Srinagar: The authorities at Wildlife Department claim that more than 40 lakh migratory birds arrived in the Valley wetlands in the last four years, while 2022 recorded the highest arrival with more than 12 lakh avian visitors visiting here.
News agency KNO quoted Wildlife Warden Wetlands, Ifshan Dewan as saying that the last four years recorded the arrival of more than 40 lakh migratory birds in the Valley wetlands. She said the year 2022 recorded the highest numbers with as many as 12 lakh migratory birds visiting Kashmir.
She also informed that the census of migratory birds for the year 2023 is likely to start next week.
According to the statistical figures shared by the Wildlife department, the year 2019 recorded the arrival of around 9 lakh migratory birds, while 8 lakh birds came in 2020, 11 lakh in 2021 and approximately 12 lakh in 2022.
“We have recorded the arrival of around 70 species of migratory birds,” Dewan said.
Every year lakhs of migratory birds from Siberia, Europe, and Central Asia arrive in the Kashmir Valley. Officials here last month claimed that a rare species of migratory duck was sighted at Wullar Lake after 84 years.
As per the authorities at the Wildlife Department, interventions are taking place under the Integrated Management Action Plan (IMAP) in various wetlands of Kashmir in order to improve the habitat conditions to make them suitable for the migratory waterfowl.
Notably, the five-year IMAP 2022-2027 for Kashmir Wetland Conservation Reserves has outlined a number of threats and challenges in conserving the wetlands here.
According to the document, the risks to the Valley wetlands include siltation, weed infestation, pollution, habitat modification, water quality degradation, solid waste, and encroachments. (With inputs from KNO)
