WETLANDS OF SRIKAKULAM DISTRICT AN ECOLOGICAL STATUS SURVEY Final Report Submitted to Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India Mathew K Sebastian, P R Arun, T Arthi, M Murugesan & .P.A.Azeez Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History Coimbatore - 641108 July 2012 WETLANDS OF SRIKAKULAM DISTRICT AN ECOLOGICAL STATUS SURVEY Final Report Submitted to The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India By Mathew K Sebastian, P R Arun, T Arthi, M Murugesan & P A Azeez Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History Coimbatore - 641108 July 2012 Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................. 1 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 10 1.1 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................. 10 1.2 STUDY AREA .................................................................................................... 10 1.2.1 Geology, Rocks and Soil .............................................................................. 13 1.2.2 Demography................................................................................................ 13 1.2.3 Land utilization ............................................................................................ 14 1.2.4 Agriculture .................................................................................................. 14 1.2.5 Irrigation ..................................................................................................... 15 1.2.6 Fisheries ...................................................................................................... 15 1.2.7 Industries .................................................................................................... 16 1.2.8 Flora and Fauna .......................................................................................... 17 1.2.9 Forest fauna ................................................................................................ 19 1.2.10 Wetlands ................................................................................................... 20 1.2.11 Ramsar Classification of Wetland Types ................................................... 20 1.2.12 Ecosystem services from Wetlands .......................................................... 21 1.2.13 Threats to the wetlands ............................................................................ 22 1.2.14 Wetlands in India ...................................................................................... 22 1.2.15 Initiatives for wetland conservation ......................................................... 23 1.2.16 Wetlands of Andhra Pradesh .................................................................... 24 1.2.17 Wetlands in the district............................................................................. 25 1.3 Objectives of the present study ...................................................................... 28 1.4 Methodology ................................................................................................... 29 1.4.1 Biodiversity assessment .............................................................................. 30 1.4.2 Questionnaire survey and focussed group discussions .............................. 33 1.4.3 Participatory Rural Appraisals..................................................................... 34 2 OBSERVATIONS ............................................................................................ 36 2.1 Flora ................................................................................................................ 36 2.1.1 Floral analysis .............................................................................................. 36 2.1.2 Dominant families ....................................................................................... 36 2.1.3 Dominant genera ........................................................................................ 37 2.2 Fauna ............................................................................................................... 38 2.2.1 Avifauna ...................................................................................................... 38 2.2.2 Butterflies.................................................................................................... 42 2.2.3 Herpetofauna .............................................................................................. 46 2.2.4 Mammals .................................................................................................... 47 3 MAJOR WETLANDS ....................................................................................... 48 3.1 Naupada swamps ............................................................................................ 48 3.1.1 Location and characteristics ....................................................................... 48 An ecological status survey of wetlands of Srikakulam ii 3.1.2 Ecosystem services provided by Naupada wetland.................................... 49 3.2 Sompeta .......................................................................................................... 62 3.2.1 Characteristics of the wetland .................................................................... 63 3.2.2 Ecosystem services ..................................................................................... 63 3.3 Mahendratanaya River mouth ........................................................................ 85 3.4 Kuddiram Sagaram .......................................................................................... 86 3.5 Lanka Cheruvu ................................................................................................. 87 3.6 Cheri Cheruvu ................................................................................................. 88 3.7 Madduvalasa Reservoir ................................................................................... 89 3.8 Narayanavalasa ............................................................................................... 90 3.9 Pechcheruvu (Roopsagaram) .......................................................................... 91 3.10 Mettucheruvu ................................................................................................. 92 3.11 Thamarai Cheruvu ........................................................................................... 93 3.12 Rajakaru Cheruvu ............................................................................................ 94 3.13 Kotabommali Pedda Cheruvu ......................................................................... 95 3.14 Sivarampuram Cheruvu .................................................................................. 96 3.15 Pathatekkali Pedda Cheruvu ........................................................................... 97 3.16 Damodar Sagaram........................................................................................... 98 3.17 Peddhapadu Cheruvu...................................................................................... 99 3.18 Rajalu Cheruvu .............................................................................................. 100 3.19 Vaddithandra Kaaricheruvu .......................................................................... 101 3.20 Narayanpuram Reservoir .............................................................................. 102 3.21 Chintada cheruvu .......................................................................................... 102 3.22 Chittadi CHERUVU (Arisadu wetland) ........................................................... 104 3.23 Bhavanapadu Creek area .............................................................................. 105 3.24 DhAyal cheruvu (Dhevunivalu) ..................................................................... 106 3.25 Narasapuram Peddha cheruvu ..................................................................... 107 3.26 Nagavalli River Mouth ................................................................................... 108 3.27 Poondi Back waters ....................................................................................... 109 3.28 Marandupada Cheruvu ................................................................................. 110 3.29 Telineelapuram Wetland .............................................................................. 111 3.30 Nalla Cheruvu (PydiBhimavaram) ................................................................. 112 3.31 Dunkuru wetlands ......................................................................................... 113 3.32 Narayana sagaram ........................................................................................ 114 3.33 Ichapuram wetlands ..................................................................................... 115 3.34 Telikunji wetlands ......................................................................................... 116 4 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................... 117 4.1 Coastal wetlands ........................................................................................... 117 4.2 Coastal belt of Srikakulam- A Biodiversity hub ............................................. 117 4.3 Sompeta wetland complex – the need for conservation ............................. 119 4.3.1 Biodiversity values