A WORLD WHERE EVERY SQ KM HOLDS A TREASURE
The Great Backwaters of Kerala is bestowed with a unique biodiversity
that provide livelihood to a large community that depends upon its resources
for their sustenance. It is home to many unique species of aquatic life
including crabs, frogs and mudskippers, water birds such as terns, kingfishers,
darters and cormorants and animals such as otters and turtles. The backwaters
also shelter palm trees, Pandanus shrubs, leafy plants and bushes.
1.
AQUATIC LIFE
The Great Backwaters has a rich aquatic life.Vembanad Lake, for instance,
is home to about 150 species of fish. The estuarine nature of the lake, with
its rich sediment deposits, makes it good habitat for shrimp. Mullets, catfish
and pearl fish are also seen in abundance. The backwaters also has more than 70
edible species, which include shrimp, mullets , pearl spots, crabs, oysters,
clam, milkfish , scampi, catfish etc.
2.
MANGROVES
A detailed survey along the entire coastal stretch of Kerala revealed 39
species of mangrove flora and associates from 10 backwater ecosystems of
Kerala.
The mangroves that border the eastern banks of the Vembanad Lake harbor a
variety of endemic and exotic species of birds, which make the region a hotspot
for naturalists and ornithologists. The mangrove, though not rich in species diversity,
provide a rich habitat for migratory birds.
The Ashtamudi estuary has 43 species of marshy and mangrove varieties
including Syzygium travancoricum trees, a critically endangered species on the
IUCN Red List.
3.
AVIAN LIFE
The numerous freshwater and brackish lakes and waterlogged paddy fields
that form part of the Great Backwaters are some of Kerala’s major birding
habitats. Kumarakom, for instance, is the abode of birds like Kingfishers,
Cormorants, Waterhens, Egrets, Herins , Bitterns , Terns and Shikras. The
Pathiramanal Island is home to about 90 species of birds and 30 species of
butterflies. The backwaters between the island and the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary
are a favourite haunt of migratory birds from Siberia and Europe.
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