Asan Conservation Reserve:
A bird counting campaign at the Asan Wetland in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand has yielded impressive results, with volunteers identifying 5,225 birds across 117 different species.
- Asan Conservation Reserve (ACR) is a 444-hectare stretch of the Asan River running down to its confluence with the Yamuna River in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand.
- It was declared as a Conservation Reserve in 2005 under Section 36A of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- It was the first Ramsar site in Uttarakhand.
- It is also listed as an Important Bird Area (BNHS and BirdLife International) and is popular for sightings of native and migratory birds.
- Strategically located within the Central Asian Flyways (CAF), the reserve homes 330 species of birds, including critically endangered-white-rumped vulture, Baer’s pochard; endangered-Egyptian vulture, steppe eagle, black-bellied tern; and vulnerable-marbled teal, common pochard, Indian spotted eagle, etc.
- Other non-avian species present include 49 fish species, one of these being the endangered Putitor mahseer.
