The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

World Wetlands Day 2004 -- India -- Keoladeo

Dear Sirs,

The World Wetlands Day 2004 was celebrated at the Keoladeo N.P. Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India on 2 nd February 2004.

The Park Authorities and the WWF office did a lot of activities on that day to celebrate the Day, I hope you will receive their report.

I have been taking part in the Celebration of the World Wetland Day since 1997. Last year I sent my report from Eritrea NE Africa (Seawater Farm Eritrea).

This year when I am here in India and was in Bharatpur on the Day of 2 nd Feb 2004, I decided to visit the Keoladeo National Park a world Famous Bird Sanctuary. I along with Vaibhav Mishra spent the whole day in the park, made counts of the birds, did the photography of the birds.

The Park is spread in 29 sq. km area, about 400 species of birds are listed from the park by various ornithologists. The most important or the flagship species Siberian Cranes have stopped visitng the park -- this year no Sibarian Crane was seen. The vast wetlands are supporting the palaerctic waterbird migrants. A number of heronry species nest here on the trees in the marshes. Painted Storks, Openbilled Storks, Cormorants, Blacknecked Stork (a few pairs) nest here after a good monsoon with many other waterbirds.

The Park is a best place for the bird sightings and identification since the birds are seen from very close quarters. The park authorities offer a lot of facilities to the visitors.

A good water management and removal of the Prosopis juliflora and some water-weeds like ipomea will add to the beauty of the park and will offer better habitat for the waterbirds.

I am enclosing some photographs with this report.

Regards

Jugal Tiwari
Ecologist
Seawater Forests Initiative
Eritrea

Keoladeo National Park and Ramsar Site

For further information about World Wetlands Day or the Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Bureau, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ramsar@ramsar.org). Posted 26 February 2004, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.