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Wetlands International

Chilika Development Authority

Plot No. C -11, B.J.B. Nagar

Bhubaneswar-751 014, Odisha, India

Tel: +91-674 - 2434044

Email: chilika@chilika.com URL: http://www.chilika.com

Wetlands International South Asia

Development Authority

Newsletter • September 2014 • Volume – IIINewsletter • February 2015 • Volume – VIII

Chilika

Wetlands International South Asia

Development Authority

The Chilika Development Authority is the

nodal agency of State Government of

Odisha entrusted with conservation and

sustainable management of Lake Chilika.

It was constituted by the Forest and

Environment Department, Government

of Odisha vide Resolution No. 20389/F&E

dated 20.11.1991 under Orissa Societies

Registration Act. The Chief Minister

Government of Odisha is its Chairman.

The Minister of Environment, Science and

Technology functions as the working

Chairman. The members are drawn from

various state government departments.

NGOs and technical experts besides elected

representatives.

Wetlands International South Asia is the

South Asia Programme of Wetlands

International, a global organization with a

mission to sustain and restore wetlands,

their resources and biodiversity. Wetlands

International South Asia provides

scientific and technical support to

national governments, wetland

authorities, non government

organizations, and the private sector for

wetland management planning and

implementation in South Asia region. It is

registered as a non government

organization under the Societies

Registration Act and steered by eminent

conservation planners and wetland

experts.

Contents

Chilika: Managing for our future 1

Bioprospecting and discovery of new species of

bacteria from Chilika

High phytoplankton species diversity unveiled 7

from Chilika Lagoon

Chilika Tourism Master Plan 8

Locating opportunities for Chilika fishery cooperatives 11

to move up the market value chain

Assessing the economics of wetland ecosystem services: 14

The TEEB – India Initiative

Management planning for conservation and wise use of Hirakud 16

Chilika continues to support healthy population of Irrawaddy 18

dolphins

Chilika Waterbird Census – 2014 20

Chilika Health Report Card and future prospects 23

Meetings and Workshops 25

6

Editorial Panel

Wetlands International South Asia: Dr. Ritesh Kumar, Ms. Kalpana Ambastha

and Ms. Ipsita Sirkar

Chilika Development Authority: Dr. Ajit Kumar Pattnaik, Mr. G. Rajesh

Dr. Ajit Kumar Pattnaik, Mr. G. Rajesh, Dr. Ritesh Kumar, Dr. Gurdeep Rastogi,

Mr. S. K. Mohanty, Dr. P. R. Muduli, Dr. R. N. Samal

Mr. Kamal Dalakoti, Mr. Satish Kumar, Mr. Akoijam Yaiphaba Meetei,

Mr. Bishnu Mohapatra

The presentation of material in this Newsletter and the geographical designations

employed do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever by Wetlands

International South Asia and Chilika Development Authority concerning the

legal status of any country, area or territory, or concerning the delimitation of

its boundaries or frontiers. The views and opinions expressed in "Chilika"

are not necessarily those of Chilka Development Authority, Wetlands International

South Asia or its members. Articles may be reproduced elsewhere acknowledging

the source as "Chilika" - the Newsletter of Chilika Development Authority and

Wetlands International South Asia. The editorial panel welcomes contributions

of articles and information.

Sunrise in Chilika

Godwit in Chilika Marshes

K. Ramnath Chandrasekhar/CDA

Systems Vision, New Delhi • systemsvision@gmail.com

Text Contributors:

Design and Layout:

Cover Photograph:

Back Cover Photograph:

Photograph

Design and Print:

Credit:

"CHILIKA" is the jointly published

newsletter of the Chilika

Development Authority and Wetlands

International South Asia

© Chilika Development Authority and

Wetlands International South Asia

Wetlands International South Asia

1

The diverse and dynamic assemblage of fish, invertebrate and crustacean species provide the basis of rich fishery which generates a revenue of more than Rs. 750 million annualy. Chilika was designated as a Wetland of International Importance (Ramsar Site under the Convention on Wetlands) by the Government of India in 1981. Nalabana, a low, flat, marshy island of 15.53 km2, located in the center of Chilika, was designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1987 considering its unique features as habitat for avifauna and nursery ground for fishes.

Chilika went through a phase of reduced connectivity to the sea during 1950 – 2000 owing to increasing sediment loads from degrading catchments. There was a rapid decline in fisheries, with the annual average landing dropping from 8600 kg to 1702 kg during 1985-99. Introduction of shrimp culture, as well as overall decline in fisheries, led to

Each year, since 1997, February 2 is celebrated world-wide as World Wetlands Day — an occasion to promote the value of wetlands to nature and society. The

theme of 2015 is ‘Wetlands for Our Future’. It brings to focus the number of ways in which the future of humanity is linked with the future of wetlands. As wetlands continue to be degraded and converted, and their invaluable benefits and services lost, the risk to water, food and climate security increases manifold.

Maintaining the biodiversity and full range of ecosystem service values, now as well as for future generations, is one of the key concerns for Lake Chilika management. In this article we present an account of the ways in which wetland management is being continually adapted towards a secure future for Chilika and its dependent communities.

The journey thus far

Chilika, a brackishwater coastal lagoon situated in Odisha State forms the base of livelihood security of more than 0.2 million fishers and 0.4 million farmers living in and around the wetland and its adjoining catchments. Spanning between a monsoon maximum of 1,165  km2 to a dry season minimum of 906  km2 and flanked by an ephemeral floodplain extending to 400 km2, Chilika is an assemblage of shallow to very shallow marine, brackish and freshwater ecosystems and a hotspot of biodiversity. Over one million migratory birds commonly winter here. Chilika is one of the two lagoons in the world that support Irrawaddy Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) populations.

It has a rich flora of 726 angiosperm species, including several of economic value.

Chilika: Managing for our future

Cover Article

implementation. An intensive awareness campaign on values and functions of the wetland system, particularly amongst the villages in and around and school children was undertaken in collaboration with civil society. A visitor centre at Satapada was constructed as a hub of these activities.

Specific initiatives for managing tourism by building the capacity

of the boatmen association were also undertaken. A code of conduct for dolphin watching has also been developed. To improve connectivity in island villages, ferry services for people and vehicles was launched between Satpada and Jahnikuda benefitting more than 70,000 people and drastically reducing the road length between Berhampur and Puri. CDA has also strengthened fishing infrastructure through construction of landing centers and jetties. Women SHG Groups were organized and trained to undertake enterprises on dry fish and crab fattening.

To support systematic management, an intensive hydrological and ecological monitoring programme has been put in place. These programmes are coordinated through the Wetland Research and Training Center constructed on the shorelines of Chilika in 2002. Equipped with state of the art facilities, the Center is also a node for national and international training programme for wetland managers. Over the years, CDA has established collaborations with over fifty organizations of international and national repute to support scientific studies related to various dimensions.

The restoration initiatives had several positive impacts for the wetland ecosystem. Restoration of marine flow by opening a new mouth to the Bay of Bengal in 2000 re-established salinity regimes. Recovery of the fisheries and biodiversity was rapid. The average fish landing during 2001-14 was nearly 13,000 MT. Annual censuses by CDA of Irrawaddy Dolphins within Chilika reported an increase from 89 to 158 individuals between 2003 and 2014, an increase in habitat use, and

gradual breakdown of traditional resource management systems. Chilika fisheries gradually converted from a ‘community-managed fishery’ to ‘contested-common’. The decline in ecosystem components and processes led to the inclusion of Chilika in the Ramsar Convention’s Montreux Record in 1993.

