Safe haven?: Egrets in a paddy field.

VENUS VINOD UPADHAYAYA

Changing agricultural practices, rapid urbanisation and rampant poaching may sou
nd the deathknell of the wetlands.
In 2002 Kole was declared protected under the RAMSAR Convention. But this didn t e
nd the problems, s Kole is owned by people and is still not a protected reserve.
A decade ago, the Kole wetlands had everything the 85,000 avian residents needed
. Now a long battle with chemical pesticides and fertilizers, changing agricultu
ral practices, poaching and proliferating real estate has left it shattered. Tod
ay this beautiful reserve in Kerala is left with only 35,000 birds, including se
ven endangered species.
Ecological wealth
With an area of 13,632 hectares, the Kole wetlands is spread over Thrissur and M
alappuram districts and extend from the northern bank of the Chalakudy in the So
uth to the southern bank of the Bharathapuzha in the North. The name, Kole, refe
rs to the peculiar cultivation method from December to May. Kole , a Malayalam word
, indicates a bumper yield when floods do not damage the crop.
According to ecologists, the Kole wetlands is the third largest in India, after
Chilika Lake (Orissa) and Amipur Tank (Gujarat), in terms of the number of birds
. Ornithologists say that 241 species of birds, including passerines, have been
recorded in these wetlands, of which 30 per cent are migrants; 70 species of wat
er birds and four migratory raptors have so far been recorded.
Of the 241 species, 21 are not included in the Birds of Kerala , among which seven
are first reports from Kerala. The wetlands also shelters one per cent of the wo
rld population of Egretta garzetta garzetta, Mesophyx intermedia intermedia and
Anas querquedula.
According to Birdlife International, it also houses globally threatened species
such as Spot-billed Pelican (Pelecanus philippensis), Oriental Darter (Anhinga m
elanogaster), Black-headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus), Painted Stork (My
cteria leucocephala), Black-bellied Tern (Sterna acuticauda), Cinereous Vulture
(Aegypius monachus) and Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga).
The wetlands has been recognised as one of India s Important Bird Areas , which are i
dentified on the basis of a set of internationally accepted criteria laid down b
y the BirdLife International. This is an additional recognition for these wetlan
ds and thus further warrants its protection.
Till 1992, Kole s ecological importance and rich bird wealth was hidden. P.O. Name
er, Kerala State Coordinator of Asian Waterbird Census and Indian Bird Conservat
ion Network, presented the first paper on Kole. In 2002 Kole was declared protec
ted under the RAMSAR Convention. But this didn t end the problems, as Kole is owne
d by people and is still not a protected reserve under India s Wildlife Protection
Act.
Threatened
Nameer says, The Kole Wetlands is one of the most threatened wetlands in Kerala.
Reclamation of land and change in land use pattern are the most serious problems
. The paddy fields are being converted into high cash yielding plantations. At m
any places the wetland has been converted into brick kilns.

Adding to the problems is its proximity to fast urbanising towns in the area. Po
aching has become common. Not only resident birds but even the migratory birds, w
hich visit the State between September and April, are being ruthlessly killed. T
his is against the spirit of at least four international agreements, including t
he RAMSAR convention.
All this leads to a disturbing situation in the state richly endowed with natura
l reserves. Further, all the 19 protected areas of Kerala are located on the Wes
tern Ghats and it is ecologically even more important for this wetland reserve t
o be protected. If action is not taken soon, the state will face acute floods du
ring the monsoon and drought during the summer. The current monsoon floods are a
warning sign.
The significance of Kole doesn t stop with this. Its socio-economic and cultural v
alue makes protection even more crucial. According to one of Nameer s studies cond
ucted in 1998, Kole is regarded as the ricebowl of Central Kerala and meets about 4
0 per cent of the region s rice requirement. Apart from this it also generates 12,
00,000 man-days of work and a yearly income of more than Rs. 17 crore.
New hope
For Nameer and others who have been fighting for Kole, there is a ray of hope. T
he amendment of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972) in 2003 has opened new doors.
Kole can now be declared a Community Reserve, whereby the wetlands will have al
l the privileges of a Wildlife Sanctuary or a National Park and also the additio
nal advantage of local community participation as it will be obligatory/statutor
y for the Government to set up a participatory management involving the local comm
unity. This has already stirred few villages into action. The panchayat in one o
f Kole s villages has already passed a unanimous resolution asking the Government
to declare 100 acres of Aloor village in Thrissur district as a community reserv
e.
Declaring Kole a Community Reserve will not only protect the birds, but also sav
e the wetland from further encroachment. If other villages follow suit. If decla
red a Community Reserve, it will be the first in south India and the third in th
e country.