The Keibul Lamjao National Park ( mni, Keibul Lamjao Leipakki Lampak) is a

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

in the

Bishnupur district Bishnupur district ( Meitei pronunciation: /ˌbɪʃnʊˈpʊə/) is a district of Manipur state in northeastern India. Origin of name Its name is derived from a Vishnu temple located at Lamangdong. Geography Bishnupur town is the administrat ...

of the state of Manipur in India. It is in area, the only floating park in the world, located in North East India, and an integral part of Loktak Lake. The national park is characterized by floating decomposed plant material locally called phumdi. It was created in 1966 as a wildlife sanctuary to preserve the natural habitat of the endangered Eld's deer (''Cervus eldi eldi''). In 1977, it was gazetted as national park.

History

The brow-antlered deer, which was first discovered in Manipur in 1839 and named ''

Cervus eldi eldi The sangai ( Meitei pronunciation: /sə.ŋai/) is an endemic and endangered subspecies of Eld's deer found only in Manipur, India. It is also the state animal of Manipur. Its common English name is Manipur brow-antlered deer or Eld's deer and the ...

'' in 1844 in honour of Lt. Percy Eld – a British officer, was reported an

extinct species This page features lists of extinct species, organisms that have become extinct, either in the wild or completely disappeared from Earth. In actual theoretical practice, a species not definitely located in the wild in the last fifty years of cur ...

in 1951. It was re–discovered in the Keibul Lamjao Park area by the environmentalist and photographer E.P. Gee, which necessitated declaring this reserve park area as a national park to protect and conserve the deer now called Eld's deer's subspecies brow-antlered deer (''Cervus eldi eldi'') or Sangai in

Meitei language Meitei (), also known as Manipuri (, ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of north-eastern India. It is spoken by around 1.8 million people, predominantly in the state of Manipur, but also by smaller communities in the rest of the country and in pa ...

(to distinguish it from the other two subspecies found in Burma and Thailand that are called ''Cervus eldii thamin'' and ''Cervus eldii siamensis'' and also in Cambodia,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

, Thailand, Vietnam and Hainan Island). It has a pride of place in the folklore and culture of the Manipur state and is the state animal of Manipur. From a small herd of 14 deer in 1975, its population was reportedly 155 in 1995 and as per the latest wildlife census conducted in March 2016 its number rose to 260.

Geography and topography

The park is a

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

with floating mass of vegetation created by accrual of organic garbage and

biomass Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms bi ...

with soil particles that has been thickened into a solid form called phumdis, at the south–eastern side of the Loktak Lake, which has been declared a

Ramsar site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **

monsoon season. The distinctive nature of the park is that it is "too deep to be marsh, too shallow to be a lake".

Ownership rights

While the area on the periphery of the park is privately owned, the park itself is predominantly state-owned and the remaining areas are divided between the tribal groups of the Thang, Brel and Maril tribes who claim ownership rights.

Hydrologic features

Hydro–meteorological feature of the area is marked by the dominance of the Indian tropical monsoon with an average annual rainfall of with July and August as the wettest months and February and March as the driest. The size of the park varies with the seasons as it is formed of phumdis (morass of

organic matter Organic matter, organic material, or natural organic matter refers to the large source of carbon-based compounds found within natural and engineered, terrestrial, and aquatic environments. It is matter composed of organic compounds that have c ...

). The peripheral areas of the lake are grounded to the bed of the lake during the dry season but get almost substantially submerged for a few days during the monsoon season. It emerges and floats to the surface fully a few days later, separating from the ground; the depth of the Phumdi varies from to and during this period the animals in the park move to higher hilly areas. About twenty percent of its thickness floats on the lake, above the surface, which supports the weight of large

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

s. ;Weather Temperatures vary from a maximum of in summer to a minimum of in winter. Humidity was a recorded high of 81% in August with a minimum of 49% in March.

Flora and fauna

The park, primarily composed of moist semi–evergreen forests, has a rich amalgam of aquatic, wetland and terrestrial ecosystem. The grass land structure of the park is divided into three zones.

