Environmental Education

Environmental Education

Wetlands ecosystems support the needs of humanity since they are source of food and water, and support many activities. Wetlands are also highly productive and sustain high levels of biodiversity. In the recent past, wetlands of India have been under enormous pressure from rapid urbanization, agricultural encroachment, over-exploitation, eutrophication and siltation. Wetlands support large numbers of fauna, particularly birds during the winter season. The migratory birds visiting the wetlands in winter are unique and require special interest and protection. Therefore generating interest and support for the wetlands among the local communities is critical for their conservation. There is an urgent need to educate the local people about the importance of wetlands, through awareness creation programmes and education.

There are three important wetlands in the Puducherry region namely Oussudu, Bahour and Kaliveli that provide important resources for local communities and which also are a home to tens of thousands of migratory birds that visit the Puducherry region in winter. 1) Oussudu or Ousteri lake; A large, shallow inland wetland situated close to the city of Puducherry, has been recognized as one of the important wetlands of Asia by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). Recently the Government of Puducherry has declared the lake a Bird Sanctuary. 2) Bahoor lake, which is south of Puducherry town supports many passage migrants such as ducks, pelicans, cormorants etc it is an irrigation tank and an important source of water for irrigation and water supply, it helps in ground water recharge. All three sites have been declared as an Important Bird Areas (IBA) by Birdlife International and come under the Indian Bird Conservation Network(IBCN) 3) Kaliveli tank, a coastal lagoon, has been described as one of the two most important wetlands along the Coromandel Coast of Southern India; it is an important feeding and breeding ground for winter migrants.

OUSTERI LAKE Kaliveli Tank Bahour Lake

Threats: Since last two decades, wetlands are facing serious threats due to anthropogenic activities and many of the wetlands are vanishing and getting converted to other type of land use. Burgeoning population, intensified human activity, unplanned development, absence of management structure, lack of proper legislation and lack of awareness about the vital role played by these ecosystems In the recent times, the lake and its watershed have been exposed to enormous pressures due to the increasing human population, industrialization and urbanization. anthropogenic activities (encroachment, poaching and pollution) including rapid urbanizations and infrastructure developments in the immediate vicinity of the lake Unsustainable fishing. Dumping of solid wastes on the lake embankments Hunting of Birds

Birds of Kalivelli watershed Spottedbilled or Grey Pelican (Migrant) Darter or Snake-bird (Migrant) Little Cormorant (Resident) Indian Shag (Resident) Large cormorant (Resident) Grey Heron (Local Migrant) Purple Heron (Resident) Pond Heron or Paddy Bird (Resident) Cattle Egret (Resident) Large Egret or Great White Heron (Resident) Smaller Egret Western reef egret (migrant) Little Egret (Resident) Night Heron (Resident) Little Bittern (Resident) Chestnut Bittern (Resident) Painted Stork (Resident) Openbilled Stork (Resident) Black Stork (Resident) White Stork (Resident) White Ibis Black Ibis (Resident) Glossy Ibis Spoonbill (Resident) Flamingo (Winter Visitor) Barheaded Goose Lesser Whistling Teal (Winter Visitor) Ruddy Shelduck or Brahminy Pintail (Winter Visitor) Common Teal (Winter Visitor) Spotbilled Duck (Winter Visitor) Garganey or Bluewinged Teal (Winter Visitor) Shoveller (Winter Visitor) Wigeon (Winter Visitor) Gadwall (Winter Visitor) Redcrested Pochard (Winter Visitor) Blackwinged Kite (Winter Visitor) Pariah Kite (Resident) Brahminy Kite (Resident) Indian Shikra (Resident) White-Eyed Buzzard Eagle Egyptian Vulture

Pale Harrier (Winter Visitor) Montagu's Harrier (Winter Visitor) Pied Harrier (Winter Visitor) Marsh Harrier (Winter Visitor) White Bellied Sea Eagle Crested Serpent Eagle Peregrine Falcon Indian Kestrel South Indian Grey Partridge Jungle Bush Quail Indian Whitebreasted Waterhen (Winter Visitor) Indian Purple Moorhen(resident) Coot (resident) Indian Moorhen(resident) Pheasant-Tailed Jacana (Resident) Red-Wattled Lapwing (Resident) Yellow-Wattled Lapwing (Resident) Greyheaded Lapwing(migratory) Blackbilled or Grey Plover (Resident) Eastern Golden Plover (Winter Visitor) Large Sand Plover (Winter Visitor) Indian Little Ringed Plover (Winter Visitor) Ceylon Kentish Plover (Winter Visitor) PamirsLesser Sand Plover (Winter Visitor) Whimbrel (Winter Visitor) Curlew (Winter Visitor) Blacktailed Godwit (Winter Visitor) Spotted or Dusky Redshank Common Redshank (Winter Visitor) Marsh Sandpiper (Winter Visitor) Greenshank (Winter Visitor) Green Sandpiper (Winter Visitor) Wood or Spotted Sandpiper (Winter Visitor) Terek Sandpiper (Winter Visitor) Common Sandpiper (Resident) Turnstone Pintail Snipe Common Fantail Snipe (Winter Visitor) Little Stint (Winter Visitor) Temminck's Stint (Winter Visitor) Curlew Sandpiper (Winter Visitor) Indian Blackwinged Stilt Avocet Indian Stone Curlew(resident) Indian Courser(resident) Pratincole or Swallow(resident)

