Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary

Last updated
Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Aruvillage.jpg
Aru Valley within the Sanctuary in Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir, India
India Jammu and Kashmir UT adm relief map.svg
Red pog.svg
Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary
Location of Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary in Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Location Aru Valley, Pahalgam, Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir, Flag of India.svg  India
Nearest city Anantnag city
Coordinates 34°06′36″N75°14′51″E / 34.11000°N 75.24750°E / 34.11000; 75.24750
Area511 km2 (197 sq mi)
Max. elevation5,425 metres (17,799 ft)
Min. elevation2,100 metres (6,900 ft)
Established1981
Governing bodyDepartment of Wildlife Protection

The Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in Aru Valley, Pahalgam near Anantnag city in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies 46 km from Anantnag city, the district headquarter. It is on the periphery of the two villages of Overa and Aru. The sanctuary spreads over 511 square kilometres (197 sq mi), lies 76 kilometres (47 mi) east of Srinagar. It was declared a game reserve in 1945 under the Dogra Rule and later upgraded to a sanctuary in 1981. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Geography

The Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary lies in the Lidder Forest Division in Anantnag District of the Kashmir province. It is bordered to the north by Sind Valley and to the west by Dachigam National Park. The sanctuary constitutes 38 Forest compartments. The Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary is a catchment area of the Lidder River, a tributary of Jhelum and forms an important source of irrigation and drinking water. Geographical features of the sanctuary include lakes, glaciers and mountain peaks. The most notable are the Tarsar Lake and the Kolahoi with a peak elevation of 5,425 metres (17,799 ft) above sea level. It is also the highest point of the sanctuary. The Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary has a temperate climate, it is out of the reach of the monsoon. The precipitation in the form of snowfall is heavy in winter. [1] [2]

Flora and fauna

The vegetation of the sanctuary varies according to the altitude. The deciduous forest occurs below 2600 meters of altitude which grows Aesculus indica , Juglans regia , Fraxinus spp , Padus cornuta , Rus succedanea , and Pyrus lanata . The coniferous forest lies between 2,600 and 3,000 metres. It grows mostly blue pine on dry soil and silver fir (Abies pindrow) on moist soil. Birch forest ranges from 3000 to 3500 meters, the most common species are white birch (Betula utilis). Juniperus spp grow from 3500 to 3800 meters in the alpine scrub. [1] [2]

The Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary has a recorded 117 bird species of which 89 species – including eight species of sympatric warblers – breed within the sanctuary. The globally threatened bird species found in the sanctuary are endangered Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), vulnerable Kashmir flycatcher (Ficedula subrubra), and near-threatened European roller (Coracias garrulus) and Tytler's leaf warbler (Phylloscopus tytleri). Among the 18 species of butterflies recorded in the sanctuary, four are listed in the IUCN Red List. [3] [2]

The Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary lies within the distributional range of the critically endangered Kashmir stag (Cervus hanglu). [3] There are 18 species of other mammals found in the sanctuary which include Kashmir musk deer (Moschus cupreus), Asiatic ibex (Capra sibrica), Himalayan Serow (Capricornis thar), common leopard (Panthera pardus), Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus), Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos), golden marmot (Marmota sp) and vulpes (fox). [1] [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valley of Flowers National Park</span> National park in Uttarakhand, India

Valley of Flowers National Park is an Indian national park which was established in 1982. It is located in Chamoli in the state of Uttarakhand and is known for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and the variety of flora. This richly diverse area is also home to rare and endangered animals, including the Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, musk deer, brown bear, red fox and blue sheep. Birds found in the park include Himalayan monal pheasant and other high altitude birds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dachigam National Park</span> National park in Jammu and Kashmir

Dachigam National Park is a national park located, 22 kilometres (14 mi) from Srinagar city in Srinagar district of Jammu and Kashmir, India on the east side of Dal Lake. It covers an area of about 141 square kilometres (54 sq mi). The name of the park literally stands for "ten villages" which is in the memory of the ten villages that were relocated for its formation. These ten villages were living in this region before the World War I in the beginning of 20th century. The main gate entrance is very close to the New Theed general bus stand on the either side of Darul Uloom Kousaria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hemis National Park</span> National Park in Ladakh, India

Hemis National Park is a high-elevation national park in Ladakh, India. Globally famous for its snow leopards, it is believed to have the highest density of them in any protected area in the world. It is the only national park in India that is north of the Himalayas, the largest notified protected area in India and is the second largest contiguous protected area, after the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve and surrounding protected areas. The park is home to a number of species of endangered mammals, including the snow leopard. Hemis National Park is India's protected area inside the Palearctic realm, outside the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary northeast of Hemis, and the proposed Tso Lhamo Cold Desert Conservation Area in North Sikkim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zagros Mountains forest steppe</span> Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in western Asia

The Zagros Mountains forest steppe is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in Western Asia. The ecoregion extends along the Zagros Mountains, stretching from eastern Turkey and northern Iraq to southern Iran.

The Naltar Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in the Naltar Valley near Nomal, in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. The Sanctuary was created on 22 November 1975 and consists of a steep-sided forested valley with high mountains on either side. A small number of Astor markhor are found here as well as other large mammals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shopian</span> Town in Jammu and Kashmir, India

Shopian or Shupiyan, known as Shupyan in Kashmiri, is an administrative division of the Shopian district. It is located in southern part of Kashmir Valley, of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Shopian is called the ''Apple town of Kashmir'' as majority of the population engages in apple growing practices. It also provides employment to more than 60% of the population. It is 2nd richest district in Kashmir region after Srinagar.

