Imphal: Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Tuesday launched the website of the Loktak Development Authority (LDA) and released the Waterbird Census Report – Loktak Ramsar 2026 at a function held at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.
The release of the report comes amid concerns over a sharp decline in the number of migratory waterbirds recorded at Loktak Lake, with ornithologists also flagging ecological degradation and increasing bird-trapping activities around the wetland.
According to an official release, the new LDA website will provide data on Loktak Lake, conservation initiatives and projects undertaken by the authority. The portal is intended to improve administrative transparency and facilitate public participation in environmental governance.
The Waterbird Census Report contains data on the distribution, population and diversity of waterbirds recorded across Loktak Lake and adjoining areas. It is intended to guide biodiversity conservation measures and wetland habitat management.
The census, jointly organised by the Indian Bird Conservation Network (IBCN) and the LDA, covered 50 locations across the Loktak basin during the peak migratory period in January. Ornithologists involved in the exercise expressed concern over the declining number of migratory birds arriving at the lake from Siberia, China and Europe.
The report recorded 14,235 individual birds across 45 species, representing 17 migratory families, in the most recent census conducted on January 20, 2024.
The figure marks a sharp decline from previous counts. Loktak Lake recorded around 47,472 birds in 2022, which fell to 21,634 in 2023 before declining further in the latest census.
The decline was particularly pronounced among species belonging to the duck families, the report found.
Environmental experts attributed the trend to ecological imbalances and rapid population growth in the surrounding catchment areas. They also linked the changes to the decline of several indigenous aquatic plants in the lake.
The report further flagged illegal bird trapping and an increase in poaching activities around the periphery of Loktak Lake as threats to conservation efforts.
Loktak Lake, the largest freshwater lake in northeast India, supports diverse wildlife as well as the livelihoods of fishing communities in the region.
The LDA has been implementing measures for the protection, conservation, restoration and sustainable management of the lake and its wetland ecosystems, the government said.