IDENTIFICATION OF POTENTIAL HABITAT AND THE THREAT FOR WETLAND BIRDS IN VEDANTHANGAL

The Remote Sensing and GIS plays a vital role to investigate wildlife and its habitat. Wetland is the most prominent place for bird habitats and for their breeding, nesting, and rearing young. Also it’s a source for drinking water, feeding, resting, shelter, and social interactions. Vedanthangal wetland acts as a feeding site for many migratory and resident bird species. The rapid encroachment and changes in the wetland surroundings, pose a great threat to the birds that come to the wetland for feeding. It is essential to analyze the level of potentiality to the birds, to find the threats and to study the influences of bird occurrence. Therefore, this study involves to prepare a map showing the potential feeding sites for the wetland birds and also to provide detailed spatial information showing the levels of threat. In the total study area of 158.44 sq.km, it is found that 27.67% of area is potential as feeding site for birds and 10.48% of the area is under threat. Thereby, action plan maps are prepared which could aid in the conservation of wetland for the sustainable feeding site for the birds. This study enhances the innovative ideas to apply for large area extent and for the sustainability of birds.