KBA Profile: Periyar
National Site Name Periyar
English Name
KBA delineation Catchment
Periyar lake and inflowing stream system (PLSS) for fishes; Periyar river in Idukki District for the Focal area delineation plant species.
An AZE site that is composed of hill streams with associated reservoirs, surrounded mostly by Site description primary forest and also secondary forerst and spice plantations. The site is impacted by reduced flows from Peruyar dam and alien invasive fishes.
Management required at Yes catchment scale
Management required at focal Yes area within catchment
KBA Trigger Species
Group Species Criterion1 Criterion2 Criterion3 Notes
Crabs Vela virupa NA 2521.482461 715 Endemic to KBA
AZE species - Periyar lake and stream Fishes Crossocheilus periyarensis EN 4495.685546 NA system
Fishes Garra hughi EN 12172.02359 NA
Fishes Garra periyarensis VU 4495.685546 NA
Fishes Garra surendranathanii EN 10294.74923 NA
Fishes Hypselobarbus kurali NA 6105.594651 NA
AZE species - Periyar lake and stream Fishes Hypselobarbus periyarensis EN 2760.879668 NA system AZE species - Periyar lake and stream Fishes Lepidopygopsis typus EN 4495.685546 NA system
Fishes Nemacheilus keralensis VU 13129.722 NA
Fishes Nemacheilus menoni VU 4495.685546 NA
Fishes Nemacheilus periyarensis VU 4495.685546 NA
Fishes Puntius ophicephalus EN 11935.68039 NA
Fishes Travancoria elongata EN 6355.405816 NA
Fishes Travancoria jonesi EN 11679.68056 NA
Molluscs Iravadia funerea NA 9683.022308 NA
Odonata Esme mudiensis NA 21199.4574 NA
Odonata Euphaea cardinalis NA 22114.31401 NA
Odonata Idionyx minima NA 17442.77981 NA
Odonata Idionyx saffronata NA 24819.16101 NA
Odonata Idionyx travancorensis NA 12146.21987 NA
Odonata Macromia flavocolorata NA 21648.41687 NA
Odonata Merogomphus longistigma NA 26458.05683 NA
Onychogomphus Odonata NA 27739.64776 NA nilgiriensis
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 Anaphalis beddomei VU NA NA
Plants Anaphalis leptophylla VU NA NA Plants Anaphalis wightiana VU NA NA
Plants Cyathea crinita EN NA NA
Plants Dimeria hohenackeri EN NA NA
Plants Farmeria indica EN NA NA
Plants Fimbristylis dauciformis EN NA NA
Plants Podostemum munnarense EN 5893.691243 NA AZE species - Periyar river in Idukki District
Plants Rotala ritchiei EN 10243.85484 NA
Protected Areas Overlap with KBA
Name Designation Desig. Type Status PA Management Focus
Periyar Sanctuary National Designated No freshwater biodiversity management
Idukki Sanctuary National Designated No freshwater biodiversity management
Western Ghats World Heritage Site International Inscribed No freshwater biodiversity management
Megamalai Sanctuary National Proposed No freshwater biodiversity management
Periyar National Park National Designated No freshwater biodiversity management
Potential KBA Stakeholders*
Kerala Forest Department
Tamil Nadu Forest Department
Periyar Foundation
Indian AZE
Conservation Research Group (CRG) Zoo Outreach Organisation
Center For Environment and Development
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
5.7 Permanent 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
1.3 Tourism & recreation areas
2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops Tea plantation
2.4 Marine & freshwater aquaculture In ponds that escape into natural system, and stock in reservoirs
3.2 Mining & quarrying Granite quarries
6.1 Recreational activities
7.2 Dams & water management/use
7.3 Other ecosystem modifications River diversions
8.1 Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases Fishes
9.1 Domestic & urban waste water 9.3 Agricultural & forestry effluents
9.4 Garbage & solid waste
Conservation actions for KBA
Conservation actions (IUCN In Needed Notes Classification Scheme) place
Site protection that exists is not focused on freshwater species. The 1.1 Site/area protection Yes Yes AZE plant species also requires site protection
Stream flow restoration below Periyar dam and Idukki dam. The AZE 1.2 Resource & habitat protection Yes plant species also requires site protection
Periyar PA needs focus on freshwater species. Stream flow 2.1 Site/area management Yes restoration below Periyar dam and Idukki dam
2.2 Invasive/problematic species Yes for fishes control
2.3 Habitat & natural process Yes Stream flow restoration below Periyar dam and Idukki dam. restoration
3.1 Species management Yes For AZE species
3.2 Species recovery Yes For AZE species
4.1 Formal education Yes For all stakeholders
On species identification, harvest management and habitat 4.2 Training Yes restoration
4.3 Awareness & communications Yes Yes
5.1 Legislation Yes
5.2 Policies and regulations Yes
5.3 Private sector standards & Implementation of Wetland (Conservation and Management) Act Yes codes 2010 & Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974.
6.1 Linked enterprises & Yes livelihood alternatives
Food Security
Used for food security Score Notes
1. Subsistence
Optional/alternative 1
Essential staple 2
Emergency 0 unknown
2. Commercial
Local 3
Regional 1
National 0
3.Migrant fishers 0
Notes Fishes only harvested
Other
The wetland plant Isachne fischeri is only known from Idukki within this KBA, but it has not been assessed for Other biodiversity the IUCN Red List. 15 species of Western Ghats endemic birds (out of 16) are found here, incl. 12 threatened species of birds.
Protected areas The Periyar PA is also an IBA overview
1. Arun, L.K. 1997. Pattern and processess of fish assemblages in Periyar Lake – valley system of Southern Western Ghats. Kerala Forest Research Institute Peechi. 2. Arun, L.K. 2001. Fish assemblage structure in Periyar Lake stream system. KFRI report. 3. 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. References 4. Nair S.C. 1994. The high ranges. Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), New Delhi. 5. Rahmani, A.R. and Zafar-ul Islam, M. 2004. Important Bird Areas in India. Birdlife International and BNHS. 6. Radhakrishnan and Kurup, 2010. Ichthyodiversity of Periyar Tiger Reserve. Journal of Threatened Taxa. 7. 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