The Government of Odisha constituted the Chilika Development Authority (CDA) in 1991 as the nodal agency to undertake measures for ecological restoration. The Authority is chaired by the Chief Minister, Government of Odisha and is constituted by secretaries of all concerned departments; political representatives as well as representatives from fisher communities. With financial support from the state government and Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (Government of India), CDA initiated several programmes including treatment of degraded catchments, hydro-biological monitoring, sustainable development of fisheries, wildlife conservation, community participation and development and capacity building at various levels. In 2000, a major hydrological intervention in the form of opening of new mouth to the sea was undertaken based on modelling, and stakeholder consultations.

CDA also initiated a participatory watershed management in the western catchment to restore the vegetative cover, improve soil moisture and enhance resources for community livelihoods. Through dedicated capacity building, conflict resolution and trust building, CDA enabled formulation of watershed management plans, and also provided resources for their

A new sea mouth in

Chilika

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improved breeding, dispersal and decline in mortality rates. The sea grass meadows expanded from 20 km2 in 2000 to 80 km2 at present.

Improvement of Chilika habitat, in particular the increase in dolphins, has led to a resurgence of wetland tourism, which had dwindled due to degradation. The annual number of tourists visiting the wetland during 2000–2014 averaged 0.3 million — an increase of over 60% as compared to arrivals during 1994–1999. In Manglajodi and adjoining villages of the northern sector, a perceptible change in community behaviour is apparent. These villages, once famous for poaching of birds, are now protectors of these winged visitors. Equipped with binoculars and watchtowers, these communities are now local guides to birdwatchers, and CDA’s para-scientists assessing habitat and populations.

Based on the positive changes noticed in the ecological character, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change requested the Ramsar Convention for removal of the site from the Montreux Record. Following an advisory mission in December 2001, the site was delisted and the intervention recognized with the Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award and Evian Special Prize for ‘wetland conservation and management initiatives’.

Building on the knowledgebase developed and interventions so far, an integrated management planning process was initiated in 2008 to guide the conservation and wise use of Chilika. A management planning framework was developed based on assessing status and trends in ecological character and threats thereof. The process involved several stakeholders, particularly local communities. The plan was released in October 2012 by the Chief Minister, Government of Odisha.

Securing wise use

Chilika has emerged as a role model for participatory and adaptive management of

wetland ecosystems. In order to ensure that the gains from ecological restoration are maintained on a longer term, and the local communities continue to benefit from a healthy ecosystem, a series of measures are being undertaken by the authority in collaboration with various stakeholders. These include interventions aimed at improved governance, integration into landscape level management, improving resource benefits to communities and developing a response strategy to changing climate.

Strengthening governance

CDA provides an over-arching institutional arrangement for coordinating across sectors and stakeholders which influence management. The authority began with a very lean structure drawing strength from an astute political leadership and a network of organizations, ranging from community level to specialized national and international expert agencies. However, over a period of time, wetland management has evolved, creating demands for enhancing in-house capabilities to coordinate a complex and sophisticated wetland monitoring and evaluation programme, stakeholder engagement, partnership management, communications and warding off detrimental practices and resource uses. This prompted CDA to undertake a detailed review of its existing functioning, and create a road-map for delivering multiple functions. The perspective planning, conducted by Xavier Institute of Management, engaging several experts and stakeholders has led to identification of a revised staffing arrangement of the authority, and increasing its strength to upto 200 staff. The proposal has been approved by the General Body of the Authority, and efforts are underway to implement the recommendations.

Chilika forms a part of the wider ecological network of coastal and inland wetlands, which have a distinct influence on its functioning. Managing Chilika alone on sustainability

Linking Chilika to river basin and coastal zone management

Developmental planning within the basin and delta of River Mahanadi have a distinct bearing on ecology and hydrology of Chilika. It is therefore important that wider landscape level planning within the River Mahanadi Basin and Chilika coastal zone take into account wetland functioning. Equally, it is important that the full range of ecosystem services of Chilika are considered within the developmental objectives related to water, food and climate security being pursued in the basin and coastal zone.

The commissioning of management planning for Hirakud and integrated coastal zone management planning for the state of Odisha provide such opportunities. Under the aegis of the OSWDA, the Hirakud Reservoir has been identified as a priority wetland for integrated management. The management planning process will lead to specific recommendations for integrating the ecosystem needs of management of downstream wetland environments into management of Hirakud. Similarly, under the aegis of the World Bank assisted Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project, an integrated coastal zone management planning is underway for the state, which will help clarify and link ecological and developmental programming in the coastal zone with wetland functioning. CDA is an important link institution in both these planning processes.

Strengthening fisheries institutions

The ecological restoration programme has led to significant recovery of Chilika fisheries. However, it is important that the restoration contributes to economic upliftment and empowerment of Chilika fishers, as an incentive for adoption of sustainable fishing practices. Putting in a place healthy community managed fisheries is an important imperative for Chilika management.

In July 2010, the State Government established a new Central Fishermen Cooperative Society called Chilika Fishermen Central Cooperative Society (CFCCS) Ltd as the apex agency for managing Chilika fisheries. Under a pilot initiative, CDA through the Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Department is providing revolving fund to Primary Fisher Cooperatives to revive the institution and ensure fair access to credit to the member fishers.

The management of market value chain for Chilika fish and fishery products from fisher to

principles will not suffice in the long term. In 2011, the state government constituted the Odisha State Wetland Development Authority (OSWDA) as the nodal agency for wetland conservation and integrated management in the state. The Authority puts in place the required institutional architecture for upscaling and networking site management across the state. OSWDA has already prioritized a number of wetlands for this purpose. Notably, this is first such state level institution in the country.

Ecological character and thresholds

The long term goal of managing Chilika is to ensure its ‘wise use’. The wise use definition as adopted by the Convention is “the maintenance of their ecological character within the context of sustainable development, and achieved through implementation of ecosystem approaches”. Traditionally, ecological character definition included physical, chemical and biological components and processes of wetland ecosystems. In 2005, the definition was updated to include wetland ecosystem services thereby explicitly focusing on the need to secure role of wetlands in well-being outcomes related to water and food security and increasingly climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The extensive wetland monitoring system coordinated through the Wetland Research and Training Center provides better insights into status and trends of Chilika’s ecological character. While maintenance of salinity gradient, high biological diversity and productivity indicate that the present management is able to maintain the required ecological conditions, the wetland remains vulnerable on account of high siltation rates, changes in surface water connectivity, macrophyte invasion, increasing pressure from tourism, skewed resource access and benefit sharing patterns and regional climate change. For several of ecological character elements, thresholds have been defined which help guide management.

Interventions in the wetland are being organized around a management plan that recommends a pathway for maintaining ecological character, supported by a process of continuous adaptation and learning. It is also envisaged to continually update the ongoing monitoring and evaluation programme to address knowledge gaps, particularly related to functioning of bio-geochemical cycles in the wetland ecosystem, which underpin system resilience.

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the degree to which the Lake Chilika, as a coupled socio-ecological system, is sensitive to and unable to adapt to or moderate the consequences of climate change and other (anthropocentric) pressures on its ecological character. The ultimate objective is to identify risk management strategies and developing response options within an adaptive management framework.

The vulnerability assessment is based on Ecological Character Description framework, through collation and interpretation of information on status and trends of 52 ecological descriptors related to wetland components, processes and ecosystem services. Prioritization of ecological character elements using a set of administrative / regulatory, ecological and social criteria led to narrowing down of ecological character descriptors, which were subjected to a sensitivity and adaptive capacity assessment based on knowledge of natural variability. Salinity, freshwater inflow, inundation regime, sea-lagoon connectivity and sea grass beds being identified as high risk variables. Modelling of salinity indicates that there is a moderate degree of risk of changes in salinity gradient with resultant implications for biodiversity and resource productivity.

