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Bihar - an introduction

Location and biogeographyBihar is located in the eastern part of the country. It is an entirely land–locked state, although

the outlet to the sea through the port of Kolkata is not far away. Bihar lies mid-way between the humid West Bengal in the east and the sub humid Uttar Pradesh in the west which provides it with a transitional position in respect of climate, economy and culture. It is bounded by Nepal in the north and by Jharkhand in the south. The Bihar plains are divided into two unequal halves by the river Ganga that flows through the middle from west to east. The total geographical area of the state is 94,164sq km.

Bihar lies in the tropical to sub tropical region. Rainfall here is the most significant factor in determining the nature of vegetation. Bihar has a monsoon climate with an average annual rainfall of 1200 mm. Northern Bihar is almost entirely a level tract, while the south is wooded and hilly. North Bihar is extremely fertile. The Himalayan Mountains in the north have a significant bearing on the distribution of monsoon rainfall in Bihar. Bihar is watered by numerous rivers like Ganga, Kosi, Gandak, Burhi Gandak, Kamla-Balan, Baghmati, Kareh, Mahananda, Adhwara, among others. Steatite, Pyrites, Quartzite, Crude Mica and Limestone are among the major minerals found in the state.

The topography of Bihar can be easily described as a fertile alluvial plain occupying the Gangetic Valley. The plain extends from the foothills of the Himalayas in the north to a few miles south of the River Ganga. Four distinct regions can be recognized in the state, which are: The North Ganga plains, the alluvial plains of North West, the South Bihar plains and the alluvial filling south of Ganga.

BiodiversityThe sub Himalayan foothills of Someshwar and Dun ranges in Champaran constitute a belt of

moist deciduous forests. These also consist of scrub, grass and reeds. Here the rainfall is above 1,600 mm which promotes luxuriant sal forests. The hot and dry summer contributes to the deciduous nature of forests. The most important trees are sal, shisham, toona, khair, and semal. This type of forest also occurs in Saharasa and Purnia districts. Rich farmland and lush orchards extend throughout the state.

The notified forest area in the state is about 6473sq km or 6.87%. Of this protected forest is 692.89sq km (10.70%), reserve forest is 5778.89sq km (89.20%) and the rest is non classified forest. The Gangetic dolphin, leopard, tiger, wild buffalo, four horned antelope, Indian elephant, swamp deer, hog deer and gaur are some of the important mammals in the state.

Socio-economic profileThe population of state of Bihar according to 2001 census is 82,998,509. Till 1991 Census, the

composite state of Bihar was the second most populous state in the country (containing slightly more than 10 percent of the country’s population), next only to Uttar Pradesh. However, after bifurcation of the state of Bihar and creation of the new state of Jharkhand, the rank of Bihar among the states of India has slipped down to third.

Bihar has a very small tribal population spread largely in the bordering areas of Jharkhand. The State has a total of 23 scheduled castes as per 2001 census. The major tribes in Bihar are Santhal, Kharwar, Tharu and Dhangad. The most notable among the schedule castes are bhumij, chamar (Mochi), dhobi, dom, dusadh, musahar, nat and pasi. The major dialects of Hindi in the state are: Bhojpuri, Magahi and Maithili. The main occupation of the people is agriculture. Cattle-rearing is practiced by settled cultivators. The principal food grain crops are rice, wheat, maize and pulses. Main cash crops are sugarcane, oilseeds, tobacco, jute and potato. 90% of farmers in Bihar grow rice. Major industries include cotton spinning mills, sugar mills, jute mills, rice mills, woolen weaving, tussar silk production and leather industries.

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The state of Bihar is densely populated by agrarian communities exerting ever-growing demands for agricultural lands. Their needs of fuel wood have been mainly responsible for depletion of plant cover forest and turning of vast tract of land into waste land. Reclamation of wastelands and wetlands for human uses has left animal life vulnerable or declining with no end in the sight. There are 1450 saw mills as legal against 3900 saw mills running illegally in Bihar.

Natural calamities like recurring floods and rivers changing their courses have heavy impacts on animals, human life and property, and wildlife habitat. Rivers are highly polluted as industries flout pollution control norms which have severely endangered the floral and faunal biodiversity and the traditional agriculture practices in their vicinity. Poaching, mismanagement of aquatic resources, pollution, deforestation and lax management of forest areas are the major issues in Bihar state related to environment.

