Bedeti wetland flourishes with rich biodiversity amid threats of poaching, habitat destruction

Biswanath Chariali, Jan 29: At a time when a number of wetlands are fast vanishing in the state, the Bedeti wetland is asserting its existence with a bounty of faunal and floral diversity.

The wetland is located between National Highway-15 and the Bedeti Railway Station, some 25 kilometres east of Biswanath Chariali. The surrounding area of the wetland is covered with grassland while the water is replete with lotuses, water lilies, and other aquatic plants. Presently, the wetland is in the middle of two famous protected areas - Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve to the south and Behali Wildlife Sanctuary to the north. The river Bedeti, which is a part of the wetland, flows nearby.

Local bird watchers and Nature enthusiasts have observed that the wetland is a haven for more than 150 species of birdlife, including five threatened species and many migratory species. As many as five globally threatened species - Himalayan griffon (vulnerable), greater spotted eagle (vulnerable), lesser adjutant stork (near threatened), woolly necked stork (near threatened), and ferruginous pochard (near threatened) have been spotted here.

Some notable residential and migratory species like pheasant-tailed jacana, glossy ibis, common moorhen, greater painted snipe, Asian open-bill stork, baya weaver, scaly breasted munia, little cormorants, Oriental darter, cotton pygmy goose, red collared dove, Siberian rubythroat, taiga flycatcher, Bengal bush lark, common snipe, whiskered tern, pied kingfisher, common kingfisher, stork billed kingfisher, white throated king-fisher, chestnut headed bee-eater, Eurasian hoopoe, olive backed pipit, short toed snake eagle, Oriental honey buzzard, crested goshawk, hen harrier, Eurasian kestrel, black kite, and other numerous important species make this wetland more enriched in terms of avian diversity.

This wetland is also a breeding ground for many residential species like lesser whistling duck, bronze winged jacana, common moorhen, white breasted waterhen, cotton pygmy goose, and some other species. The local bird watchers noticed more than 14 cotton pygmy geese and 30 bronze winged jacanas offspring along with a large number of whistling teals last year.

During winter, several migratory birds arrive at this wetland. One of the prominent migratory birds, grey-headed lapwing, is often seen in the wetland in large numbers. Other wintering birds that flock to this wetland include Pacific golden plovers, bar-headed geese, ruddy shell drakes, and gadwalls.

The wetland, which turns into a pink lake due to blooming lotuses during the month of December, is also home to a variety of fishes, turtles, mammals, and other flora and fauna that denote a healthy ecosystem.

Local bird watcher and a member of 'Nature's Banyapran', Pranoy Mahanta, commented that this beautiful paradise is now under threat of poaching and habitat destruction by humans for different purposes. "Large numbers of birds are killed for meat. Bird traps and nets have also been observed during birdwatching and a number of snakes like checkered keelback got trapped in the nets. Notably, development activities in the grassland pose another major threat to the birdlife present here. Egg collection of wild birds during the breeding sea-son is another threat to this wetland," Mahanta added.