In conclusion

A healthy Chilika ecosystem is the key to secure future of its rich biodiversity as well as of the wetland dependent communities. In times to come, management of Chilika will need to be nested and intertwined with the sectoral developmental programming being pursued in the state. The wider ecological and hydrological network of inland and coastal wetlands, of which Chilika forms an integral part, will also need to be managed using integrated approaches, building and upscaling the lessons learnt and best practices. CDA, and the Government of Odisha, stand committed to continually refining and adapting management in order to maintain ecological integrity of Chilika, for the ultimate

objective of securing well-being of its communities.

markets becomes critical. CDA is working with expert institutions to identify opportunities for improving economic returns to fishers through economies of scale and appropriate linkages with the wholesale and retail markets. A framework for redefining critical forward and backward linkages for the Primary Fishermen Cooperatives Societies (PFCS) has been developed, and a range of interventions identified at various interface levels. CDA is working with Department of Fisheries, specialized agencies and fisher cooperatives to implement this framework.

Managing tourism

Ecological restoration has led to resurgence of tourism in Chilika. Given the ecologically fragile status of the region, tourism needs to be managed with required ecological safeguards, as well as providing opportunities for the local communities to benefit from functioning of a healthy ecosystem. Tourism also provides opportunities for engaging with private sector in wetland management.

In line with these considerations, a master planning process for tourism has been initiated. Varied tourism opportunities related to nature tourism, religious and culture tourism, and adventure tourism are being identified and evaluated. The master planning process will lead to identification of 10 sites wherein tourism can be sustainably developed within Chilika and its catchments. The planning process will also recommend necessary institutional arrangements for implementing and managing the tourism activities.

Climate Change

Regional climate change is one of the major factors rendering ecological character of Chilika vulnerable to adverse changes. Existing wetland monitoring systems need to be capable of detecting such changes in order to contribute to development of required response strategies.

As an effort towards this direction, a climate vulnerability assessment of Lake Chilika is underway. The assessment focuses on assessing

Chilika Lagoon is an untapped reservoir of genetic and metabolic biodiversity including many novel genes and bio-products. The nutrient rich environment

and salinity gradients enable the wetland to harbour diverse bacterial communities which possess salt tolerance and other novel traits and constitute a potential source of new bioactive compounds for drug manufacturing and enzymes for industrial application.

Though, Chilika is a well-studied wetland with good documentation on biodiversity, the exploration of microbes of Chilika and their role in biogeochemical cycles of the wetland is not clearly understood. With the growing importance of bioprospecting from underexplored habitats, the Biotechnology laboratory at the Wetland Research and Training Centre (WRTC) in collaboration with the School of Biotechnology, KIIT (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology) University has initiated systemic research on documentation and conservation of novel bacteria from Chilika with support from the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (ICZMP) of Odisha. Systemic samplings have been carried out in different sectors of the lagoon. From these samples, bacteria have been isolated and characterized through an array

Bioprospecting and discovery of new species of bacteria from Chilika

of biochemical and molecular methods.

So far through this joint research, two novel species of bacteria namely Streptomyces chilikensis and Streptomyces barkulensis have been identified from Chilika. The discovery of the two new species of genus Streptomyces is being considered important from the commercial point of view as the genus accounts for the production of a significant proportion of clinically relevant antibiotics. In laboratory studies, these new species have been found to be highly resistant to extreme pH and salinity and produce many biotechnologically important enzymes such as chitinase, protease, cellulase, and lipase. Such properties make the bacteria amenable for further evaluation and industrial scale trial.

The gene sequences of these novel bacteria are catalogued in GenBank maintained by National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI, USA). Novel species of bacteria are officially validated

Research

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Streptomyces barkulensis

The spatiotemporal diversity of phytoplanktons in Chilika Lagoon was documented through extensive sampling combined with conventional microscopy

techniques by the researchers at the Wetland Research and Training Centre. The study has confirmed a high diversity of phytoplankton species comprising freshwater, brackish water, and marine assemblages. A total of 259 species represented by 117 genera and six major phytoplankton classes were identified as part of this study. Many of these are first records from the lagoon. The study was recently published in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, a peer reviewed international journal published by Springer. The study highlighted the need for using DNA based community analysis methods to capture the diversity of smaller fractions of phytoplankton. Currently, molecular analysis of phytoplankton communities through targeted sequencing of phylogenetic markers is underway which would provide newer insights on the genetic diversity of pico- and

High phytoplankton species diversity unveiled from Chilika Lagoon

through publication in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology (IJSEM) which is a benchmark journal published by the Society for General Microbiology (SGM) of the United Kingdom. The Biotechnology Lab of WRTC is further validating several other potentially new species of bacteria through extensive molecular and biochemical tests, which would likely to lead the discovery of many new bacterial species in coming years.

nanophytoplankton. The World Bank funded Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (ICZMP) provided financial support for this study.

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Streptomyces chilikensis

Eudorina elegans

Rich biodiversity and scenic beauty make Chilika stand out as a major tourist destination of Odisha State. The lagoon and its catchment offers a number of

unique tourism avenues for visitors ranging from nature based tourism to adventure, religious and community tourism, besides a variety of local and authentic handicraft and handloom items and paintings. As per estimates of Department of Tourism, o.4 million domestic and foreign tourists visit Chilika every year accounting for 5% of the total tourist arrivals in the state.

The overall aesthetics of Chilika have greatly improved ever since its restoration was initiated in 1999. This has also led to a gradual but continuous increase in number of visitors to this ecologically sensitive region. This calls for putting in place adequate safeguards and management arrangements so that ecological integrity of Chilika is maintained while local communities stand to benefit from tourism opportunities generated from a healthy ecosystem.

The need for an overall assessment of the tourism development potential of Chilika and its catchment for sustaining economic growth as well as securing ecological health has found

Chilika Tourism Master Plan

Management planning

expression in the mandate of the ‘Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project’ (ICZM Project), a Government of India initiative aimed at protecting lives and livelihoods of coastal communities besides helping to conserve the natural marine and coastal resources. Odisha has been chosen as one of the three coastal states to implement the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan. Implementation is led by the State Project Management Unit (SPMU) under the Department of Environment, Government of Odisha in close collaboration with a number of line departments of the state government including the Chilika Development Authority (CDA).

ICZM Project is supporting development of a tourism master plan for Chilika. The initiative is being coordinated by CDA with technical support of IPE Global, an expert agency selected for the purpose. The project entitled ‘Outline Regional Responsible Tourism Plan for Chilika Lake and its Catchment’ aims to promote tourism including ecotourism and community-based tourism, focusing equally on conservation and wise use of natural resources in compliance with environmental/ecological laws and regulations. It

will include identification of 10 priority sites to be developed as touristic destinations on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.

The study is being undertaken at various levels. After the project inception stage, the baseline analysis has been an effort to consolidate various components of the study for the preparation of the Outline Regional Responsible Tourism Plan. Several in depth analysis have been undertaken in the baseline segment to understand all aspects of the project area.

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Tourist destinations in and around Chilika

Kilometers

BarkulRambhaSipakudaMirzapurGabakundaGangadharpurKalijai

Tourist Destination

Barunakuda IslandChaubar Siva TempleNabagraha TempleSand Bar (Inlet)Manikpatna

LegendInfrastructure Developed

under ICZMP

Pristine zones have been identified for the terrestrial, lake and coastal regions, and detailed analysis of the tourism potential conducted. Tourism infrastructure has been assessed in terms of importance, accessibility, diversity, popularity and safety.

