Emerging threat of urbanization to ponds and avian fauna in Punjab, India

Abstract

The present study was conducted to investigate the impact of change in land use pattern around urban ponds due to anthropogenic activities in relation to avian diversity, community composition and population number by selecting one man-made brick pond (Pond A, location I), two natural ponds (Pond B and Pond C, location II) at Kot Ise Khan, district Moga, Punjab. From the pooled data, 25 bird species (six migratory, nineteen resident) belonging to eight orders and seventeen families were recorded from December 2018 to May 2019. Community characteristics of pond A, B and C like species richness (17, 9, 11) and species diversity (2.83, 2.20, 2.40) were highest in the month of February, December and January respectively. Such instances of urbanization engulfing water bodies in urban areas are common throughout the Punjab; there must be well framed policy and its honest implementation to address the emerging issues for preservation and protection of avian diversity and overall biodiversity.