A cry from the wilds of Mannar
Picturesque are the images, this bird specialist creates in the mind’s eye, substantiated by stunning photographs, for he himself has seen 62 species of land birds, 13 species of seabirds, 26 species of shorebirds and seven species of diurnal raptors from October to April during his walkabouts on the island.
It is also an important breeding ground for resident birds such as the ‘critically endangered’ Spot-billed Duck ( Anas poecilorhyncha); ‘endangered’ Largecrested Tern ( Sterna bergii), Roseate Tern ( Sterna dougallii), Common Tern ( Sterna hirundo) and Long-tailed Shrike ( Lanius schach); and ‘vulnerable’ species such as Kentish Plover ( Charadrius alexandrinus) and Little Tern ( Sterna albifrons), the Sunday Times learns.
Korakulum is also a critical feeding ground for more than 10,000 migratory birds including gulls, ducks, storks and shorebirds, says Dr. Seneviratne, adding that the ‘globally vulnerable’ Great Knot ( Calidris tenuirostris) uses this wetland annually. Several locally important species such as the Greater Flamingo ( Phoenicopterus roseus), the Great Black- headed Gull ( Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus), Heuglin’s Gull ( Larus heuglini), Eurasian Spoonbill ( Platalea leucorodia) and Northern Teal ( Anas crecca) are also frequently spotted here.
Not only is it a paradise for birds, according to this naturalist, for the feral horse ( Equus ferus) and donkey ( Equus africanus) graze in this wetland, while the jungle cat ( Felis chaus) and wild boar ( Sus scrofa) as well as endangered butterflies such as the Large Salmon Arab ( Colotis fausta), Crimson Tip ( Colotis danae) and Joker ( Byblia ilithyia) are also found here.
It is in utter despair that he speaks of the mounting threats which include illegal encroachment with land-grabs and scrubforest clearance being carried out with impunity. Giving specific examples, he says that the land around the lake has been partitioned into a large number of 10-perch lots as well as big lots of about an acre or more by fence posts and barbedwire fencing. Some of these fences cut right across the wetland.
The scrub forest has also been cleared, laments Dr. Seneviratne, pointing out that even the historic Baobab trees have been uprooted and burnt in adjacent areas. Aggravating the situation, two gravel roads have been constructed as access roads to some of these cleared lands. Garbage and refuse are being dumped on the northeastern boundary of the wetland near the dam, with the high winds littering the wetland with muck.
Meanwhile, the illegal trapping and shooting of waterfowl in Korakulum goes unabated and from the descriptions Dr. Seneviratne has garnered from the cul- prits he identifies the victims as migratory species such as Pintail and Garganey Ducks, and large gulls such as Great Black-headed and Heuglin’s Gulls and also Grey Partridge, with suspicions that even the endangered Spot-billed Duck may be going into the cooking pot.
The need to conserve Mannar Island is apparent. It should be done not tomorrow or the next day but right now.