The tourist sites were categorized as Ecotourism, Product Tourism, Cultural and Heritage Tourism, Religious Tourism and Lake Tourism sites for weighted evaluation. Similarly, zones for future tourism potential opportunities were also assessed by overlaying pristine area analysis maps and existing tourism infrastructure status maps. This helped in delineating zones where regulated, unregulated and partially regulated activities can be proposed. Simultaneously, a study of regulatory environment, socio-economic set up, carrying capacity for tourism and an assessment of product and marketing environs of the area was undertaken. The analytical outputs of the baseline study form the base for designing recommendations and the outline for tourism master plan.

Master plan has paved the way to explore the existing tourism spots of Chilika and its catchment area. The baseline analysis highlights several islands located within Chilika as potential ecotourism sites. Several nesting sites of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle have been identified along the Chilika coast. Prominent sites such as Berhampura, Siandi, Malud, Ramlanka and Prayagi village, Barunokuda Island, Magarmukh, Salia dam, Barbara forest, Bird Island and Honey moon

Island are some of the key spots for ecotourism lovers. Similarly, Pitisal famous for local dance form – Paika akhada and Parikud Palace are some of high potential cultural and heritage tourism destinations.

Of particular interest to the domestic tourists are the numerous temples and holy-springs present in and around Chilika and its islands. Baliharchandi, Narsingnath, Alarnath, Harisaradev, Bhabakundaleswar, Rameswar and Kalijai temples are some of the most visited destinations whereas Kianasi Island near Baghamunda village, Barokudi and Mirzapur constitute important lake tourism destinations. Cultural fests like Chilika Mahotsav and other festivals organized at various lake locations showcasing tradition, art, craft, dance and culture of Odisha add to the efforts to tap the tourism potential of Chilika.

The master plan expects to explore the integrated mechanism for linking all such existing spots and activities via new tourism circuits and several other innovative means. The feasibility for development of various potential tourism sites is being explored. Some of the possible recommendations include linking few islands for promoting island hopping and developing nomenclature for all the islands with its narrative significance. Rajhans Island is also being explored as a potential site for a high end restaurant cum day resort, offering lagoon and sea view simultaneously. A possibility of a water sports complex is also

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Tourism spots typology

CDA is promoting use of non-mechanized boats for tourism

being looked into at a suitable island. Similarly identified, sunset view spots near Chilika and subsidized community operated ‘Food and Beverage Outlets’ can possibly emerge as other potential hotspots.

All such potential spots and activities are being explored under the priority sites finalization process. This will be followed by a detailed local stakeholder consultation, GIS based spatial suitability analysis and consensus building with experts from various fields. All priority sites will be designed for distinct project model covering conceptual plan, block cost estimates and possible linkages under the PPP mode.

Project implementation will pay specific attention to the issues of efficient waste management, availability of basic amenities and involvement of local community for successful and sustainable functioning of the above identified projects in the long run. It is believed that with strategic planning and proper implementation of proposed interventions, tourism within Chilika can be managed in a way that the twin objectives of ensuring ecological integrity and sustaining livelihoods of the communities can be met, within a framework of ‘wise use’.

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Locating opportunities for Chilika fishery cooperatives to move up the market value chain

Chilika fisheries are an important component of the food-security infrastructure of Odisha State. The fishery cooperative societies play a

pivotal role in empowering the fishers and enhancing their livelihoods.

At present, Chilika fisheries are in a state of transformation. There are apprehensions that if the current state of affairs continues, the poor fishers would be marginalized and a bulk of the benefits would be siphoned by the middlemen or the agri-business houses. There is a need to ensure that fishers benefit from high fish yield, as an incentive for using, responsible fishing practices that are compatible with both resource conservation and the social and economic goals of management.

In Chilika, despite the establishment of the first fishery cooperative society in 1942 and

the constitution of a fishery apex body, the Central Fishers Cooperative Marketing Society (CFCMS) Ltd. way back in 1959, the institutional design that was meant to ensure smooth management of leases and provide necessary infrastructure and marketing support, has failed. Though CFCMS and subsequently FISHFED that replaced CFCMS in 1992 were given the mandate to manage marketing and support capital requirements of fishers they were not equipped with any authority to regulate lease agreement or monitor its implementation which remained vested with the revenue department. These developments made the PFCSs and the fishers vulnerable to exploitation at the hands of middlemen jeopardizing

the real objectives of cooperative management of Chilika fisheries.

PFCSs were able to manage fish marketing efficiently in the past but the situation gradually worsened after the 1970s and almost all PFCSs closed their fish marketing business.

The 104 PFCSs that were registered under FISHFED in 2009-10 suffer from lack of financial support and poor governance. The PFCSs members have switched loyalties to middlemen who now have a stronghold on fisher produce as they extend the much needed financial support and marketing facility to them. The fishers do not receive payments commensurate to prevailing market prices. PFCSs have obtained marketing rights of member’s produce and retain disproportionate share of profits from sale proceeds at the cost of the fisher.

Taking note of the dismal state of fisher cooperatives in the state, the Government of Odisha established a new apex organization

Management planning

Fisher using ice box for storing fish

11

for Chilika fishery cooperatives called “Chilika Fishermen Central Cooperative Society” (CFCCS) Ltd. at Balugaon in 2010, with the objective to reactivate the functioning of PFCSs in the Chilika circle, improving governance and establishing fish marketing linkages for an overall improvement in the well being of the fishers.

Given this challenge, the management of market value chain for Chilika fish and fishery products from fishers to markets becomes critical. The value chain management strategy needs to be operationalized in a given context and the geographical environment of Lake Chilika. Chilika Development Authority (CDA) felt that in spite of several constraints, opportunities do exist for improvement in fisher’s incomes, provided cooperatives successfully move up the value chain by improving economies of scale and creating appropriate linkages with the wholesale and retail markets. Hence, CDA awarded the KIIT School of Rural Management (KSRM), KIIT University, Bhubaneswar the contract to critically study the opportunities for Chilika fishery cooperatives during 2012-13. KSRM carried out an assessment during 2013-14 and submitted the final report in September 2014.

The study suggests a framework to redefine critical forward and backward linkages for the PFCSs to move up the value chain. The dynamics of different interfaces in the value chain were analyzed and necessary interventions were suggested for fishers-PFCSs, PFCSs-CFCCS and CFCCS-market interface.

Amongst the three important interfaces of

the value chain, the issues concerning the fishers-PFCSs interface are that of governance, provision of services and meeting the credit needs. Recommendations were made regarding ways and means of improving governance of CFCCS by extending services to member PFCSs, professionalizing management and capitalization of PFCSs. If implemented, these interventions will gradually break the PFCS and middlemen nexus and reactivate the PFCS leading to pooling of fish produce at the primary level and subsequently at CFCCS level. Once the CFCCS has sufficient fish produce and necessary economies of scale, the challenge will be to market the fish produce so as to maximize the returns. The study also focused on strengthening the critical PFCS-market interface through a well defined marketing strategy framework. The interface analysis suggested marketing strategies for four focus markets for Chilika fish as under:

• The cooperatives should facilitate availability of Chilika fish for women vendors who sell fish in markets in and around Chilika but face problems in sourcing fish.

• The product differentiation of Chilika fish for domestic markets in towns should be done through special fish kiosks located in markets where people gravitate for buying fish (within the fish market).

• Domestic markets outside the state need to be catered through tie-up with established retail chains. The frozen products will be more helpful in establishing brand identity of Chilika fish and will be in tune with the

Fish harvest and collection

changing trends in fish retailing and buying preferences of young consumers for hygienic and safe foods.

• The export markets demand high level of sophistication to meet hygiene and safety regulations. The markets are also product specific and presently dominated by tiger prawns with small requirements for specialty fishes. The cooperatives have a great

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opportunity to get into exports of live mud crabs. However, they need to spend efforts to consolidate the supply chain before taking a plunge into export markets. The export markets though lucrative can also be more risky.

