Jiwani Coastal Wetland

Last updated
Jiwani Coastal Wetland
Jiwani Coastal Wetland 2.jpg
Mangrove tree nursery in Jiwani Coastal Wetland
Jiwani Coastal Wetland
Type Coastal wetland
Location Gwatar Bay, Balochistan, Pakistan
Coordinates 25°08′N61°46′E / 25.133°N 61.767°E / 25.133; 61.767
Area4,600 acres (19 km2)
Designated10 May 2001
Reference no.1066 [1]

The Jiwani Coastal Wetland is a wetland located in Balochistan, Pakistan, near the town of Jiwani. The site is one of the 19 Ramsar sites in Pakistan and was inducted in 2001. [2]

Contents

Location and geography

The site is a lagoon, located at the northeastern edge of Gwatar Bay, south of the delta of the Dasht River, northeast of the town of Jiwani in Gwadar District of Balochistan Province, Pakistan.

Aerial view of part of the lagoon at the bottom left, adjacent to the mouth of the Dasht River. Pakistan Balochistan province - Dasht river IMG 7914 Jiwani Bay.jpg
Aerial view of part of the lagoon at the bottom left, adjacent to the mouth of the Dasht River.

The wetland has an area of 4,600 acres (19 km2). [2] The lagoon contains extensive mangrove swamps, many sandy beaches, sand bars and islets as well as extensive mangrove swamps. The climate is arid with very low rainfall. [3] The Dasht river is the main source of fresh water for the mangrove forest and the region along with seasonal runoff of rainwater from the nearby hills. [3]

Flora and fauna

Dead Coral ground in Jiwani Coastal Wetland Jiwani Coastal Wetland 4.jpg
Dead Coral ground in Jiwani Coastal Wetland

Jiwani coast provides two main ecological habitats; the mangrove swamps and the sandy beaches. [3] The site near the delta is swampy and marshy and is covered with one of the three species of Mangroves in Pakistan; Avicennia marina. [3] Jiwani is also an important nesting site for the endangered olive ridley sea turtle and green sea turtles. [2] The four turtle beaches where they nest are clustered on the eastern side of the coastline and are considered one of the most important marine turtle sites in Pakistan.

Dead Coral ground Jiwani Coastal Wetland 3.jpg
Dead Coral ground

Each year, thousands of migratory birds are sighted in the region. [3] According to the book Avian Diversity of Jiwani Coastal Wetlands, Pakistan, 112 species of birds were recorded of which 79 species were migratory and 33 were resident. Of the 79 migratory species, 54 migrated during winters, 11 migrated during summers, 10 were year round visitors, and 3 species were vagrant. [4]

Conservation

Mangrove forest plantations for conservation in the wetlands. Jiwani Coastal Wetland 1.jpg
Mangrove forest plantations for conservation in the wetlands.

Fishing is the major source of income for the locals however plans to grant fishing and offshore drilling rights to foreign firms have increased the concerns of conservation authorities. [2] Local community uses the mangrove wood for domestic use which is threatening the mangrove forest. Balochistan Conservation Strategy to promote sustainable development in Balochistan emphasises the conservation of these coastal wetland. In 1999, WWF–Pakistan initiated conservation drives, Mangrove Conservation Project and Turtle Conservation Project, to protect the wetlands from adverse effects and threats. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caroni Swamp</span> Largest mangrove wetland in Trinidad and Tobago

The Caroni Swamp is the largest mangrove wetland in Trinidad and Tobago. It is located on the west coast of Trinidad, south of Port of Spain and northwest of Chaguanas, where the Caroni River meets the Gulf of Paria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Towra Point Nature Reserve</span> Protected area in New South Wales, Australia

The Towra Point Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve that is located in Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The 603-hectare (1,490-acre) reserve is situated on the southern shores of Botany Bay at Kurnell, within the Sutherland Shire. The reserve is protected under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international importance as an important breeding ground for many vulnerable, protected, or endangered species. The Towra Point Aquatic Nature Reserve is located in the surrounding waterways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marismas Nacionales–San Blas mangroves</span> Mangrove ecoregion of the Pacific coast of Mexico

Marismas Nacionales–San Blas mangroves is a mangrove ecoregion of the Pacific coast of Mexico. The marismas nacionales stretches from Mazatlán, Sinaloa southwards to San Blas, Nayarit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwatar Bay</span> Bay in the Gulf of Oman

Gwatar Bay is an inlet of the Arabian Sea, located on the northeast of the Gulf of Oman, and indenting the Makran coast at the southernmost part of the border of Iran and Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Pakistan</span>

The wildlife of Pakistan comprises a diverse flora and fauna in a wide range of habitats from sea level to high elevation areas in the mountains, including 195 mammal, 668 bird species and more than 5000 species of Invertebrates. This diverse composition of the country's fauna is associated with its location in the transitional zone between two major zoogeographical regions, the Palearctic, and the Oriental. The northern regions of Pakistan, which include Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan include portions of two biodiversity hotspot, Mountains of Central Asia and Himalayas.

