Guwahati, Nov. 4: The ministry of environment, forests and climate change is sending a four-member team to Loktak lake in Manipur to suggest steps to be initiated for declaring Loktak Lake a Unesco World Heritage Site.

The team will be on a three-day visit to the lake from Monday and hold discussions with the state government, agencies concerned and other stakeholders.

Loktak lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in the Northeast and plays an important role in the ecological and economic security of the region.

A statement issued by the ministry said the four-member team for conservation and management of the lake would also enumerate the steps required to be initiated to declare the lake a World Heritage Site.

The Wildlife Institute of India has taken up the process of nomination of Keibul Lamjao National Park, along with its surrounding areas, as part of a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Keibul Lamjao represents an extraordinary story of natural antiquity, diversity, beauty and human attachment. It is proposed to inscribe Keibul Lamjao Conservation Area, comprising a core area of Keibul Lamjao National Park (40 square km) and a buffer of Loktak lake (140 square km) and Pumlen Pat (43 square km) as a Unesco (mixed category) World Heritage Site.

Anil Madhav Dave, the Union minister of state (independent charge) of environment, forests and climate change, had inspected Keibul Lamjao National Park, home to the Sangai, an endangered species also known as the brow-antlered deer, on September 29.

Dave met NGOs, self-help groups and dwellers at the lake. They highlighted several issues related to education, health, employment and issues regarding the lake. He had said he would do his best to make sure the lake and the national park would become good tourist destinations.

The team will review the project carried out with financial assistance of the central and state governments and suggest means to conserve the lake.

It will also identify the steps to be taken to increase the tourism potential of the lake. The ministry has asked the team to submit a report by November 15.

Loktak, spread across three valley districts of Imphal West, Thoubal and Bishnupur, is home to the world's most threatened deer species Sangai ( Servus eldi eldi), migratory birds and animal species.

This 246 square km Ramsar site is the world's only floating wildlife sanctuary and Keibul Lamjao is the only remaining natural Sangai habitat.

However, there is growing concern about shrinking of the park area and future of the deer at the park.

"There was an immediate threat to the Sangai population in Keibul Lamjao National Park, the only floating wildlife sanctuary in the world as the thickness of the floating bio-mass is decreasing drastically," environmentalist N. Nandiram Sharma said.

Owing to siltation and pollution, the eco-system of the lake is degrading over the years, causing serious concern to environmentalists and conservationists. The lake provides livelihood to thousands of fishermen who are residing on the fringe of the lake and also inside.

As part of Loktak development project, the Okram Ibobi Singh government started evicting fishermen residing in huts constructed on phumdis (floating bio-mass) since 2011. Sections of the phumdi settlers are still resisting the eviction drive.