Aquatic flora

Aquatic flora recorded in the park include '' Zizania latifolia'' (wild rice, ''ishing kambong''), '' Tripidium bengalense'', ''Eiranthus procerus'' (''singnang''), '' Dioscorea bulbifera'' (''phumha''), '' Cynodon dactylon'' (''tinthou''), '' Alpinia galanga'' (''pullei''), '' Eichhornia crassipes'' (''kabokang''), '' Hedychium coronarium'' (''loklei''), '' Nelumbo nucifera'' (''thambal'') and '' Phragmites karka'' (''tou''). Some of the above-listed flora had been recorded in two types of ''phumdis'' namely, the ''phumdi ataoba'' (floating) and the ''phumdi aruppa'' (sinking); reeds, grasses, and other plants growing on a mat of dead and decaying vegetation floating on the lake surface form the ''ataoba'', while ''Phumdi aruppa'' has mats of vegetation which have sunk to the bottom of the lake and support a rich emergent growth of reeds and grasses. In a 1960 estimate, the ''phumdi'' vegetation had been structured into 45% ''Phragmites karka'', 25% ''Erianthus ravennae'' ( elephant grass), 15% ''Saccharum munja'', 5% ''S. latifolium'', 5% ''Alpinia allughas'' and 2% ''Saccharum procerum'' and 3% other species, including ''Zizania latifolia''; ''Zizania latifolia'' is the plant much relished by the ''sangai deer''. ''Eichhornia crassipes'' was a recent species in the open water areas of the swamp in the midst of '' Polygonum'' (buckwheat) and '' Trapa'' (water caltrop or water chestnut). The three hills surrounding the park are now denuded of most of the vegetation.

Fauna

Apart from the brow-antlered deer (''

''), the flagship species of the park, other fauna found in the park were the following: *Mammals reported are the hog deer (''C. porcinus''), wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), large Indian civet (''Viverra civetta''), common otter ('' Lutra lutra''),

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...

, jungle cat (''Felis chaus''),

Asian golden cat The Asian golden cat (''Catopuma temminckii'') is a medium-sized wild cat native to the northeastern Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and China. It has been listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List since 2008, and is threatened by poach ...

, bay bamboo rat, musk shrew, common shrew, flying fox and sambar (''Cervus unicolor''). * Fishes include '' Channa striata'', '' Channa punctatus'',

common carp The Eurasian carp or European carp (''Cyprinus carpio''), widely known as the common carp, is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.Fishbase''Cyprinus carpio'' Linnaeus, 1758/ref>Arkive The ...

, '' Wallago attu'' and pool barb. *

Amphibian Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terres ...

s and

reptile Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...

s include the keel back tortoise, viper, krait, cobra,

water cobra ''Naja'' is a genus of venomous elapid snakes commonly known as cobras (or "true cobras"). Members of the genus ''Naja'' are the most widespread and the most widely recognized as "true" cobras. Various species occur in regions throughout ...

, banded krait, Asian rat snake (

beauty rat snake The beauty rat snake (''Elaphe taeniura'', once of the Orthriophis complex), also called the beauty ratsnake, the beauty snake, or the cave racer, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to the eastern and southeaste ...

), '' python'', Russel's viper ('' Daboia''),

checkered garter snake The checkered garter snake (''Thamnophis marcianus'') is a species of garter snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America. Etymology Th ...

and

common lizard The viviparous lizard, or common lizard, (''Zootoca vivipara'', formerly ''Lacerta vivipara''), is a Eurasian lizard. It lives farther north than any other species of non-marine reptile, and is named for the fact that it is viviparous, meaning it ...

(''Viviparous lizard''). '' Python molurus'' is also found in the park.

Avifauna

Prominent bird species recorded in the park are both migratory and resident. Some of them are the East Himalayan pied kingfisher, black kite, lesser sky- lark, northern hill myna, Indian pied myna, North Indian black drongos, lesser eastern jungle crow, yellow headed wagtail,

spotbill duck The Indian spot-billed duck (''Anas poecilorhyncha'') is a large dabbling duck that is a non-migratory breeding duck throughout freshwater wetlands in the Indian subcontinent. The name is derived from the red spot at the base of the bill that is ...

, blue-winged teal, ruddy shell duck, threatened hooded crane, Burmese sarus sarus crane, Indian white-breasted waterhen and crimson-breasted pied woodpecker.

Threats

Some of the identified threats to the park are elaborated below. # The threats to the park are due to the permanent flooding of the park and its resultant effect on the thickness of phumdis. The reason attributed for this is due to construction of the Ithai Barrage under the Loktak Multi-Purpose Project in 1983 where high level of water is maintained (between and ) during October to March – the dry months of the year. This has disturbed the natural cycle of floating and sinking of phumdis which used to be maintained in the park. Maintenance of high water level in the lake throughout the year for Loktak Multipurpose Project has broken this annual cycle and phumdis remain floating throughout the year during dry season and are no more available to phumdi vegetation. Therefore, the growth of vegetation on phumdis and their thickness are believed to be gradually decreasing. # Before the construction of the Loktak Hydro Electric Project, the phumdis floated during flooding by backflow from the Khordak River and

discharge Discharge may refer to Expel or let go * Discharge, the act of firing a gun * Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from serv ...

from other streams and

nala Nala (Sanskrit: नल) is a character in the ''Vana Parva'' book of the ''Mahabharata''. He was the king of Nishadha Kingdom and the son of Veerasena. Nala was known for his skill with horses and for his culinary expertise. He married prince ...

s and settled down on lake bed during dry season when water was drawn out through the same river. This resulted in enhancing of

nutrient A nutrient is a substance used by an organism to survive, grow, and reproduce. The requirement for dietary nutrient intake applies to animals, plants, fungi, and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or excret ...

