Activists of Nature’s Friends with a rescued black stork. Telegraph picture

Dhubri, Jan. 14: Migratory birds visiting this region in winter fall prey to poachers because of the lack of conservation measures to protect the habitats of the feathered guests.

A local NGO, working for preservation and protection of birds’ habitats in Dhubri and parts of lower Assam, rued that the government had not taken tangible steps to develop wetlands and banks of rivers into viable tourist spots despite the immense potential in this sector.

Because of the tireless efforts of the NGO, the Bodoland Territorial Areas District (BTAD) has finally conceded to notify Sareswar Beel, one of Asia’s biggest wetlands near Gouripur in Dhubri district, as a site for conservation of birds’ habitat.

Activists of Nature’s Friends, a nature-based organisation, said there were 75 wetlands and waterbodies in the BTAD, the major ones being Sareswar, Diplai, Dhir, Dakra and Lowkhowa, where nearly 70,000 migratory birds belonging to over 55 species migrated every year from mid-September.

“These wetlands provide shelter to nearly 40,000 birds because of availability of food. The abundant marshy lands and river islands in this part of the state also beckon these migratory birds, some of which fly nearly 80,000km to reach these habitats,” Diptiman Dutta, the secretary of the organisation, said.

Dutta said the number of migratory birds had declined over the years because of rapid encroachment of wetlands, river islands and other waterbodies in this region.

“Apart from the commonly found birds like lapwing, lacana, whistling teals, mallards, cormorants, ruddy-shell-ducks and black storks, Bengal floricans, a rare and endangered species, were also spotted easily in these areas. Now, they are nowhere to be seen,” Dutta said.

A senior officer of the forest department said the most bird-rich habitat in the region was Sareswar Beel, followed by Diplai.

“The habitats of these birds can be conserved only by creating awareness among the people. Poaching has also led to a considerable decline in the number of migratory birds,” he said.

The officer also laid stress on protecting the bird habitats during the egg-laying period. “This will increase the population of these birds,” he said.