Climate change threatens the habitat of the endangered white-winged wood duck, finds study

Climate change threatens the habitat of the endangered white-winged wood duck, finds study

Subject: Environment

Context-

• Alarm bells ring for​ the ​white-winged wood duck (WWWD).
• Declared the state bird of Assam in 2003, the on-ground conservation situation ​of the bird has not improved in recent years. On the contrary​, the bird​ could well go extinct.

About White-Winged Wood Duck (WWWD)-

• The bird is called Deo Hanh (the spirit duck) in Assamese, owing to its ghostly call.
• In India, this species can only be found in ​the northeast states.
• The white-winged wood duck is an inhabitant of the tropical evergreen forest, mostly confined to dense forests and wetlands and requires average annual precipitation of about 1,000-1,200 millimetres.

Protection status of WWWD-

• The white-winged wood duck (Asarcornis scutulata) has been classified as endangered by​ the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), since 1994.
• Only 800 individuals of this species are estimated to be left in the wild, out of which 450 individuals are known to be present in India.
• The duck can be spotted only in Nameri and the adjoining areas, Dehing Patkai and Namdapha.
• There ​have been no bird sightings in Dibru Saikhowa for more than 20 years.
• There are many areas in eastern Assam, where the birds were spotted in the first year of our survey in 2018 but have ​​completely disappeared by 2020.

‘The habitat of the white-winged wood duck is likely to shift’

• A recent study conducted to assess the impacts of climate change and the potential distribution of the white-winged wood duck in the Indian Eastern Himalayan (IEH) region for the 2050s and 2070s revealed that 436.61 square kilometres of the highly potential habitat of the species would be lost by 2070.
• The study has been conducted by researchers from Wildlife Institute of India, Assam University, NGO Aaranyak and A.V.C College.
• The objective of this new study was to understand​ the potential distribution of the white-winged wood duck in future climate scenarios, in order to facilitate the creation of immediate conservation plans and the mitigation of subsequent ​threats.
• The bird is mainly dependent on forested wetlands of undisturbed forest areas, these wetlands are very shallow and small and climate change will affect them first.
• The study also predicts a decline in the potential habitat in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura, under future climate scenarios.
• The habitat of the bird is likely to shift towards the western part of northeast India and towards Bhutan – specifically ​on ​the ​Assam-Bhutan border with Nameri National Park – from its current habitat in the easternmost states of northeast India.
• The West Garo Hills, which are located in Meghalaya and share a northern border with Bangladesh, are also likely to become a more suitable area for a white-winged wood duck by 2070.

Past conservation efforts-

• A report on Project Deo hanh, the white-winged wood duck recovery project initiated by Wildlife Trust of India in 2018, says that the duck was first granted protection from hunting in 1937, when the Assam Government (then under British rule) restricted hunting of the ducks during the breeding season (April to September) and outside stipulated reserve forest areas of the state.
• The duck was later placed under Special Protected List by the Indian Board of Wildlife in 1952.
• Despite being declared as the State Bird of Assam in 2003, in an effort to encourage further conservation of the species, the WWWD population has drastically declined over the years, both in its numbers and the extent of occupancy.

Way forward-

• There needs to be a systematic survey to determine the current population of the species and awareness is essential to understand the importance of birds.
• There is ​a ​need for research on the species local migration.
• We must also identify the important sites.
• Long-term conservation action plans and research activities, as well as support from aspiring ecologists and nature lovers, have become critical for the survival of the existing population.

Massive support is needed to develop local leadership around the study area which includes developing the capacity of local youth around the bird’s habitat to ensure strict protection by regular monitoring of the bird and the habitat.