Journal of Animal Diversity

Journal of Animal Diversity

A natural disaster in Sikkim caused a significant decline in avifaunal abundance in two important wetlands of North Bengal, India

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Department of Zoology, Darjeeling Government College, Darjeeling- 734101, West Bengal, India
10.22034/JAD.2024.6.4.2
Abstract
A study on water bird assemblage was conducted between 2021 and 2024, in the month of January, in two important artificial wetlands, Gajoldoba and Fulbari reservoirs, situated in the Eastern Himalayan foothills of West Bengal, India. Following the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood of South Lhonak Lake on October 3, 2023, in North Sikkim (caused by a cloud burst above the lake), a sharp fall in waterbird population in those wetlands has been noticed. Both the reservoirs, which are connected to the Teesta Mahananda Link Canal, suffered almost the same devastating consequences from the flood that resulted in a massive buildup of silt and sand on the river banks, lowering the water depth and damaging the ecosystem. Photosynthetic organisms were greatly reduced as a result of the flood and siltation; aquatic plants and algae were either carried away or buried under silt and sand. The catastrophic effect led to a significant decrease in fish and numerous aquatic invertebrates and subsequently affected the food chain; as a result, the majority of waterbird species showed a dramatic decrease in abundance. The principal objective of this study is to quantify the magnitude of decline in abundance of waterbird species and the potential causes behind this.
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