Thanedar Wala (Ramsar Site)

Thanedar Wala wetland site is located 15 km east of Lakki, Bannu District, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan.

It comprises the Kurram River from its confluence with the Gambila River downstream almost to the border with Punjab province. Thanedar Wala is a good characteristic example of a river floodplain wetland in Pakistan. It hosts the globally threatened ferruginous duck Aythya nyroca. The site is an important wintering place for herons, Anatidae and shorebirds. The wetland consists of a 10 km stretch of the Kurram River and its associated floodplains. Most of the area consists of a few braided river channels and sandy or muddy islands with a maximum width of 4 km, and some permanent and seasonal fresh to brackish marshes and ponds.

Tall stands of Typha dioica, T. angustata and Phragmites karka occur in places along the riverbanks. Other species of the marshes are Cyperus laevigatus, Kochia indica, Desmostachya bipinnata, Imperata cylindrica and species of Chara sp., Launaea sp., Phoenix sp., Potamogeton sp., Ranunculus sp. and Saccharum sp. There are also large areas of Tamarix thickets. The natural vegetation of the surrounding area is tropical thorn scrub. The Kurram valley is an important site on the migration route of many birds. The reserve supports wintering Casmerodius albus, and many Anatidae, especially Tadorna ferruginea, Anas crecca, A. platyrhynchos, A. clypeata, Aythya ferina and A. nyroca. Other species occurring at the site in winter are 8 species of waders, and Porphyrio porphyrio. Glareola pratincola and Sterna albifrons breed at this wetland. The site also hosts the reptiles Varanus monitor and Uromastyx sp.

Thanedar Wala was designated a Ramsar site on July 23, 1976.

External links

* [http://pakistan-wetlands.dyndns.org A site with GoogleMaps for Ramsar sites in Pakistan]