ConservationAs part of conservation initiative state forest department manages 12 wildlife sanctuaries,

1 national park (Valmiki National park), 2 tiger reserves (Palamau Tiger Reserve and Valmiki Tiger Reserve), 1 closed area (Gogabil Pakshi Vihar) and 1 botanical garden. International Bird Conservation Network (IBCN) facilitated by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and Birdlife International has identified 11 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in the state1. Additionally, 11 sites are proposed to be identified as Ramsar sites as per Ramsar Convention2.

NEAC (National Environmental Awareness Campaign) by the government seems to have generated an interest in and support to the NGOs in the state. Many individuals like. R.K.Sinha (popularly known as the Dolphin Man), B.K. Sinha, NGOs like BNHS, SACON (Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History), Mandar Nature Club (MNC), The UNESCO Club of Darbhanga and Society for Conservation of Flora & Fauna are contributing significantly to various environmental issues in the state. Army from Danapur cantonment and Paharpur camp are also contributing through conserving bird habitats and afforestation drives.

Bihar state is blessed with rich traditions and heritage being the land of Buddha, Mahavir, Ashoka and other Magadh emperors who had been the great conservationists of biodiversity. Till today many of these conservation traditions and rituals which connect humans to nature exist and are practiced widely throughout the state. Some efforts by the local communities at conservation have also been reported. Some such examples are mentioned below but details are not available for most any except Motichak village in Bhagalpur district.

These efforts towards participatory biodiversity conservation in the state include:

S. no. Name of the area Location (District) Kind Of effort Area

1. Gonda and Rahama villages North Karnapura Forest protection Not available

2. 22 villages and Hazaribaug Hazaribaug Forest protection Not available

3. Uishiya Village West Singbhum Forest protection > 5,000 acres

4. Sacred Groves of Palamau Tiger Reserve Daltonganj Sacred groves protection Not available

5 Motichak Bhagalpur Protection of greater and lesser adjutant storks

Entire village area

This information is compiled by Saili S. Palande based on Bihar profile http://gov.bih.nic.in/Profile/default.htm and Mishra, A. Draft Report Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for Bihar, in the document TPCG and Kalpavriksh. Securing India’s Future: Final Technical Report of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. Prepared by the NBSAP Technical and Policy Core Group. (Pune, Kalpavriksh, 2005).

Endnotes1 Source: M.Z. Islam and A.R. Rahmani. Important Bird Areas of India: Priorities of Conservation-IBCN, BNHS, UK: Bird Life International, 2004.

2 M.Z.Islam and A.R. Rahmani. Potential Ramsar Sites in India. IBCN:BNHS and Birdlife International, 2006.

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CCA/Bihar/CS1/Bhagalpur/Motichak/Adjutant stork breeding site

Motichak, Bhagalpur

Background At the beginning of the twentieth

century, the greater adjutant storks were found in huge numbers, in much of South and South-East Asia from Pakistan through northern India, Nepal and Bangladesh to Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. Over the last hundred years, a massive decline has taken place and their breeding population has confined to only two places in the world one in Assam in India and the other in Cambodia. However its foraging population survives mainly in the flood plains of Brahmaputra, Ganga and Kosi region. Some reports of breeding populations of the greater adjutant had come from Uttar Pradesh in the year 1865-1868 and from Orissa in 1889-1890 but were not authenticated as mentioned in the Red Data Book1.

IUCN (the World Conservation Union) has categorized this species as endangered in the year 2002. Its total world population has been estimated to be 700-800. 80% of the breeding population of this species is found in Assam in India and rest in Cambodia. The authors of this case study have identified the first ever nesting of greater adjutant in Bihar as the third breeding range of this species in the world.2

In India nine species of storks are found. Among these, the white stork, oriental stork and black storks are migratory and the greater adjutant, lesser adjutant, black necked stork, Asian openbill or openbilled stork, woolly necked stork or white necked stork, and painted stork are resident.