India is home to a large variety of wildlife. It is a biodiversity hotspot with various ecosystems ranging from the Himalayas in the north to the evergreen rainforests in the south, the sands of the west to the marshy mangroves of the east. India lies within the Indomalayan realm and is home to about 7.6% of mammal, 14.7% of amphibian, 6% of bird, 6.2% of reptilian, and 6.2% of flowering plant species. India's forests contain about 500 species of mammals and more than 1300 bird species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary</span> Nature reserve in Uttarakhand, India

Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary is an Indian wildlife sanctuary.

<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.

Kedarnath Wild Life Sanctuary, also called the Kedarnath Musk Deer Sanctuary, is a wildlife sanctuary declared under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and located in Uttarakhand, India. Its alternate name comes from its primary purpose of protecting the endangered Himalayan musk deer. Consisting of an area of 975 km2 (376 sq mi), it is the largest protected area in the western Himalayas.It is famous for alpine musk deer, Himalayan Thar, Himalayan Griffon, Himalayan Black bear, Snow Leopard and other flora park and fauna. It is internationally important for the diversity of its flora and fauna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Himalayan broadleaf forests</span> Temperate mixed forest ecoregion in western Himalaya

The Western Himalayan broadleaf forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion which is found in the middle elevations of the western Himalayas, including parts of Nepal, India, and Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests</span>

The Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests is a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of the middle and upper elevations of the western Middle Himalayas of Nepal, India, and Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aru, Jammu and Kashmir</span> Village in Jammu and Kashmir, India

Aru is a village, tourist spot in the Anantnag District of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies 53km from Anantnag city, the district headquarter. It is located around 12 km from Pahalgam, 11 km upstream from the Lidder River. Noted for its scenic meadows, lakes and mountains, it is a base camp for trekking to the Kolhoi Glacier, Tarsar Lake, Marsar and Herbaghwan Lake. The village lies on the left bank of the Aru river, which is a tributary of the Lidder river. Jammu & Kashmir’s biggest Fodder Seed Product Station is also located in the Aru village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lidder Valley</span> Valley in Jammu & Kashmir

The Lidder Valley or Liddar Valley is a Himalayan sub-valley that forms the southeastern corner of Anantnag district in Indian-administered Kashmir. The Lidder River flows down the valley. The entrance to the valley lies 7 km northeast from Anantnag town and 62 km southeast from Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a 40-km-long gorge valley with an average width of 3 km.

Govind Pashu Vihar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is a national park in Supin Range, near Uttarkashi town of Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand, India established initially as a wildlife sanctuary in 1955, and was later converted into a national park. It is named after a prominent Indian freedom fighter and politician Govind Ballabh Pant, who became Home Minister in 1955 and is remembered for his achievement in establishing Hindi as an official language of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary</span> Wildlife Sanctuary in Jammu and Kashmir

Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary or Heerpora Wildlife Sanctuary is located, Hirpora in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir. It lies 12 km from Shopian town, 70 km (43 mi) south of Srinagar. It spreads over an area of 341 km2 (132 sq mi). It is bounded to the north by Lake Gumsar, northeast by Hirpora village, east by Rupri, south by Saransar and to the west by the Pir Panjal pass. The slopes are gentle to moderately steep on the eastern aspect and very steep with many cliffs on the higher northern and western aspect. The southern and southeastern portions are moderately steep. Heerpora wildlife sanctuary is one of the beautiful wildlife sanctuary in Jammu and Kashmir

Achabal Wildlife Sanctuary is in Anantnag district of Kashmir, 65 kilometres (40 mi) south of Srinagar. It spreads over an area of 0.50 km2 (0.19 sq mi). The Achabal forest area was once designated as a Game Reserve by the then Maharaja of Kashmir. In 2008, this area was upgraded to the Achabal Wildlife Sanctuary.

Rajparian Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in Daksum, Forest Block, near Anantnag city in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies 42 km from Anantnag city, the district headquarter, 85 kilometres (53 mi) south of Srinagar. It spreads over an area of 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi). This area was protected as a game reserve for hangul during the Maharaja's period, prior to 1948. In 1981, it was upgraded to the Rajparian Wildlife Sanctuary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulmarg Wildlife Sanctuary</span> Wildlife Sanctuary in Gulmarg

The Gulmarg Wildlife Sanctuary spread over 180 square kilometres (69 sq mi) is a protected area in Gulmarg, Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The sanctuary lies on the north-eastern side of the Pir Panjal mountain range and falls under the northwest Biogeographic Zone 2A. It lies 50 kilometres (31 mi) south-west of Srinagar and 26 kilometres (16 mi) from Baramulla. The sanctuary was first declared as a game reserve in 1981 and later upgraded to a sanctuary in 1987.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Green, M. J. B. (1993). Nature Reserves of the Himalaya and the Mountains of Central Asia. Cambridge UNEP-WCMC. IUCN. pp. 264–7. ISBN   978-0-19-562922-4 via Internet Archive.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary-An Overview" (PDF). jkwildlife.com. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  3. 1 2 3 "BirdLife Data Zone". datazone.birdlife.org. Retrieved 2020-11-10.