management Focus Aralam Sanctuary National Designated No freshwater biodiversity management focus Brahmagiri National Park National Proposed No freshwater biodiversity management focus Western Ghats World Heritage Site International Inscribed No freshwater biodiversity management focus Potential KBA Stakeholders* Society for Environmental Education in Kerala Malabar Natural History Society Coorg Wildlife Society Center for Water Resources Development and Management Kerala Forest Department Center for Environment and Development Karnataka Forest Department 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) 5.9 Freshwater Springs and Oases 5.14 Permanent Saline Brackish or Alkaline Lakes 5.16 Permanent Saline Brackish or Alkaline Marshes/Pools 5.18 Karst and Other Subterranean Inland Aquatic Systems 9.10 Estuaries 12.7 Mangrove Submerged Roots 15.1 Water Storage Areas(over 8ha) 15.2 Ponds(below 8ha) Threats to KBA Threats (IUCN Classification Scheme) Notes 1.1 Housing & urban areas 1.2 Commercial & industrial areas 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops 2.4 Marine & freshwater aquaculture 3.2 Mining & quarrying Sand mining and laterite quaries 5.4 Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources For ornamental fish (Sahyadria denisonii) 7.2 Dams & water management/use There are many small hydroelectric projects in the streams in the catchment 8.1 Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases 9.1 Domestic & urban waste water 9.2 Industrial & military effluents 9.3 Agricultural & forestry effluents Conservation actions for KBA Conservation actions (IUCN In Needed Notes Classification Scheme) place 1.1 Site/area protection Yes Focal areas Sand habitat needs protection from mining in entire catchment; 1.2 Resource & habitat protection Yes mangroves; laterite hills 2.1 Site/area management Yes 2.2 Invasive/problematic species Yes control 2.3 Habitat & natural process Yes River bank restoration throughout catchment restoration 3.1 Species management Yes For S. denisonii and other ornamental fishes that are overharvested 4.1 Formal education Yes Panchyats, Forest Department on restoration 4.2 Training Yes Panchyats, Forest Department on restoration 4.3 Awareness & communications Yes For all stakeholders 5.2 Policies and regulations Yes 5.3 Private sector standards & Yes sandmining, quarying & dams 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 2 Essential staple 3 Emergency 1 2. Commercial Local 3 Regional 2 National 1 3.Migrant fishers 2 Notes Brackish and freshwater; many different groups. A 'Key Food Security Area' Other Caridina chauhani (fw shrimp) is also found here. The site also contains a number of Western Ghats endemic Other biodiversity species of birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. Protected areas overview 1. River Research Centre. 2013. Report on Monitoring of Fish Diversity of Rivers in Kerala. Kerala State References 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 .