Niumi National Park is a national park in The Gambia. The occupies the coastal strip in the northern region of the country, in the southern tip of the Sine-Saloum Delta. It covers an area of approximately 4,940 ha and encompasses a range of types of wetlands and vegetation, from freshwater marsh to sand spits and brackish lagoons. Rhizophora mangrove forest is abundant in the park, and its swamp and mudflats are important for birds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fauna of Pakistan</span> Overview of fauna in Pakistan

Pakistan's native fauna reflect its varied climatic zones. The northern Pakistan, which includes Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan, has portions of two biodiversity hotspots, Mountains of Central Asia and Himalayas.

Akyatan Lagoon is a 14700-hectare wetland ecosystem that is designated as Wetland of International Importance by Ramsar Convention. A major stopover for migrating birds, Akyatan is recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International. It is the single largest green turtle rookery at the Mediterranean, holding 43% of the Mediterranean nesting population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ormara Turtle Beaches</span> Beach in Balochistan, Pakistan

The Ormara Turtle Beaches are sandy beach stretching over 10 km along the Makran coast of Balochistan in Pakistan. Covering an area of 2,400 hectares, it was designated a Ramsar Site on 10 May 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tortuguero National Park</span> National park in the Limón Province of Costa Rica

Tortuguero National Park is a national park in the Limón Province of Costa Rica. It is situated within the Tortuguero Conservation Area of the northeastern part of the country. Despite its remote location, reachable only by airplane or boat, it is the third-most visited park in Costa Rica. The park has a large variety of biological diversity due to the existence within the reserve of eleven different habitats, including rainforest, mangrove forests, swamps, beaches, and lagoons. Located in a tropical climate, it is very humid, and receives up to 250 inches (6,400 mm) of rain a year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keta Lagoon</span> Lagoon in Volta Region, Ghana

Keta Lagoon, also called Anlo-Keta lagoon, is the largest of the over 90 lagoons that cover the 550 km stretch of the coastline of Ghana. This lagoon is 126.13 km in length. It is located in the eastern coast of Ghana and separated from the Gulf of Guinea by a narrow strip of sandbar. This open salty water is surrounded by flood plains and mangrove swamps. Together they form the Keta Lagoon Ramsar site which covers 1200 km2

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Songhor Lagoon</span> Wetland site in Ghana

The Songhor Lagoon is a coastal lagoon on the eastern coast of Ghana, West Africa. The site covers an area of 28,740 hectares, and it is located just outside the major town of Ada and to the west of the Volta River estuary. It was designated as Ramsar wetland site of international importance number 566 on June 22, 1988. In 2011, UNESCO approved the Songor Biosphere Reserve as part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Among several other important functions, it acts as habitat and/or breeding ground for several notable species.

Jubho Lagoon is a large shallow brackish lagoon located in Sindh, Pakistan. In May 2011 Jubhoo lagoon was inducted into the list of Ramsar sites, consisting of wetlands of international importance.

The Tana River Delta Ramsar Site is a wetland on the Tana River protected under the Ramsar Convention located in the Coast Province of Kenya. It was gazetted as Kenya's 6th Ramsar Site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Las Piñas–Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area</span> Protected coastal area in Metro Manila, Philippines

The Las Piñas–Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA), also known as the Las Piñas–Parañaque Wetland Park, is a protected area at the coasts of the cities of Las Piñas and Parañaque in Metro Manila, Philippines. The entire wetland is a declared Ramsar site under the Ramsar Convention of UNESCO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yumurtalık Lagoon</span> Ramsar site

Yumurtalık Lagoon is a lagoon located in Adana Province, southern Turkey. The area is a nature reserve, a national park, and is a Ramsar site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast</span> Albanian coastline of the south-eastern Adriatic Sea

The Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast stretches in the south-eastern Adriatic Sea beginning at the Gulf of Drin in the north, across the port cities of Shëngjin, Durrës, and Vlorë, to the Bay of Vlorë in the south, where the Albanian Riviera and the Albanian Ionian Sea Coast begin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Usumacinta mangroves</span>

The Usumacinta mangroves ecoregion covers the mangrove forests ont the Gulf Coast of Mexico, around the margins of the Laguna de Términos. The "Ends" in the name refer to the mouths of the rivers that empty into the lagoon, including the Usumacinta River. This region, which is due south of the mouth of the Mississippi River across the Gulf of Mexico, receives an estimated one-third of the wintering birds migrating on the Mississippi Flyway. It is estimated that the lagoon supports 90 endangered species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qurm Nature Reserve</span> Estuary and protected area in Muscat, Oman

Qurm Nature Reserve is a national nature reserve in Muscat Governorate, Oman. Located on the Gulf of Oman coast, the reserve protects a mangrove forest and the surrounding wetland in a small estuary within the urban area of Qurm. Established in 1975, the reserve has been designated as an Important Bird Area since 1994, and as a protected Ramsar site since 2013.

References

  1. "Jiwani Coastal Wetland". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Jiwani Coastal Wetland". The Annotated Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Jiwani Coastal Wetland" (PDF). Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands. Wetlands. Retrieved 13 September 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. Zulfiqar, Ali (14 October 2009). Avian Diversity of Jiwani Coastal Wetlands, Pakistan. VDM Verlag. p. 172. ISBN   978-3639206487 . Retrieved 13 September 2012.