The study identifies that in order to successfully implement the proposed market strategy the cooperatives must meet some pre-requisites for long-term success in the market. These are building strong social capital at PFCS level, good governance to manage PFCS-CFCCS interface in terms of transparency and accountability and hiring competent professional managers in CFCCS Ltd. This may influence ability of cooperatives to achieve economies of scale and become reliable suppliers. In addition, the state must recognize the role of cooperatives in successful conservation and management of fishery resources of Chilika lake and support these cooperatives to become viable. The Chilika fish value chain management framework is depicted in Fig 1.

The study has identified building of social and financial capital at PFCS and CFCCS level and good governance to manage the three important interfaces as the key factors to implement the recommended proposal. The realities at the ground level appear to be dismal with regard to level of competency at all levels, particularly respecting fisher perceptions and transparency and accountability in the process of interface management and the effort in this direction has to go a long way to achieve the goal. Some of the suggested measures to make a beginning are as follows:

• Providing financial assistance to fishers to pay back the private credits and supply catches to the PFCS to initiate fish marketing business at the PFCS level (CDA has already taken initiative in this direction).

• Massive capacity building programs by CDA for the fisher members of PFCS with the objective of bringing an attitudinal change towards supply of fish to PFCS and sincere involvement in successful marketing.

• CFCCS needs to be strengthened with regard to key personnel in place, particularly experienced managers to manage sourcing and channelizing fish from PFCS to CFCCS and to establish as a regular fish supplier to the fish kiosks in major fish markets in Bhubaneswar and other nearby towns.

• Infrastructure development of PFCS to handle and supply fish in a hygienic environment.

• Book keeping and management of PFCS organization in accordance with the bye- laws are rudimentary at present and can be improved by capacity building, training and supervision by Chilika circle office.

As reviving cooperatives are a larger part of the state’s initiative towards conservation and sustainability of resources of Lake Chilika, there is a need for intervention to capitalize these institutions to build necessary assets to serve its members in three main areas viz., in-house capacities to meet the requirements for fishing equipments, professionalizing cooperative management and credit availability to members.

Fig. 1: Framework for Fishery Cooperatives to move up fish market value chain

Assessing the economics of wetland ecosystem services: The TEEB – India initiative

Initiated in 2007 by the G8 and five major developing economies, the international TEEB (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) study compiled and presented

a compelling case for using an economic basis for conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity. The study drew on expertise from around the world to evaluate the costs of biodiversity loss and associated decline in ecosystem services, and to compare these with the costs of effective conservation and sustainable use. Since the results of TEEB study were made available at the Convention of Biological Diversity’s 10th Conference of Contracting Parties in 2010, over 20 countries, from the developed as well as developing world alike, have initiated similar assessments.

The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, GoI initiated TEEB-India in February, 2011. Key objectives included synthesis of the latest ecological and economic knowledge to structure the evaluation of ecosystem services, assessing costs and benefits of conservation investments, developing information and tools for improved biodiversity related business practices and finally raising public awareness

of the contribution of ecosystem services and biodiversity towards human welfare, of an individual’s impact on biodiversity and ecosystems, as well as identifying areas where individual action can make a positive difference.

A two-day national consultation workshop on project implementation modalities was held on 15-16 September, 2011 at the Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal. Over 70 participants including leading academics drawn from the fields of environmental economics and ecology, representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, biodiversity boards, Planning Commission, Central Statistics Office, Forest Departments, research institutes and national and international NGOs attended the event. Following consultations, it was agreed not to limit the study to economic valuation but instead focus on a full mix of economic approaches relevant to management of ecosystem services and thereby include economic instruments, role of regulation, governance, regulatory frameworks. It was also agreed to focus the first phase of the study on wetlands, forests, coastal and marine ecosystems. Funding for the first phase has been secured from GIZ

– India under a three year technical cooperation project.

Wetlands International South Asia conducted the scoping study for wetlands. The review included synthesis of current status and knowledge on status and trends, drivers and pressures, ecosystem service values and the way TEEB – India could contribute to conservation challenges and proposed methodology for conducting the study. A compilation of scoping reports for the three ecosystems were released by the Ministry at the 11th Conference of Parties

Economic value of inland wetland ecosystem services (in $/ha/year, values for 2007) compiled from TEEB database

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meeting of Convention of Biological Diversity hosted by India at Hyderabad.

The scoping report reveals some interesting trends. Firstly, economics of wetland ecosystem services is yet to emerge as a major area of research, as very few studies have been published. Amongst the few, majority assessments relate to floodplain wetlands, and spatially, wetlands of the Deccan region and the arid zone are least studied. The research methods are still in early learning curve phases, as the focus has mostly been on wetland products, or on recreational values. Lack of policy centric research is also apparent. Limited focus on regulating services, in particular water security related functions of wetlands, indicate that the required sophistication in research methodology is yet to be achieved. The report concluded that the advantage of an economic assessment for wetlands would be in mainstreaming values in developmental planning and decision making, by creating the necessary conservation effectiveness evidence base, and providing opportunities for designing incentive mechanism for rewarding community resource stewardship.

In its following phase, the inland wetlands component will work on over 12 pilot sites, wherein a network of multidisciplinary teams will be demonstrating application of ecosystem services economics based approaches for integrated site management,

TEEB – India case study sites and focal areas

regulation and land use planning, property rights and improving distribution of costs and benefits, use of market based instruments to enhance conservation, participatory monitoring and evaluation, and sustainable financing.

Chilika has been selected as one of the case study sites to demonstrate the positive economic and social efficiencies associated with ecological restoration of wetlands. The analysis would focus on comparing the benefits derived from implementing lake restoration intervention, with the overall investment undertaken since the inception of CDA. Specific analysis of community led mangrove restoration efforts in abandoned shrimp ponds, community managed ecotourism and fisher cooperative strengthening measures are intended to derive mechanisms for promoting community stewardship through use of market or non-market based incentive mechanisms.

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Management planning for conservation and wise use of Hirakud

Hirakud Reservoir built across river Mahanadi in Sambalpur district of Odisha is one of the major multi-purpose river valley projects of India.

Spanning an area of 719 km2 when full, the reservoir is an important water infrastructure of the state contributing water for generating ~ 300 MW hydropower, irrigating 436,000 ha culturable command area within Bargarh, Bolangir, and Subarnpur districts and providing flood protection to 9,500 km2 of Mahanadi Delta. It is also an important source of fisheries. The commercial fishery of Hirakud comprises nearly 40 species that contribute to 350 MT of fish catch annually. Presence of endangered fish species Mahanadi Mahaseer (Tor mosal mahanandicus) is one of the indicators of its biodiversity values. The reservoir attracts a sizeable population of ducks, geese and waders during winters, and is one of the major waterbird congregation areas in the state.

The multiple values of the reservoir have been adversely affected by rapid transformation of catchments and increasing demands of water in the downstream reaches. Expansion of urban township and thermal and aluminium industries within the reservoir catchments, particularly since 1990s have accentuated water use conflicts between agriculture and industrial sectors.

Hirakud Dam has impacted migration of fish species resulting in a decline in fish yield and an undesirable species mix. Mining activities, changes in land use pattern in the catchment, and industrial effluents have adversely affected water quality of the reservoir. Decreasing fish catch, reduction in fish species diversity, pollution and increasing commercial demand for water has placed livelihood of fishers under great stress. Remote sensing studies in 2007 indicate a loss of water storage capacity by 20%.