Brownheaded Gull (Winter Visitor) Indian Whiskered Tern (Resident) Gullbilled Tern (Winter Visitor) Caspian Tern (Winter Visitor) Little Tern or Ternlet (Winter Visitor) Blackbilled Tern (Resident) Indian River Tern (Resident) Greyfronted Green Pigeon Indian Blue Rock Pigeon Indian Red Turtle Dove Indian Spotted Dove Roseringed Parakeet Redwinged Crested Cuckoo Ceylon Pied Crested Cuckoo Common Hawk Cuckoo Indian Baybanded Cuckoo Indian Koel Southern Crowpheasant Indian Barn Owl Ceylon Collared Scops Owl Indian Great Horned Owl Southern Spotted Owlet Indian Nightjar Palm Swift(resident) Lesser Pied Kingfisher(resident) Small Blue Kingfisher(resident) Whitebreasted Kingfisher(resident) Bluetailed Bee-Eater (Winter Visitor) Green Bee-Eater(resident) Indian Roller Hoopoe Crimsonbreasted Barbet Goldenbacked Woodpecker Indian Pitta Redwinged Bushlark Ashycrowned Finch Lark Rufoustailed Finch Lark Malabar Crested Lark Eastern Skylark Asian House Martin Striated or Redrumped Swallow Common Swallow Brown Shrike Grey Shrike Indian Golden Oriole South Indian Black Drongo

White Bellied Drongo Ashy Swallow Shrike Greyheaded Myna Blackheaded or Brahminy Myna Indian Myna Indian Tree Pie Indian House Crow Indian Jungle Crow Indian Wood Shrike Blackheaded Cuckoo-Shrike Small Minivet Peninsular Indian Iora Redvented Bulbul Yellowthroated Bulbul Whitebrowed Bulbul Common Babbler Large Grey Babbler Peninsular Jungle Babbler Whiteheaded Babbler Brown Flycatcher Brownbreasted Flycatcher Paradise Flycatcher Bluethroated Flycatcher Blacknaped Blue Flycatcher Indian Tailorbird Blyth's Reed Warbler Orphean Warbler Lesser Whitethroat Magpie Robin Burmese Pied Bushchat Blackbacked Indian Robin Orangeheaded Ground Thrush Whitethroated Groundthrush Indian Tree Pipit Paddyfield Pipit Forest Wagtail Northern Yellowheaded Wagtail Pied or White Wagtail Large Pied Wagtail Tickell's Flowerpecker Loten's Sunbird House Sparrow Baya Weaverbird Whitethroated Munia Southern Whitebacked Munia Blackheaded Muni

Red Listed Species Painted Stork Greater Spotted Eagle Spot billed pelican Darter Pallid Harrier Black headed Ibis Black bellied tern Black tailed godwit

Black headed Ibis trapped by a poachers are brought for sale at Roadside Market (Near Osutery in Pondicherry)

Poaching of wild birds threatens many species (Darter, Pelican, Grey heron, Open bill stork, Painted stork) Photo taken in Puducherry (Near Osuteri wetland)

Photo taken in Puducherry (Near Osuteri wetland)

Objectives: To raise conservation awareness on wetlands in the Puducherry region with a special emphasis on avifauna. To generate awareness among students of the local schools towards wetland bird conservation

Method of teaching: Slide show presentation, poster presentation, group discussion and field observation (bird watching) will be adopted as teaching methods. Curriculum and Duration: Project Duration: 3 Months (November 2012- January 2013) In each school, Conservation Awareness Program will be conducted for three days: First day (Lecture) = two hours Second day (Bird watching trip to nearby wetland) = Morning 6.30 to 9.30 Third day (Paint competition and prize distribution) = two hours. In First day, two hours will be taken for a lecture in the below mentioned topics, Natural resources and conservation: Forest, Land and water resources. Ecosystem services with special reference to the services provided by wetlands. Wetlands; Importance, Important wetland of puducherry and Conservation Issues Wetland Birds; Characteristics, Importance, Types, Status in puducherry

Day One : Lecture

Students were taken for Bird watching

Drawing Practice to make kids to remind their bird knowledge

Marsh harrier juvenile rescued by the students ( Kaliveli, settikuppam village)

We hope to do this by first targeting all local schools in the vicinity of these wetlands and then move on to the villages. We hope to make this an ongoing initiative to be able to empower the local communities into wetland conservation. This can only be achieved by giving them the realization of the importance of wetlands and how they can only be conserved with their participation. THANK YOU