Nandur Madhameshwar- World Wetland Day 2019 Celebration

Nandur Madhameshwar is a wetland developed due to creation of Pick-up Weir on Godavari River in 1907-13. Owing to its rich ecological, faunal and floral significance it is constituted as Nandur Madhameshwar Wildlife Sanctuary (NMWLS) for protecting, propagating and developing wildlife therein or its environment. The continuous deposition of silt and organic matter has resulted into creation of shallow water masrshes, pools and islands. Subsequently, aquatic vegetation has stabilized over the years and the site is turned into productive wetland habitat. This wetland is continuosly used by diverse group of species especially by resident birds for breeding and by migratory birds as a winter stopover site. NMWLS is located in Deccan Penninsula Biogeographic Zone of India. Juxtapositioned to rain shadow semi arid area of Western Ghats, it has unique assemblage of species of these both Biogeographic Zones. An array of floristic and faunal diveristy of NMWLS includes 536 species of aquatic and terrestrial plants, 8 species of mammals, 265 species of birds, 24 species of freshwater fishes and 41 species of butterflies. The shallow water marshes, The fens, Wet Medows, Riparian Forest, Vernal Pools and Streambed are ecological communities which supports this biodiversity. NMWLS has 1 species of plants, 4 species of birds and 4 species of fishes endemic to the region. Out of 265 bird species which visit NMWLS, 148 species are migratory and 88 species are relevant to Ramsar Convention (http://datazone.birdlife.org). It also has 1 species of plant, 1 species of mammals, 8 species of birds and 2 species of freshwater fishes which are globally threatened. Recently Ramsar Information Sheet has been submitted online for designating this magnificent wetland as Wetlands of International Importance under Ramsar Convention. This year following programmes are orgnised: Tour of nearby school children. Hands-on Bird Watching for school children. Power Point Presentation on Wetlands and Climate Change by Mr. Bharat Baburao Shinde, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Nandur Madhameshwar Wildlife Sanctuary. Colour-in Post cards competition for School Children. Honoring field staff and local bird guide for their work. Sensitization of local people.