s and minerals of the phumdi vegetation from the bottom of the lake during the dry period. But this cycle has been disturbed by the Loktak Hydro Electric project. One apprehension is that at some stage the phumdis may not be able to support the number of the Eld's deer or sangai deer. # The national park and the Loktak Lake have provided sustenance (through fishing, growing, and collection of vegetables of economic importance) to the people living in the peripheral villages and on the phumdis. The effect of maintaining permanently high water level is stated to be a serious threat to the phumdis and consequently to the people living on the lake/park's natural resources. # Earlier, there was only marshy land in the park area but after commissioning of the hydroelectric project two ecosystems have emerged; one with water body covering one-third area and the other the ''phumdis'', which covers two-thirds area. # Deteriorating water quality is indicated by the recorded pH values of 4 to 8.5. The reasons for poor quality are attributed to flow of ## pollutants from the towns draining into the lake, ##use of agrochemicals for farming in the surrounding farmland, ##accumulation of water on phumdi, ## deforestation and subsequent

soil erosion Soil erosion is the denudation or wearing away of the upper layer of soil. It is a form of soil degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice (glaciers), snow, air (wind), plants, and ...

in the catchment area and ## rotting vegetation.

Conservation measures

Conservation measures suggested relate to development and implementation of a management plan giving priority to long term conservation, monitoring the condition of habitat and to take timely corrective measures by enforcing strict protection of core areas, particularly with reference to the water level due to the Loktak Hydro Electric Power Project. Some of the measures suggested and under implementation are elaborated as # provide effective protection, # developing and maintaining high places with adequate protection and food material to provide protection to the animals in case of

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...

, # increasing area under phumdis in the park, # preventing theft of phumdis and flow or part of phumdis towards northern side, # topping completely the collection of firewood, food and fodder, # creating an environment in which local people volunteer as natural custodian of sangai and other animals in the park, # to encourage ecotourism and nature education, # to undertake, aid, promote and co–ordinate research works, # capacity building, training, awareness and extension activities, # launching packaging and publicity campaign and # propagating ethnic information, exhibition and so forth. ; ; Conservation measures implemented The measures that have been implemented by the Forest Department of the Manipur Government are the following. # A perimeter fence of length in most vulnerable sections of the park to prevent people and domestic livestock from entering the reserve has been created # A cattle-proof trench has been dug along of the boundary # Seven canoes and four checkpoints are established at strategic places for security. # Army helicopter has carried out census work. # The park is under the supervision of full–time forest officials. # Capacity building has been achieved by exclusive placement of an Assistant Conservator of Forests, an assistant veterinary surgeon, a ranger of forests, field assistant, three foresters, four forest guards and eight others for the park.

Visitor information

The park is approachable by road, rail and air through Imphal, the capital of Manipur. By road it is from Imphal and from Guwahati ( Assam) on the

National Highway National highway or National Highway may refer to: * National Highways (England) * National Highway (Australia) * List of National Roads in Belgium * Brunei National Roads System * National Highway System (Canada) * Trans-Ca ...

No. 53. Public and private transport ply on these roads. The nearest rail head is at Jiribam is a railhead on the Manipur border, which is from Imphal.. And Rani Gaidinliu station at

Tamenglong Tamenglong ( Meitei pronunciation:/tæmɛŋˈlɒŋ/) is a town in the Naga hills of Manipur and the district headquarter of the Tamenglong district. Geography Tamenglong is located in western Manipur lying on the hilltop from which descend ...

is the nearest station which is from Imphal and from the national park. Resorts under the Classic Hotel for family and travel-loving couple are available in the Sendra island park which is 5-6 kilometers away from the National Park. Basic accommodation of a forest rest house without boarding facilities is available at Phubala and Sendra islands inside the park and at Moirang town away from the park. Staying at Imphal which has better hotel facilities is a preferred option. Visit to the park is ideal between 0600 and 1000 hrs in the morning and 1530 and 1800 hrs in the afternoon, when the sangai deer comes out to feed in herds. A boat trip along the labyrinthine boat routes passing through colourful water plants would be a good way to see the park. An adventurous trip would be to take a walk through the park but the phumdi is not a firm ground. Manipur Tourism Department arranges conducted day tours to the Loktak Lake and the Keibul Lamjao Park. Manipur is considered a sensitive border state. Earlier the Foreigners entering Manipur (including foreign citizens born in Manipur) was needed to possess a Restricted Area Permit, but now it has been lifted from the state. There is no permit required for foreigners coming to Manipur, they only need to register themselves in the established check points i.e. Imphal Airport and (Mao and Jiribam) for those coming by road.

Films

* ''The Return of Sangai'' (Manipuri: ''Sangai Hallakpa'') is a documentary about Keibul Lamjao National Park and Sangai made by forest department Manipur. The film is available in both English and Manipuri.