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Beas Conservation Reserve
| Site Name | Beas Conservation Reserve |
|---|---|
| State | Punjab Hoshiarpur, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Kaputhala, Jalandhar, Tarn Taran |
| Ramsar Site Number | 2408 |
| Ramsar Designation Date | 26 Sep 2019 |
| Area | 6429 hectares |
| Latitude | 31.3948 |
| Longitude | 75.1947 |
| Categories | Inland wetland Permanent river/stream/creek Human-made wetland Water storage area/Reservoir |
| Elevation min / max | 210 / 320 |
| Listed in Montreux Record? | No |
| Spans over more than one country? | No |
| Details | |
| The Beas Conservation Reserve is a 185-kilometre stretch of the Beas River located primarily in the north-west of the State of Punjab. The River meanders down from the Himalayan foothills to the Harike Headworks, where its course is diverted into a number of channels. The River is dotted with islands, sand bars and braided channels creating a complex environment supporting substantial biodiversity. More than 500 species of birds are documented along this stretch, along with more than 90 fish species. The Reserve also hosts the only known population in India of the endangered Indus river dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor). Further threatened species include the endangered masheer (Tor putitora) and hog deer (Axis porcinus) as well as the vulnerable smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata). In 2017, a programme was initiated to re-introduce the critically endangered gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) with 47 individuals released into the River 30 years after their disappearance. Major threats include urban and domestic pollution as well as impacts of agriculture along most of the River's course. | |
| Threats | |
| Human settlements (non agricultural), Tourism and recreation areas, Commercial and industrial areas, Housing and urban areas, Unspecified development, Water regulation, Water abstraction, Water releases, Canalisation and river regulation, Biological resource use, Gathering terrestrial plants, Fishing and harvesting aquatic resources, Invasive and other problematic species and genes, Invasive non-native/ alien species, Pollution, Agricultural and forestry effluents, Garbage and solid waste, House | |