Realizing the multifaceted role of Hirakud in the overall economy and

ecology of the state, the Odisha State Wetland Development Authority (OSWDA) recognised the need for putting in place an integrated plan for management of this man-made wetland ecosystem. The task of formulation of integrated management plan was assigned to Wetlands International South Asia in January 2014 by OSWDA.

The overall purpose of management planning is to put in place effective management arrangements for securing values and functions of Hirakud for the ecological and economic security of stakeholders and dependent communities. The management planning process envisages to inventorise and assess

Map 1: Hirakud reservoir

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the wetland features and identify risks to wetland ecological character; appraise the views, rights and capacities of wetland communities to support integrated management; evaluate sectoral plans and management practices in terms of impacts on wetland system and identify possibilities of interlinkages and coordination; develop an effective monitoring and evaluation framework and to develop an effective institutional mechanism with clear cut roles and responsibilities based on specific needs and supported by appropriate policies and regulations.

Integrated Management Planning Approach

The functioning of Hirakud Reservoir is based on a physical template set by flux of water, sediment and nutrients which have been modified by dam operation. Current management of Hirakud is based on objectives related to flood management, hydropower production, irrigation and navigation. Ecological and biological diversity of Hirakud Reservoir and its linkages with riverine processes has not been assessed in detail. There is a need to integrate the hydrological regime requirements of upstream and downstream ecosystems in the management of Hirakud.

Management planning for Hirakud calls for an approach which recognizes the interlinkages between hydrological functioning of the reservoir along with the maintenance of ecosystem processes, biological diversity and livelihood values at a landscape level. This is embodied in the wise use approach for wetland management. Wise use of wetlands is defined as the maintenance of their ecological character achieved through implementation of ecosystem approaches, within the context of sustainable development. The Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) at river basin level is

suggested as an approach for management planning for Hirakud.

Management Planning Process

Management plan for Hirakud will be developed using a diagnostic approach based on critical evaluation of wetland ecological, hydrological, socio-economic features and governing factors.

The management plan will establish baseline information on wetland features such as the wetland extent, geological and geomorphological setup, hydrological regimes, biological diversity, livelihoods and wetland dependence and institutions through collation of existing data/ information, rapid socio-economic surveys, stakeholder consultations and remote sensing based GIS analysis. The status and trends in key features will be prioritized and key management drivers identified. These will form the basis of setting management objectives and identify action plan to address the drivers of change. A results based management planning framework would be developed with outcomes, outputs, targets and performance indicators. As part of activities, component wise action plans and specific projects would be developed detailing the specific interventions, location, target, time frame and the implementing agency. A schematic presentation of methodology is in Fig 1.

Management planning will provide a programmatic framework for achieving wise use of wetlands, through restoration of ecological character in a “healthy state” and embedded within the environmental and socio-economic sustainability objectives pursued through the on-going developmental planning in the State of Odisha.

Fig 1: Management planning framework

Hirakud Reservoir

Chilika bears the distinction of having the largest lagoonal population of globally vulnerable cetacean, Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris). The species has a

discontinuous distribution within South Asia and South East Asia, between the Bay of Bengal and Indonesia, with a global population of less than 7,500.

Chilika Development Authority accords high priority to conservation of this cetacean, and has initiated several conservation measures for its protection and conservation in close coordination with the Wildlife Wing of the State Forest Department. As part of its efforts, CDA conducts the annual population estimation survey of Irrawaddy dolphins in Chilika.

The 2014 population survey was initiated between January 21st and 27th along 18 designated transects. 18 teams of 130 scientists,

honorary wildlife wardens, officials and wildlife enthusiasts from the Chilika Wildlife Division, WWF-India state office, BNHS - Mumbai, Wildlife Society of Odisha, Geoenvitech, Regional Plant Resource Centre, Electronika Lab, SPMU-ICZM Project, People for Animals, Chilika Development Authority, Animal Resource Development Department, researchers from the office of Chief Wildlife Warden, universities and members of local motor boat associations actively participated in the survey. However, the survey results were affected on both days due to adverse weather conditions. Cetacean experts round the world concur that Beaufort conditions (an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions in water or land) significantly affect the sighting of dolphins during survey. Fair weather with a Beaufort condition below two is essential for precision of survey.

Chilika continues to support healthy population of Irrawaddy dolphins

Assessment

Irrawaddy dolphin in Chilika

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For a better understanding of the role of Beaufort conditions and probability of missing animals, a detailed analysis of wind speed, Beaufort conditions and visual sighting of the Irrawaddy dolphins in different conditions was carried out. The wind speed data collected from the automatic weather stations installed at Chilika were used to derive the relationship between the wind speed and the resulting Beaufort conditions. Considering the prevailing Beaufort conditions during the surveys, the probability of missing population was worked out to be 37% in the outer channel and 40% in the main lagoon. To further validate the relationship between the Beaufort condition (wind speed) and visual detection (sighting) of dolphins an extensive exercise was carried out on 24 February 2014 involving four survey teams and 20 members. The wind speed recorded ranged between 8 km/h to 14 km/h with Beaufort condition ≈ 2 and a significant increase in the sighting of dolphins was observed.

Using the three sets of data from the three surveys under different Beaufort conditions and the previous year’s data set, a polynomial equation was computed to arrive at a factor for each Beaufort condition. The estimates of the dolphin population were derived by multiplying the factor with the actual number of sightings during the survey.

The adult population seems consistent with a range of 113 to 121 individuals. It was

important to observe an increase in the number of sub-adult dolphins (with a range of 28 to 30 individuals and an average of 29 individuals) as compared to the estimated figure of last year (16 individuals). A decline in the calf and neonate population (with a range of 6 to 7 individuals and average of 6 individuals) was observed. A significant observation of 2014 population estimation post cyclone is the concentration of main lagoon population of dolphins in the Southern sector. The dolphin population estimates for last twelve years is presented in Fig. 1.

There has been a significant increase in the number of mechanized boat used by fishermen for dolphin watching along the outer channel. The number of boats has increased from 227 during 2003-04 to 900 in 2012-14. Efforts are underway to assess the carrying capacity of boats used for dolphin watching in the dolphin habitat, which would be used to develop a dolphin watching protocol for the outer channel of the lagoon. There is also a need for constant patrolling during day time to regulate the movement of boats along the outer channel by way of deployment of dolphin protection squads.

Fig 1: Trends in Irrawaddy dolphin population in Chilika (2003-2014)

The population of Irrawaddy dolphins in Chilika lagoon in 2014 is estimated to be 158 with the best estimate ranging from 147 to 158 individuals with an error of 5%.

Chilika Waterbird Census – 2014

(Limnodromus semipalmatus), Spot-billed Pelican (Pelecanus philippensis), Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster), Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata), Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia), Pallas’s Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus) Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala) and Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) were recorded.

Chilika is one of the major waterbird congregation areas within the Central Asian Flyway. Waterbird

population is one of the important indicators of ecosystem health. Mid-winter waterbird counts conducted in January each year provide the baseline information on this aspect.

Chilika was visited by 0.7 million migratory birds of 99 species during mid-winter counts of 2014.

Odisha State Wildlife Organization, Chilika Development Authority and the Bombay Natural History Society conducted the census on January 12, 2014. Besides wetland birds, 11,678 individuals from 59 species of wetland dependent and terrestrial birds were also recorded.

Presence of nine near-threatened species namely River Tern (Sterna aurantia), Asian Dowitcher

Assessment

Nalabana continued to be a major congregation site, with a count of 414,392 waterbirds (a 14% increase over the previous years number of 346,877). The number of three species of ducks viz. the Northern Pintail (Anas acuta), Gadwall (Anas strepera) and the Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope) exceeded over 100,000. Maximum counts were recorded for Eurasian Wigeon (146,682).

