Wetlands dynamics analysis: a case study of Keoladeo National Park (India), the wintering grounds of West Siberian white crane population

Abstract

The work is devoted to the study of the dynamics of the wetlands area in the Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur province, Rajasthan, India) over the past decades in connection with changes in climatic parameters to assess the wintering conditions of the endangered West Siberian White Crane population (Leucogeranus (=Grus) leucogeranus Pallas, 1773). The article presents the results of a statistical analysis of the main meteorological parameters (average maximum and minimum temperatures of the surface layer of the atmosphere in 1971–2022, average precipitation per year and from October to March (the wintering period of West Siberian White Crane) in 1958–2021); the results of an analysis of the ratio of areas of different types of habitats according to remote sensing data in 1972–2022; the results of statistical analysis of the volume of water entering the park from the Ajahn Bund reservoir in 1980–2010. During the study period, a significant increase in the average maximum and minimum temperatures of the winter period was revealed, which, along with the absence of a significant trend towards an increase in the average amount of precipitation and an increase in the number of dry years, indicates a warming climate with an increase in its aridity. A statistically significant reduction in the area of habitats suitable for West Siberian White Crane has been established. This indicates a significant decrease in the water level in the Keoladeo wetlands, both due to increased evaporation and a significant reduction in the volume of water entering the park from the reservoir. The results of the study show that in the conditions of observed climate changes, the main regulators of the water level and the state of the ecosystem of the Keoladeo wetlands are agricultural users, whose water consumption increases with increasing aridity of the climate.