KBA Profile: Ashambu Hills
National Site Name Ashambu Hills
English Name
KBA delineation Catchment
No - But focal areas for freshwater biodiversity are likely to be identified as more information Focal area delineation becomes available. It is likely to be in the upper and eastern tributaries that are still forested.
The Ashambu Hills KBA comprises of two catchments (Karamana and Neyyar) in the very southern tip of Kerala, draining the Ashambu Hills. Both rivers are dammed, and provide water for Trivandrum (capital of Kerala). The upper catchments are covered by rainforest which is Site description designated as Wildlife Sanctuaries (Peppara and Neyyar). The middle and lower catchments are a mosaic of urban areas with 'home gardens' and rubber plantations. The freshwater habitats in the catchments are not well surveyed, but it is expected that they will contain high levels of endemism.
Management required at Yes catchment scale
Management required at focal No area within catchment
KBA Trigger Species
Group Species Criterion1 Criterion2 Criterion3 Notes
Crabs Cylindrothelphusa steniops NA 8709.900448 NA
Fishes Batasio travancoria VU 10110.28229 NA
Fishes Hyporhamphus xanthopterus VU 8414.933908 NA
Fishes Monopterus fossorius EN 18181.75102 NA
Fishes Puntius arenatus VU 13802.26318 NA
Odonata Esme mudiensis NA 21199.4574 NA Odonata Platysticta deccanensis VU 29167.59293 NA
Odonata Protosticta davenporti NA 17361.03282 NA
Odonata Protosticta rufostigma NA 8144.388313 NA
Plants Anaphalis beddomei VU NA NA
Plants Anaphalis wightiana VU NA NA
Plants Dimeria hohenackeri EN NA NA
Plants Farmeria indica EN NA NA
Shrimps Caridina natarajani NA 3690.432666 NA
Crabs Travancoriana charu NA 4396.99854 NA
Fishes Puntius mahecola NA 16651.9995 NA
Odonata Protosticta sanguinostigma VU 24051.87867 NA
Plants Willisia selaginoides VU 6112.683667 NA
Shrimps Macrobrachium indicum NA 1492.498405 NA
Fishes Channa diplogramma VU NA NA
Crabs Vanni travancorica NA 1338.453411 NA
Protected Areas Overlap with KBA
Name Designation Desig. Type Status PA Management Focus
Mundanthurai Sanctuary National Designated No freshwater biodiversity managemernt
Neyyar Sanctuary National Designated No freshwater biodiversity managemernt
Peppara Sanctuary National Designated No freshwater biodiversity managemernt
Western Ghats World Heritage Site International Inscribed No freshwater biodiversity managemernt Potential KBA Stakeholders*
Vamanapuram Samrakshana Samithi
River Research Centre
Centre for Environment and Development
Kerala Forest Department
Department of Aquatic Biology, Kerala University
Travancore Natural History Society
Zoological Survey of India, Western Ghats Regional Centre
KBA Freshwater Habitats
Habitats (IUCN Classification Scheme)
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)
5.18 Karst and Other Subterranean Inland Aquatic Systems
9.10 Estuaries
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
1.3 Tourism & recreation areas
2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops
2.4 Marine & freshwater aquaculture
3.2 Mining & quarrying
7.1 Fire & fire suppression
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 Catchment management
2.2 Invasive/problematic species Yes control
2.3 Habitat & natural process Yes Flow regime and river bank restoration restoration
4.1 Formal education Yes 4.2 Training Yes
4.3 Awareness & communications Yes
5.2 Policies and regulations Yes
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 Brackish water (many groups)
Other
Eriocaulon ensforme & Fuirena ponmudiensis two semi-aquatic plants (not yet assessed for IUCN RL) are endemic to this KBA. Melanoneura bilineata (odonata) currently assessed as NT, is now thought to be restricted to two area (Coorg and this KBA). The freshwater shrimp Macrobrachium aemulum ssp. keralauni is Other biodiversity also endemic to this KBA. There are two trees Cryptocarya anamalayana, and Cyanometra beddomi that are almost endemic to the KBA. A number of Western Ghats endemic birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians occur within the KBA.
Protected areas overview
1. Abraham, R.K., Kelkar, N. and Kumar, A.B. 2011. Freshwater fish fauna of the Ashambu Hills landscape, southern Western Ghats, India, with notes on some range extensions. Journal of Threatened Taxa 3(3): 1585-1593. 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. Raghavan, R. 2011. Need for further research on the freshwater fish fauna of the Ashambu Hills landscape. Journal of Threatened Taxa 3(5): 1788-1791. 4. 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