A significant decline in the number of waders was observed in the entire lagoon. The Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) (37,989) which is the abundant wader species occurring in all the shallow zones showed a nearly 30% decline compared to the previous year counts. A possible reason is grass overgrowth in mud flats in certain areas of Nalabana. The deweeded areas around Watch Tower-II and between Watch Tower I and III, where thousands of waders were observed during December 2013, are seen to dry up fast and waders were not present in large numbers.

A drastic decline was also observed in the number of Common Pochard (Aythya ferina). The counts have been declining since the early 2000, when it used to occur in numbers above 50,000. A similar decline was observed in other diving ducks such as the Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) probably due to the increasing disturbances caused by fishers. Similarly, a considerable decline was observed among the residential and local migrant species like Lesser Whistling-duck (Dendrocygna javanica) and Fulvous Whistling-

duck (Dendrocygna bicolor). The Greylag Goose (Anser anser) and Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus) also exhibit a declining trend.

Changes in predominant wind direction impact the timing and ability of individuals to complete their migratory journey. During peak migration periods, even relatively moderate uncharacteristic winds, if combined with poor visibility and/or rain, can lead to large displacements of birds from their normal migratory trajectory. The occurrence of very severe cyclone “Phailin” is likely to have affected the waterbird migration to some degree. This was observed in case of the Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) which reported a count of over 1000 in the 2013 census that further grew to 2000 post census. However, the number recorded in the current year is only 138.

76 bird experts and enthusiasts from government and Non-Government Organizations like Bombay Natural History Society, Wild Orissa, Wildlife Society of Orissa, WWF – India and teachers and students of universities and local colleges took part in the census. Chilika was divided strategically into 20 units including four units of the Chilika sanctuary - Nalabana. Each unit was led by a bird expert accompanied by two to three participants and a local guide. Training on survey methodology was imparted to the participants at the Wetland Research and Training Centre, Chandraput, Balugaon on 11th January 2014. Each unit was provided with a survey kit containing

a map of the area of each unit and the route to follow, binoculars telescope, notebook with color plates of 48 common waterbirds species of Chilika, bird reference book, waterbird survey form etc. The total bird count was carried out for all waterbird species and wetland dependent birds including the Passerines. Actual number counts were made for smaller flocks, larger and conspicuous birds and estimates were done for the species found in larger flocks.

The census operation was coordinated and monitored by the Divisional Forest Officer, Assistant Conservator of Forests and the Forest Range Officers of Chilika Wildlife Division, Balugaon. Sri B.P. Singh, IFS, Pr. CCF (WL) and CWLW, Odisha, Bhubaneswar and Mrs. Rebecca

Nayar, IFS, Regional CCF, Bhubaneswar supervised the entire operation. Dr. C.S. Kar, Senior Research Officer, Forest Department, Bhubaneswar and Dr. S. Balachandran, Deputy Director, Bombay Natural History Society provided technical inputs and coordination support.

Assessment

Chilika Health Report Card and future prospects

Ecosystem Health Report Card (HRC) is an effective means of tracking and reporting ecological health of a waterbody at both local and regional scales.  The report

card is an approach to synthesize the complex volume of data and information into a simple communicable format which can be understood and appreciated by a wide audience including policy makers and stakeholders. Such report cards have already been made for many ecosystems such as Gulf of Mexico, Great Barrier Reef and Chesapeake Bay.

CDA in collaboration with National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), Chennai and University of Maryland, USA along with funding support from UNEP-GPNM (United

Nations Environment Programme – Global Partnership on Nutrient Management) has developed an “Ecosystem Health Report Card” approach to comprehensively assess the health of Chilika. After a series of consultations with the stakeholders and the scientific community, a health report card for Chilika was formulated for the first time in the year 2012 and approved subsequently in the 12th meeting of the Governing Body of the Chilika Development Authority held on November 13th, 2013 chaired by the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Odisha and Chairman, Chilika Development Authority.

The Health Report Card is a combination of ten indicators of water quality (water clarity, DO and total chlorophyll), fisheries (bird, dolphin, benthic

Fig 1. Ecosystem health in different sectors of Chilika

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fauna diversity and phytoplankton diversity) and fisheries (total catch, size and diversity). A grading system is followed to report the health of the lagoon. Based on comparison with threshold values generated from the decadal data, Chilika lagoon scored “B” for ecosystem health in year 2012. The respective grades for different sectors of the lagoon are shown in fig. 1.

The lagoon as a whole displayed excellent (A) dissolved oxygen concentrations, water clarity, total fish catch and size, and benthic fauna diversity. The lagoon, however, failed with respect to the desired total chlorophyll concentrations (F). The northern, southern and the central sector displayed excellent results for fisheries, good water quality (with the exception of total chlorophyll). The central sector showed excellent biodiversity highlighted by bird count and richness, dolphin abundance, and benthic fauna diversity. The outer channel too displayed excellent biodiversity highlighted by excellent dolphin abundance and phytoplankton diversity. Variation in grading of indicators in different sectors has been presented in Fig. 2.

Chilika Health Report Card was translated in local Odiya language for widespread understanding and recognition by the coastal fisher community and it was well received by them. The report card not only provided information about the status of the health but also generated awareness about pressures which are affecting the ecological values and services of the lagoon and can be reduced or stopped by community participation. The lessons learned during the development of the Health Report Card were also helpful for carrying out similar exercises for lagoons in other Asian countries.

It was experienced in Chilika that a few parameters such as Chl-a (instead of total chlorophyll), total nitrogen, total phosphorous could be much better indicators of ecological health. Apart from these, the river inputs in the form of total organic carbon, organic nitrogen and organic phosphorous would also be considered for analysis as these inputs could be the dominating factor for controlling the biogeochemical cycle of the Chilika ecosystem. Hence, CDA has started analysing these parameters in the upgraded Wetland Research

and Training Centre (WRTC), a nodal research facility of CDA. Currently, efforts are underway to release the health report card for the year 2014 which would be useful to derive trends in ecological health for Chilika.

Fig 2. Variation in indicator grades in (a) Northern sector (b) Central sector (c) Outer channel and (d) Southern sector (Deep green: 80-100%; Light green: 60-80%; Yellow: 40-60%; Orange: 20-40%; Red: 0-20%]

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Meetings and Workshops

Highlights

Workshop on Wetland Governance

“Wetland Governance in South Asia: Status, issues and future directions” workshop was convened at Hotel Mayfair Lagoon in Bhubaneswar on

January 6 and 7, 2014. The workshop was jointly organized by the Chilika Development Authority (CDA), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Wetlands International South Asia (WISA). The objectives of the workshop were to bring a diversity of stakeholders on one platform and discuss and exchange ideas around the issues of wetland governance within the broader context of water governance. The key persons involved in the management of wetlands from different states of India participated in the workshop. The workshop elicited inputs and ideas on policy formulation and management actions as experienced and learnt from the successful case studies of good governance initiatives in wetland management for its replication and

implementation in lake management initiatives.

More than 50 wetland managers from South Asian countries and managers from important Ramsar sites of India, representatives from

MoEFCC, GoI, Wetlands International, WWF, IUCN and wetland managers of major wetlands of the country, policy makers, scientists, NGOs, experts, and research personnels of national and regional institutes participated in the workshop. The institutional structure of CDA, good governance in wetland management and policy support for successful management of Chilika was showcased during the workshop.

