{"id":20026348,"date":"2018-03-22T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-22T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thethirdpole.net\/?p=26348"},"modified":"2021-11-24T15:28:55","modified_gmt":"2021-11-24T09:58:55","slug":"nepals-fertile-but-forgotten-wetlands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/nepals-fertile-but-forgotten-wetlands\/","title":{"rendered":"Nepal’s fertile but forgotten wetlands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A few kilometres north of the Indian border in Kapilvastu district \u2013the birth place of Buddha \u2013 lies Jagdishpur lake, the largest reservoir in Nepal, and one of the ten wetlands in the country listed under the Ramsar Convention<\/a>. The lake is home to about 23,000 birds according to the latest survey\u2014probably the largest single avian population in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local farmer Purnabashi Chaudhary often visits the lake to collect medicinal plants. When we reached the lake in the early afternoon on the first week of February, Chaudhary was resting in the shade of a tree after applying the juice of the Madaar plant to his teeth. \u201cIt relieves pain,\u201d he said, pointing to a shrub nearby. \u201cBut over grazing of goats has left very few plants around the lake now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Purnabashi, Chaudhary, 74 from Bandauli village in Kapilvastu district, West Nepal at the bank of Jagadishpur lake. He has come to the lake to use medicinal plants for his toothache [Image by: Nabin Baral]<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The lake was declared a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention in 2003, but since then there has been little action to protect the lake. \u201cThere is very minimal funding available to protect or conserve this lake, it\u2019s mostly our voluntary efforts that is keeping it alive,\u201d said Abdul Rashid Khan, a local conservationist who lives near the lake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the early 1970s the reservoir was built to irrigate adjoining paddy fields and later expanded to 225 hectares. This became one of the best habitats for endemic and migratory birds. However, locals were not aware of its importance until recently. \u201cPeople used to think that these birds come every year so what\u2019s wrong with killing them for meat,\u201d added Khan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This all changed when the local communities came together to control such activities a few years back. But the poaching hasn\u2019t stopped completely. \u201cSome people still kill birds. If asked not to then they threaten us and say [the birds] are public property,\u201d Chaudhary said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weighty wetlands<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to the Ramsar Convention, 2,293 lakes are listed as wetlands of international importance globally, covering 230 million hectares. Listed as the richest ecosystems on earth after tropical rainforests, these wetlands support wild animals and plants, some of which are on the brink of extinction. Jagdishpur hosts not only water fowl but one horned rhinos and royal Bengal tigers also use these wetlands as source of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Birds at Jagadishpur Lake, western Nepal. Built for irrigation, the lake hosts thousands of migratory birds every year [image by: Nabin Baral]<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Wetlands are also a major source of livelihoods for communities across Nepal. From fish to fodder, drinking water to medicinal plants, communities benefit from the natural wealth of wetlands. \u201cWe can hardly think of life without this water source as it irrigates our fields, provides water to drink,\u201d said Krishna Chaudhary, drinking untreated water from the source of Ghodaghodi lake in Kailali district. \u201cWe are at the source so I can drink water without treatment, but as you move south, it gets polluted and you can\u2019t imagine drinking it,\u201d he smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n