Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 18.1
Summary of the faunal groups reported so far in the Pong Dam wetland area (Editor-Director
2009
)
Faunal group
Taxa covered
No. of Genera/families
Number of species
Oligochaeta
Earthworms
09
12
Odonata
Dragonfl ies and damselfl ies
10
15
Orthoptera
Grasshoppers, crickets and grouse locusts
35
38
Lepidoptera
Butterfl ies
37
52
Pisces
Fishes
32
57
Amphibia
Frogs and toads
07
08
Reptilia
Lizards, snakes and tortoises
14
15
Aves
Birds
65
a
412
Total species
609
a
Families
The reservoir attracts a sizeable number of
migratory birds from the plains of India and
Central Asian countries owing to its strategic
location in the extreme north-west of the northern
plains and carrying capacity. The interception of
the birds on their trans-Himalayan fl yways,
during each migratory season, has enriched the
biodiversity values of the reservoir. More than 412
avian species of 65 families have been recorded
(Pandey
1989
,
1993
; Editor-Director
2009
).
A wide variety of commercial fi sh, such as
Tor
putitora
,
Catla catla
,
Cyprinus
sp. and others,
are recorded in the Pong Dam reservoir and its
tributaries (Negi
2008
). The Pong sanctuary
supports wildlife, including
Muntiacus muntjak
,
Rusa unicolor
,
Vulpes bengalensis
,
Sus scrofa
,
Prionailurus viverrinus
,
Boselaphus tragocamelus
,
Hystrix indica
and
Panthera pardus
and a variety
of reptiles. The Pong Reservoir is one of the
two most important fi shing reservoirs in the
Himalayan foothills of Himachal Pradesh.
These reservoirs are the leading sources of fi sh
in Western Himalaya (Negi
2008
). Apart from
the major faunal elements as mentioned above,
the wetland and its catchment area also support the
diversity and distribution of a large number of
other faunal groups (Table
18.1
). As in most other
wetlands of the country, Pong Dam wetland is
also facing almost similar conservation problems.
It prompted us to review the present status of
aquatic Neoaves and Galloanserae in context
with their conservation issues, so that preventive
measures could be framed, to conserve and
sustain the aquatic biodiversity of this globally
important wetland.
Methods
This article is based on the published literature
and information generated through fi eld surveys
of Pong Dam wetland and adjacent areas under-
taken by RP (second author) during the last
decade and some recent opportunistic surveys
undertaken by AK (fi rst author) during the last 2
years. During the fi eld surveys, observations on
birds were made every day during 6:00 a.m. to
4:00 p.m. (with few exceptions), with the help of
prismatic fi eld binoculars (10 × 50), and the
identifi cation of species was carried out with the
help of
A Field Guide to the Birds of India
written
by Kazmierczak (
2000
) and a
Pocket Guide to the
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent
by Grimmett
et al. (
2003
).
In the present article, avian species of two clades
(i.e. Galloanserae and Neoaves) were studied and
analysed. Recently, the higher taxonomy of birds
has changed signifi cantly (Hackett et al.
2008
;
Mayr
2011
). Now orders Anseriformes and
Galliformes fall in a distinct clade named as
Galloanserae (Montgomerie and Briskie
2007
;
Brennan et al.
2008
; Mayr
2008
) and the remaining
orders under superorder Neognathae covered in
Neoaves (sister clade of Galloanserae). We included
Galloanserae in the present study, as it comprised
of a most signifi cant group of birds, i.e. ducks
(family Anatidae), and family Phasianidae as the
birds of this group often exhibit their presence
near wetlands. The rest of the aquatic birds of
Pong Dam belong to Neoaves. We included
raptors (family Accipitridae) and kingfi shers
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