TWAP Expert Group meeting for South Asia region

A ‘Transboundary Lakes Programme’ is being implemented by International Lake Environment Committee (ILEC), aiming at development of a Transboundary Water Assessment Methodology for setting priorities and catalyzing a partnership

Wetland governance workshop at Bhubaneswar

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for conducting such a global assessment. This programme is being implemented under the aegis of the GEF funded project on Transboundary Water Assessment Programme. As part of this, an Expert Group Meeting for South Asia region for the aforementioned lakes programme was organized by ILEC in collaboration with Chilika Development Authority and Wetlands International South Asia at India International Centre, New Delhi during January 13-16, 2014. One of the specific objectives of the workshop was to reflect on the past experiences and the current state of regional cooperation in the management of three different lentic and lotic  complexes located in the Himalayan water tower region, the Western-Central Asia boundaries, and in the China-South Asia transboundary region.

Third Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting of UNEP-GEF Project

The Third Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting on “Global foundations for reducing nutrient enrichment and oxygen depletion from land based pollution, in support of Global Nutrient Cycle” was held during March 10-12, 2014. The meeting was convened at Hotel New Marrion in Bhubaneswar and was jointly organized by the Chilika Development Authority (CDA), National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The Global Nutrient Cycle Project is designed to mobilize actions by various actors and stakeholders to address the nutrient challenge

the world is facing. As a range of complex environmental problems are caused by increased levels of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, from land based anthropogenic activities, the GPNM project is aimed at better understanding the impacts of nutrient enrichment on the health of the aquatic ecosystems and developing monitoring mechanisms to address the problems arising out of excessive nutrients entering into the aquatic ecosystem.

The workshop was attended by representatives from Indian Nitrogen Group, International Plant Nutrition Institute, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Edinburgh, UK, World Resources Institute, USA, International Linkages and Research Development Unit, LLDA, Philippines, Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment Plesmanweg, UK-China, Sustainable Agriculture Innovation Network (SAIN), Energy Research Centre, Netherlands, International Fertilizer Industry Association, South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme, Colombo, Sri Lanka, International Fertilizer Development Centre, Bangladesh and also by wetland managers, policy makers and scientists from the regional institutes. The workshop provided a good opportunity for the scientists of CDA to interact with the experts and scientists from all over the world and learn about the latest research taking place globally.

Second Scientific Committee Review meeting for CDA-ICZM Project

The second scientific review meeting was held on March 15, 2014 to review the progress of studies supported under the Integrated Coastal Zone

Management Project. Dr. A. K. Pattnaik, Chief Executive, CDA and P. D., ICZM Project welcomed all distinguished scientists from various institutes and expressed his gratitude for their presence in the meeting. Dr. S. W. A. Naqvi, UNEP/GEF global nutrient cycle project meeting

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Director, National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, Dr. T. K. Adhya, Ex-Director, Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, Dr. Baban Ingole, Chief Scientist, National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, Dr. G. V. M. Gupta, Scientist-E, Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology, Cochin and Dr. B. R. Subramaniam, Ex-Project Director, Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management, Chennai were the members of expert committee. The principal investigators of the ICZM studies made detailed presentation on the research progress.

7th Support Mission of World Bank visits Odisha

The Seventh Support Mission team of the World Bank on ICZMP (Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project) made a visit to Odisha during September 24-26, 2014. The three member mission team visited the ICZM project sites to assess the status of the various project components and activities of ICZMP in Odisha during the course of their three day visit to the state.

On their first day of visit the mission team visited Wetland Research and Training Centre of Chilika Development Authority at Balugaon. The project review and consulation with ten different Project Executing Agencies (PEAs) on their status of progress was held at WRTC. The issues raised by different PEAs were discussed elaborately with the mission team. The new time line for physical and procurement progress were discussed.

The team led by Sri A.S. Ramakrishna, Task Team Leader of ICZMP from World Bank along with Sri Rahul Raturi and Sri Parthopriya Ghosh went for a field visit on September 25, 2014 to see the progress.

The team primarily interacted with the research scholars and scientists of WRTC in their

respective laboratories and the mission team was impressed with the biodiversity research activities of CDA and their significant progress viz. real time monitoring for hydrological modeling of the lagoon and monitoring of flora–fauna habitat of Chilika.

The ICZM Project was launched in Odisha on pilot basis in 2010 and has a total project outlay of 227.64 crores for five years including the state shares. The Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project in Odisha provides assistance to ten different government departments to strengthen their infrastructure on coastal management and providing livelihood assistance to the coastal fishers.

Morocco delegation visits WRTC

A ten member delegation from Kingdom of Morocco visited the World Bank supported Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project sites in Odisha on November 8, 2014 to get an overview of the implementation of ICZM approach in different coastal management aspects initiated in Odisha and to learn from it.

The visit was organised under the South-South Experience Exchange Programme of the World Bank and the delegation visited the project sites with specific objectives viz. to build mutually supportive local government initiatives, to build stronger social cohesion through private entrepreneurship and to plan for scale up of ICZM initiatives.

The Morocco delegation visited the Wetland Research and Training Centre of Chilika Development Authority at Balugaon to see the

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different research activities taken up under ICZM project. A detailed presentation on the lake restoration and management was made by Sri. G. Rajesh, Additional Chief Executive, Chilika Development Authority. Dr. Gurdeep Rastogi presented the research initiatives commissioned by CDA in the ICZM project. The members of the delegation watched a documentary film on Chilika lagoon prepared by CDA.

The Moroccan team included Mr. Bennona Taufiq, Task Team Leader of ICZMP – Morocco, World Bank along with Sri Tahir Rashid, Director of the GEF in Morocco and other delegates. The delegation’s visit to Odisha was accompanied by the Task Team Leader of World Bank for ICZM in India Sri A.S. Ramakrishna and Sri A.C. Dinakar, APD (Operations), SPMU, ICZMP Odisha.

SocMon training workshop

SocMon Training Workshop

A Socioeconomic Monitoring (SocMon) Training Workshop, coordinated by the Chilika Development Authority (CDA), was conducted at the Wetland Research and Training Center (WRTC) in Balugaon, Odisha, from October 27 to November 4, 2014. 21 personnels from various state-level government agencies, civil society groups and non-governmental organizations participated in the workshop.

SocMon is an approach and set of tools for conducting socio-economic monitoring of changes in coastal communities being implemented worldwide through the Global SocMon network. The SocMon South Asia node has been active in promoting the approach over the last 14 years in several locations throughout the region and

Visit of delegates from Morocco

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has contributed in creating a significant body of experience and expertise in India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

The objectives of the training activities was to improve the lives of coastal populations through better regional management of the Bay of Bengal environment and its fisheries and to ensure that socioeconomic monitoring contributes to improved decision-making processes for coastal management in Odisha and, specifically, around Chilika. The methodology built on a participatory approach encouraging workshop participants to develop their understanding of SocMon and the various methods that can be used for analysing the context of Chilika and its communities. Participants were asked to draw on their own experience to develop specifically tailored

approach to the demands of their work and characteristics of the lagoon area. One day of field work was conducted in Parbatipur village, Puri District.

The workshop also focussed on integrating the outputs of SocMon on Chilika into the Chilika Lake Ecosystem Health Report Card. It was recognized that participatory approaches recommended for implementing SocMon are appropriate for the work being carried out by CDA and SocMon can make an important contribution to set up a network of communication and consultation between concerned agencies and local stakeholders, in addition to providing key data to facilitate monitoring of changes in resource use in the area.

Stay in touch

Wetlands International South Asia

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Tel: +91-11-24338906, 32937908

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Chilika Development Authority

Plot No. C -11, B.J.B. Nagar

Bhubaneswar-751 014, Odisha, India

Tel: +91-674 - 2434044

Email: chilika@chilika.com URL: http://www.chilika.com

Wetlands International South Asia

Development Authority

Newsletter • September 2014 • Volume – IIINewsletter • February 2015 • Volume – VIII

Chilika

Wetlands International South Asia

Development Authority