The Hindu:Residents take a walk around Pallikaranai Marshland
As part of the Madras Day Celebrations, the 33-year-old nature conservation body Madras Naturalists Society organised a ‘Nature Walk' at Pallikaranai Marshland on August 14. People in the age group of seven to 70 took part in the walk which was led by the Society's founder member K.V. Sudhakar.
The walk highlighted the importance of conserving wetlands which is not only a water aquifer helping to recharge groundwater levels, but also serves as an ideal feeding and resting ground for migratory birds.
The Society has recorded sighting of 134 species of birds in the Marsh. Chennai was fortunate to have right in its bustling midst a place such as the Pallikaranai Marshland and it was vital to preserve this precious natural resource. Senior members of the Society Rama Rajaram and A. Rajaram assisted participants to spot and identify the birds in the Marsh with the help of a powerful Spotting Scope. Birds sighted that morning include the Spot-billed Pelican, Pheasant-talied Jacana, Spot-billed Duck, Glossy Ibis, Purple Heron, Caspian Tern, Black-winged Stilt, Purple Moorhen, Indian Moorhen, Coot and Dabchick.
With persistent efforts from environmentalists, the Wetland was declared as a Reserve Forest area some years ago. A huge portion has been irreversibly damaged due to the dumping of garbage. What remains of the Marshland now is a fraction of its original expanse of several thousand acres.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
-
"Lorek", my teenage son reports on the weekend. All picture credits to him as well. Taken on a Nikon FM film-roll camera. T... -
Led my first tree walk for Nizhal . Meaning, I was supposed to be the "resource person" as Shoba so sweetly puts it, spreading aw...
"Wetlands are wastelands" attitude exists here too, sadly.
ReplyDelete