Out of these nine species of storks, seven are seen around Bhagalpur district of Bihar. The members of Mandar Nature Club (MNC) based in Bhagalpur have found the breeding sites of four species of these storks in the area i.e. the Asian openbill, black necked stork, lesser adjutant and the greater adjutant. While the greater adjutant has the status of endangered category, the lesser adjutant is categorized as vulnerable by the IUCN under the list of threatened birds of Asia. In Bhagalpur both these species are seen breeding on the same trees. Black necked stork and painted stork have been categorized by IUCN as nearly threatened species.

Towards community conservation Both the greater adjutant and the lesser adjutant are known to breed close to human habitation.

Lesser adjutant have been seen breeding on semal, peepal, banyan and mango trees in the state. In the newly discovered breeding site both of these species seem to be preferring semal trees located in Motichak village of Bhagalpur district. Locally the storks are called as garud3 and the greater adjutant as bada garud or hargilla because they have a large neck pouch. The garud have a great mythological importance among the Hindus in India as they are known to be the careers of lord Vishnu.

Villagers in Motichak village have been traditionally protecting the birds from the nomadic hunter gatherer tribe, Banpar, locally called the Gulgulwas. There have been reports of the local villagers snatching the catapult from the banpars and driving them away from the nesting site of these birds. The villagers had been doing this without the knowledge of the threatened status of these birds.

Once the breeding site was discovered by the MNC members, the villagers were skeptical about their intentions behind visiting the site. Over a period of time an environment of trust and friendship

Colony of greater adjutant storks at Motichak village Photo: Arvind Mishra

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developed between the villagers and the MNC members. Through the bird watchers the villagers became aware about the threatened status of the adjutant species and their zeal to protect these birds increased. Villagers are now sentimentally attached with the trees on which the birds nest. Once when a chick of a lesser adjutant died after falling from the tree, even the women and children came to its rescue. The next morning all women, children and the youth were sad as the chick did not survive.

Threats to the Greater adjutantSome of the main threats being faced by these birds include the following:

1. Habitat destruction

2. Hunting by local nomadic, hunter, gatherer tribe called the Banpars, who collect the eggs and chicks of the birds and hunt them for food and trade.

3. Extensive use of the anti-inflammatory medicine Diclofenac for veterinary purposes (also the reason for the forced, near extinction of vulture population in India). Greater adjutant often feed on carcasses of dead livestock and are likely to be decimated like the vultures if Diclofenac is not banned in the state.

4. Lack of awareness about their threatened status.

ConclusionMore extensive surveys are required at micro levels to find out the exact status of both foraging

and breeding populations of these birds in the state. This species needs to be listed under schedule I of Wild Life (Protection) Act (under which the threatened species in India are listed and protected).

The forest department needs to take a greater interest in conserving this species along with the local people. High level of awareness is required to be generated among the rural people about the status of these birds. Plantation of semal trees close to their nesting sites needs to be encouraged.

This case study has been contributed by Arvind Mishra, the State Coordinator of Bihar and Jharkhand for Indian Bird Conservation Network (IBCN) who is also the member State Board for Wildlife, Govt. of Bihar and member editorial board, Newsletter for Birdwatchers along with his team of Mandar Nature Club (MNC), Bhagalpur, Jainandan Mandal, D.N. Choudhary, Sunil Agrawal, Tapan Kumar Pan and Tapan Kumar Ghosh. This case study was contributed in January 2007.

For more details contact:Arvind MishraMandar Nature ClubAnand Chikitsalaya RoadBhagalpur, Bihar – 812002Ph: 0641 – 2423479, Mob: 09431875124

E-mail: mncarvind@homail.com and mncarvind@rediffmail.com

Endnotes1 A database on the endangered species of flora and fauna.

2 A. Mishra, J. Nandan, Mandal and T. K. Gosh, ‘Breeding of Lesser Adjutant from an unexplored area of Kosi region of N. Bihar’. Newsletter for Birdwatchers, Vol. 44, No.6, Nov– Dec 2004.

A. Mishra, J. Nandan, Mandal and T. K. Gosh, ‘First ever reporting of the breeding population of lesser adjutant in Bihar’. Mistnet, Vol. 7, No.1, Jan-Mar, 2006.

3 In this area all the storks in general are referred to as garud, connected to the Hindu mythological epic of Ramayan in which garud the bird helped lord Ram in his war of goodness over evil.

Greater adjutant stork nesting Photo: Arvind Mishra