Photo Feature
Chatlam wetland
<h2>Kashmir’s Wetlands</h2>
<p>The concave valley of Kashmir is famous for its extraordinarily biodiverse wetlands. The most well-known, of course, is the iconic Dal Lake.</p>
<p>The Chatlam wetland, located in Pampore, ‘the Saffron Town of Kashmir’, has a large catchment area comprising 12 villages. The spring-fed wetlands that make up the reserve are used for fishing, irrigation and other domestic purposes, besides being heavily grazed upon by cattle. An emerging birding destination, the wetland sees thousands of migratory birds arrive here for the winter, from Greylag and Bar-headed Geese, to mallards, teals, shovelers and pintails. Since 2013, it has been taken under the conservatorship of Youth Parliament, a local NGO, that has worked towards ending the practice of hunting birds in the region. A couple of years ago, the breeding of Gadwall and Northern Shoveler was observed in this wetland – the first breeding record of these birds in the Indian Subcontinent. Chatlam is affected by several anthropogenic pressures and is increasingly feeling the effects of climate change.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><strong>Photo: Rouf Ahmad Rather.</strong></span></p>