The forest department plans to set up an artificial breeding centre for Lesser Flamingos at Nadeshwari. This species was classified
Gujarat has two species of the bird breeding in Rann of Kutch Greater Flamingo and Lesser Flamingo. According to officials, there are only few breeding sites for flamingos in the world.
Rann of Kutch is the only breeding site for Lesser Flamingos in Asia. But, the species breeds erratically in parts of the Little Rann. There are only five sites in the world where it breeds Etosha Pan (Namibia), Sua Pan (Botswana), Lake Natron (Tanzania) and Zinzuwadia and Purabcheria salt pans in north-western India. It doesn't breed annually at the five other sites in Africa and India, mainly because they are irregularly inundated during periods of good rainfall.
Conservationists are concerned that the most important breeding site, Lake Natron, will be severely impacted by the proposed mining development on the shores of this ecologically-important lake. Since all the breeding sites are threatened by human-induced factors, it is critically important that Lesser Flamingos be provided other sites where they can nest, lay eggs and rear their chicks.
Officials said that a recent experiment in South Africa to create an artificial breeding site at Kamfers Dam a large, permanent wetland just north of Kimberley in Northern Cape Province has proved to be a success. Two years after the site was created, Lesser Flamingos have starting breeding there.
Nandeshwari will be developed on similar lines. Since the species doesn't breed regularly in Gujarat, this artificial site will be a significant contribution to the conservation of the state bird.
