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Two-day bird census begins in Gosabara: Birders want Porbandar on global map

Porbandar wetlands support one per cent of the global populations of 39 species and it is important to see hydrologically-connected areas as one wetland complex, hence the concept of Gosabara-Mokarsagar complex.

Birds at the Gosbara-Mokarsagar wetland complex in Porbandar on Saturday. (Express photo by Chirag Chotaliya)

Fifty-six birdwatchers from across the state fanned out to the Gosabara-Mokarsagar wetland complex and other major wetlands of Porbandar as a two-day bird census by the Bird Conservation Society of Gujarat (BCSG) and the Gujarat Forest Department began in the district Saturday.

Eminent birders, ornithologists and forest department staff assembled at a hostel in Porbandar city before spreading out to Gosabara-Mokarsagar wetland complex, Kuchadi-Javar wetland, Amipur and Barda Sagar dams and the Medha creek for conducting population estimation of waterbirds Saturday evening. The bird counting went until the sunset and will resume early morning Sunday.

“Gosabara, Medha creek, Kuchhadi-Javar, Amipur and Barda Sagar wetlands easily fit into the criteria of Ramsar sites. So, Porbandar is not only about Mahatma Gandhi but of chaklas (birds) also. For me, the first priority is that Porbandar should be known worldwide… Now that we have such a rich wetland in Gosabara, it is for the people of Porbandar to convince residents of villages surrounding this waterbody to try and demand that it be declared a conservation reserve,” Uday Vora, a retired IFS officer who is now the joint secretary of (BCSG) and coordinator for the bird count in Porbandar , said while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the bird census.

Dhaval Vargiya, president of Mokarsagar Wetland Conservation Committee (MWCC), said the census would provide empirical evidence of the richness of the wetlands of Porbandar and their importance for local birds and scores of international migratory species that visit Porbandar for wintering. “The entire global population of demoiselle cranes winter in Porbandar, thanks to 900 square kilometres of arable land being under cultivation of groundnut, which is food for this species.

Porbandar wetlands support one per cent of the global populations of 39 species and it is important to see hydrologically-connected areas as one wetland complex, hence the concept of Gosabara-Mokarsagar complex. We need data to highlight the importance of these wetlands; hence, the importance of this bird census,” said Vargiya while addressing the inaugural ceremony. “Why not conduct bird count in Porbandar every alternate year like as it happens in Nal Sarovar?” he further asked.

The bird census is being jointly conducted by the BCSG and Gujarat forest department and is funded by the Saurashtra Chemicals Limited, a group company of Nirma Group, which has a soda ash manufacturing plant and limestone mines in Porbandar. The company, in the process of increasing the soda-ash manufacturing capacity of its plant located in Porbandar city from 1,190 tonnes per day (TPD) to 1,500 TPD, was granted the environment clearance (EC) two years back. While applying for EC in 2017-18, the company had submitted a proposal to sponsor bird counts for three consecutive years, train locals as tourist guides, employ locals in patrolling exercises and other conservation activities, Girdhar Adroja, vice president of Saurashtra Chemicals told The Indian Express.

Saurashtra Chemicals’ plant in the city is located at a distance less than one kilometre from Porbandar Bird Sanctuary that is in the heart of the city.

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Adroja further said the company will adopt sustainable manufacturing practices through modernised and capacity-enhanced plant. “We are lucky to have birds as our friends… We are happy to have flamingos as our immediate neighbour and we will go for sustainable production,” said the vice-president while addressing the inaugural ceremony.

The wetland known as Chhaya nu Rann behind the Saurashtra Chemicals plant is an important wintering habitat of lesser flamingoes.

This is the first major exercise of estimating population of waterbirds in Gosabara-Mokarsagar complex after the bird census conducted by the Gujarat Biodiversity Board in 2014 when 1.92 lakh birds of 112 species were counted.

Besides the Barda Wildlife Sanctuary and the Porbandar Bird Sanctuary, only a small patch is a reserve forest while the rest of wetland areas are government wasteland or revenue area, said Dipak Pandya, in-charge deputy conservator of forests of Porbandar wildlife division.

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