Rann of Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary
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The Rann of Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary is the largest Ramsar site in Sindh, covering 566,375 ha (1,399,540 acres), and is located in the Rann of Kutch in Badin District, Sindh, Pakistan. It was declared a wildlife sanctuary by the government of Sindh in 1980.
Description
The sanctuary is supporting nature's richest ecosystem. It provides food and shelter to a number of migratory and local wildlife species. The marshy Rann of Kutch, with its surrounding
This area is known to be a breeding ground for
The marshy habitat is most attractive for water bird species such as
Ecosystem
The Rann of Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Badin District. It was declared a wildlife sanctuary by the Sindh government in Pakistan in 1980.
This sanctuary is supporting nature's richest ecosystem. It provides food and shelter to a number of migratory and local wildlife species. The marshy Rann of Kutch, with its surrounding Thar Desert area in Sindh, is one of the best potential habitats for a number of animals and birds in the province.
The area has its own unique identity among the five famous eco-ranges of Pakistan. Out of seven routes for migratory birds in Central Asia, the Indus green route is the only one which passes through the Thar Desert, making it a more important zone from a wildlife perspective. The site supports many locally and globally threatened species, including the great Indian bustard, houbara bustard, sarus crane, and striped hyena and more than 1% of the biogeographical population of flamingos.
Location
The Great Rann of Kutch is a seasonal salt marsh located in the Thar Desert in the Kutch District of Gujarat, India and the Sindhprovince of Pakistan. It is about 7,505.22 square kilometres in size and is reputed to be the largest salt desert in the world.
The Rann of Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Badin District, Sindh, Pakistan. Spread over 566,375 hectares, the Rann of Kutch is geographically the widest Ramsar site of all 10 identified Ramsar sites in Sindh.
Geology
It comprises stabilized sand dunes, some more than 170m in height, with broad inter-dunal valleys of alluvial soil, connected to the large Rann of Kutch across the frontier with India, which includes permanent saline marshes, coastal brackish lagoons, tidal mudflats, and estuarine habitats.. Some 500,000 agro-pastoralists live in 330 villages/hamlets in the site area, and rich archaeological remains include three giant temples dating from 1375 to 1449. Scarcity of water remains a potential threat to the ecosystem.
Nature
Fauna
This area is known to be a breeding ground for flamingoes and staging ground for pelicans, cranes, storks and many species of waterfowl. It is also an important site for animals like
Flora
The flora consists of grasses and dry thorny scrub such as
Threats
Cattle grazing, tree cutting and vehicular traffic are the major threats to this ecoregion's habitat. The proposed expansion of commercial salt extraction operations will result in disturbances to wildlife, especially to the wild ass population and the bustards, flamingoes, and pelicans Despite the fact that areas in the Rann of Kutch remain largely intact, it is considered vulnerable to development activities such as construction and water diversion projects. Large portions of the Indus Delta have been destroyed as a result of logging for fuel wood and fodder, and grazing. Scarcity of water remains the most important potential threat to the ecosystem.
Conservation
WWF-Pakistan and Sindh authorities have carried out work with GEF funding and a management plan is in preparation. This area used to have the only population of the Indian wild ass in Pakistan. Unfortunately they are thought to have been exterminated. In the past WWF-Pakistan through its Pakistan Wetlands Programme, has conducted baseline ecological studies and has been monitoring migratory waterfowls at Jubho lagoon, Nurri lagoon and Runn of Kutch Ramsar sites.
References