More than two decades ago, the Navegaon bandh water body in Navegaon-Nagzira tiger project was a habitat for Sarus cranes (Grus Antigone). However, the growth of the invasive Ipomea Carnea weed in the water body and the gradual decline in the quality of the aquatic ecosystem, led to these birds skip the habitat. Now, officials at the Navegaon Nagzira Tiger Project (NNTP) have launched a campaign to remove the weed, which is locally called 'besharam.' "This weed does not allow other plants to grow or herbivores to access the water... It is like a green desert which does not support birds and wildlife. We are also planting native species of grasses," said Ramanujam RM, chief conservator of forests and field director. He added, "Earlier Navegaon Bandh was a breeding site for the Sarus cranes, but the growth of this invasive species, which does not support the growth of aquatic life or wildlife had affected it. The Sarus, which is classified as vulnerable species by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is one of the tallest flying birds, with a height of up to six-feet and a wing-span of eight-feet. It can be found in the Gangetic basin, and states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. "We are now trying to restore this as a habitat for the Sarus cranes," said Ramanujam, adding this was being done in phases with labourers deep-ploughing the soil to remove the roots of the weeds. More than 90-acre of weeds were cleared last year, and 100-acre this year. The water body has around 200 hectare under submergence. The local fishermen were also affected by the decline in their fish catch. Hence, the restoration of the habitat will also help them earn a livelihood. The de-weeding exercise is part of a larger meadow development effort by the NNTR managers to make it more suitable for herbivores. "The area has dense forests, which are not suitable for herbivores. So, we are developing meadow patches. Though we have open grasslands, we need to create palatable grass for a healthy herbivore population," said Ramanujam. However, the tiger project has the presence of eight adult tigers, including five females, and it is necessary to ensure a healthy prey base to prevent future conflict. However, Dr Anil Pimplapure, founder member of the Maharashtra Pakshimitra Sanghatana, noted de-weeding of besharam and other obnoxious weeds was one of the components for wetlands restoration, and added that to restore the Sarus population, it was necessary to ensure protection and food for the birds. "There are many reasons for the decline of the Sarus population, like pollution due to pesticide run-off from neighbouring paddy fields into water bodies, non-availability of pests and fish and frogs for feeding, theft of eggs and poaching of birds," he explained. Pimplapure said that de-weeding would help restore bio-diversity in the water body. "The Sarus was once distributed in Nagpur, Chandrapur, Bhandara, Gondia and Gadchiroli, but now can be seen only in parts of Gondia." The Navegaon- Nagzira tiger project is spread over 1,894.94 sq km area, including a 1,241.24 sq km buffer, in the Navegaon national park, Nagzira wildlife sanctuary, Navegaon wildlife sanctuary, New Nagzira wildlife sanctuary and Koka wildlife sanctuary. GRADUAL DECLINE IN QUALITY OF AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM

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