The annual Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) that was conducted in the wetlands of Thiruvananthapuram district recently recorded a marginal increase in overall waterbird population.
However, this masked a degradation in habitats, with several key sites showing a stark decline.
The survey, a joint initiative of WWF-India, the Trivandrum Birding Team, and the Social Forestry Division of Thiruvananthapuram under the Kerala Forest department, mobilised 50 volunteers across 11 sites, including a newly added location near Technopark.
The census yielded a total count of 4,868 birds from 73 species, of which 37 were migratory.
While the district-wide count showed a slim increase, a declining trend was observed at four of the 11 sites: Punchakkari wetlands, Akkulam Lake, Veli Lake and beach, and the Kannammoola canal. The Kadhinamkulam-Perumathura wetlands emerged the most populous site with 1,200 birds from 37 species, a significant jump from 306 birds last year. The Pazhanchira wetlands near Attingal were next with 1,183 birds from 38 species.
