Avian Diversity around Indus River with Collision Prone Species Abundance at Proposed 765 KV Transmission Line
Avian Diversity around Indus River with Collision Prone Species Abundance at Proposed 765 KV Transmission Line
Misbah Ammanat1, Abdul Qadir1, Zulfiqar Ali2*, Rida Ahmad2,3, Usman Ahmad1, Irfan Zainab2 and Aliza Batool2,3
ABSTRACT
A double circuit 765 kV Dasu Transmission Line (TL) of 250 kilometers length has been planned as Pakistan’s first extra high voltage TL in the highlands. Collision risks for birds may be greatest around the Indus River and its tributaries. The study area is 7,951 km2, stretching from the Dasu Hydropower Project in the north to the Islamabad West Grid Station in the south. Field surveys at 678 observation points were conducted from November 2017 to October 2018. A total of 38,939 birds were sighted, representing 215 different species. Tarbela Reservoir and the future Dasu dam site had the greatest abundance and diversity of avifauna. The number of individuals observed per survey peaked in November, at the height of fall migration; the secondary peak of back migration in March was much smaller. Most abundant species in the study area included Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) and Carrion Crow (Corvis corone) with relative abundance 9.36, 6.58 and 5.73 respectively. Out of 215 species, 27 are collision-prone based on published reports or morphology. Natural birds and migratory sub-routes in the study area highlight the study’s significance. Researchers might benefit from this research for similar studies in future developmental projects.
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