An important wetland around Pokhara Valley with biodiversity richness has recently declared as a part of Ramsar Site on 2nd of February, 2016 on a formal programme on the Bsundhara Park Lakeside, Pokhara. This newly declared Ramsar Site includes total nine lakes out of them seven from Lekhnath Municipality where as two lakes from the Pokhara Sub-Metro municipality and one river ie. Seti river of Pokhara.
Main objectives to declared this sites as Ramsar Site is to protect the naturality of the Pokhara valley and to fulfill the basic needs of people around the conservation area through the conservation and utilization of natural resources through proper management of resources. The area also covered not only water bodies but also conserving the water sources such as river, stream, etc.
Main objectives to declared this sites as Ramsar Site is to protect the naturality of the Pokhara valley and to fulfill the basic needs of people around the conservation area through the conservation and utilization of natural resources through proper management of resources. The area also covered not only water bodies but also conserving the water sources such as river, stream, etc.
Table 1: Lake Cluster of Pokhara Valley
|
Wetland
|
Location
(Municipality and
wards)
|
Total Catchment Area
(sq. km)
|
Water Bodies
(sq. km)
|
Phewa
|
Pokhara Municipality
|
119.0
|
4.51
|
Begnas
|
Lekhnath Municipality,
9 & 11
|
18.4
|
3.27
|
Rupa
|
Lekhnath Municipality
|
27.6
|
1.07
|
Khaste
|
Lekhnath Municipality,
3,4 & 6
|
2.7
|
0.09
|
Dipang
|
Lekhnath Municipality,
6
|
2.4
|
0.06
|
Maidi
|
Lekhnath Municipality,
9
|
1.6
|
0.01
|
Gunde
|
Lekhnath Municipality,
4
|
0.6
|
0.08
|
Neurani
|
Lekhnath Municipality,
6
|
0.2
|
0.02
|
Kamalpokhari
|
Lekhnath Municipality,
13
|
1.2
|
0.02
|
Pokhara Seti Catchment
|
Pokhara Municipality
|
87.3
|
0.11
|
Total
|
261.1
|
9.24
|
|
Biological Significance
The lake and catchment are provide home to many globally threaten and endemic plants, birds and wetland dependent mammals. Tamrakar (2008) reported 60 aquatic plant in the Pokhara Lake Cluster, which comprises of 16 sub-merged, 4-free floating, 6 rooted floating and rest are emerged plant species. The same study also identified 203 terrestrial plant species with varieties of uses. Rare marsh wild rice Oriza rufipogon is also found around the lake.Some of the threaten plant species found around the lake cluster includes Alstonia scholaris; Apostasis wallichii and Michelia champaca; Asparagus racemosus; Bulbophyllum plyrhiza; Cymbidium iridioides; Dendrobium desiflorum; D. iridifolia; Oroxylum indicum and Papilionantheteres sp.; Oryza rufipogon (wild gene pool of cultivated rice); Tinospora sinensis and monogeneric species like Ceratophyllum demersum, Trapa natans and Typha angustifolia.
There are 168 birds species found around the lake cluster, (Tamrakar, 2008) including endandered, endemic and globally threatened bird species. Out of the 168 bird species, 10 species are included under CITES Appendix while five species fall under various threat categories of the IUCN. Some of the endemic/threatened birds found in the Lake Cluster includes Spiny Babbler (Turdoides nepalensis), Nepal Wren Babbler (Pnoepyga immaculate), Comb duck (Sarkidiorins melantos), Bear's Pocheard (Aythya baeri), Ferruginous Duck(Aythya nyroca) etc.
Refrance:- Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation
IUCN Nepal
Post Originally Published at Notes - Lake Cluster of Pokhara Valley
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