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Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta Lake
- the role of bird photographers
Seshadri KS, Krishna MB, Shashank Balakrishna, Sunil Kumar M, Prabhakar BS, Nitin R,
Kishan SB, Vinay KS, Gautham GS, Venkat Narayan, Sushant Potdar, Piyush Daga, Pawan Kumar T.
Email addresses at the end.
February 2013
Summary
Activities such as bird and wildlife viewing, bird
photography, hiking and nature trails appear
benign but an increasing body of evidence
suggests otherwise. While there are several
positive aspects for visitors and tourists, there
is usually little benefit to the habitat from such
recreation. Assessing and documenting the
impacts visitors may have on the ecology of
the habitat is among the fundamental premis-
es and challenges in the emerging branch of
science termed as ‘Recreational Ecology’
Here, a rapid assessment of the impacts
caused by nature photographers driving on
the dry Hesaraghatta lake bed has been
attempted. Results indicate that a wide and
extensive network of vehicle tracks amounting
to about 43 km exist in the lake area.
About 136 ha of habitat was either lost or dis-
turbed because of vehicle movement and on
an average, 20 vehicles were found to be pur-
suing birds on weekends and holidays.
Several incidents where unethical means such
as chasing the bird till it is tired and reluctant
to fly were being used to photograph birds,
especially the rare, vagrant and migrant birds
(including the Red Data Book [19] species as
well). While we suggest several methods to
mitigate the impacts of this unregulated mode
of operation, we believe that self regulation is
the best way forward (even though it has had
limited success in the past) for the habitat, life-
forms and for photographers. The findings
from this study are widely applicable to nature
tourism, eco tourism and other recreational
activities in natural areas as well.
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 2
An exhausted Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) being photographed
Introduction
Nature awareness, affordability of binoculars,
cameras, digital technology and vehicles has
increased participation in nature related activi-
ties. However, increased human presence in
wilderness areas is damaging the habitat and
adversely affecting ecological processes. In
Bangalore, many nature enthusiasts and pho-
tographers visit natural areas often, especially
on weekends and holidays to photograph win-
ter migrant birds (September-April).
Hesaraghatta lake is one such place. Use of
vehicles for photography is becoming increas-
ingly common. This is because birds in gener-
al, are far more tolerant to people in vehicles
than on foot.
The Problem: This mode of photography dam-
ages the habitat that the birds live in, rather
than the bird directly. The situation in
Hesaraghatta lake area has aggravated with
the occurrence of rare birds like the European
Roller or the Pied Harrier, being chased and
cornered by 15-20 photographers till it is tired.
This problem has persisted for over four years
since it was first highlighted in 2009 [1]. This
generated several discussions and sugges-
tions such as withholding location information,
public shaming and self regulation were made
[1]. However, the problem continues with more
photographers in the fray. This study aims to
assess the damage caused by off road driving
for photography on the ecology of the
Hesaraghatta lake.
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 3
Study Site: Hesaraghatta lake is located about
30 km North West of Bangalore and is under
the Minor Irrigation Department of the
Government of Karnataka. This lake was once
an important source of water supply to
Bangalore and is therefore of historical impor-
tance. The total area of Hesaraghatta lake bed
is about 744 ha (1912 acres) and the water
spread area in August 2009 was about 400 ha
(or 980 acres). However, in recent years, the
lake has been essentially dry.
The Vegetation: The lake bed vegetation is in
transition. From being a true aquatic commu-
nity, the vegetation in the lake bed is undergo-
ing a process of ‘Ecological Succession’ [fol-
lowing 2, 3]. It shows in various parts, different
‘Seral’ stages of terrestrial vegetation forma-
tions and is currently a grassland-savannah-
woodland complex [following 4]. The centre of
the lake has more open grasslands while the
woodland component increases towards the
periphery. Apart from various species of grass-
es, aquatic and terrestrial plants like Typha,
Ipomea,Sonchus emilifolia,Cassia
mimosoides, Cassia siamea, Tephrosia, Sida
,
Altenanthera, Celosia, Stachytarpeta indica,
Parthenium hysterophorous, Acacia leu-
cophloea, other Acacia species, Calotropis
gigantia, Lantana camara and Eupatorium
are
found there.
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 4
Birdlife: When the lake had water, many open
water dependent migrants such as the
Northern Shoveller (Anas clypeata), Northern
Pintail (Anas acuta) and Garganey (Anas
querquedula) would inhabit the lake. Among
the shorebirds, several waders like Common
Redshank (Tringa totanus), Common
Greenshank (Tringa nebularia), Wood
Sandpiper (Tringa glareola), Common
Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos), Black-winged
Stilt (Himantopus himantopus), Little Ringed
Plover (Charadrius dubius) were also found
there.
With the drying of the lake, only birds which
prefer the grassland or marginal wetlands
come here. The Western Marsh Harrier
(Circus aeruginosus), Pallid Harrier (Circus
macrourus), Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleu-
cos) and Montagu’s Harrier (Circus pygargus)
are known to roost in this area. Several eagles
like Short-toed Snake Eagle (Circaetus galli-
cus), White-eyed Buzzard (Butastur teesa),
Lesser Spotted Eagle (Aquila pomarina),
Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga), Tawny
Eagle (Aquila rapax) are also found here.
These eagles usually prefer perches on tree-
tops or on termite mounds. Several smaller
falcons like Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni),
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), Red-
headed Falcon (Falco chicquera) are known to
frequent the area. Also found are the Indian
Peafowl, cuckoos, wren-warblers, pipits, larks,
drongos, and bush-chats which are seldom
pursued by photographers. Currently, the lake
is dry except for a puddle and none of the
water birds other than egrets are found.
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 5
Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), a frequently sought after species by
photographers, on an Acacia tree.
Methods
Vehicle counts: The number of vehicles active
in the study area was counted by at least
three observers, located in a position to view
the entire lake bed from morning to noon. On
two occasions, vehicle counts were also
obtained in the evening. The type of vehicle,
time of first detection and time of exit from the
lake were recorded. Photographers entering
the study area in four and two wheelers were
counted on four days (one Saturday and three
Sundays). Weekends were chosen as the
numbers of photographers are high on these
days.
Vegetation damage assessment: The damage
to vegetation was estimated by measuring the
length and width all the existing vehicle tracks
in the study area. Tracks were first mapped
with a GPS receiver. Subsequently, tracks visi
-
ble on Google Earth® (latest available satellite
images as of September 2012) were also digi
-
tized and added. The survey teams walked,
excepting a one-time two wheeler ride to esti
-
mate track length. The vehicles which they
used to reach the lake bed were also
included.
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 6
This rapid assessment of habitat damage
had two objectives:
Determine the extent of vehicular usage
in the lake area, in terms of vehicle
counts and measurement of the result-
ing track length.
Estimate the trampling impact on vege-
tation due to vehicles.
Damage to vegetation on the vehicle tracks
was assessed using randomly placed rope-
line transects [5] across existing tracks. In this
improvised method, two persons held a stan-
dard 6 m. tape across the track at the height
of the vegetation, which was photographed by
a third person on the centre of the track and
perpendicular to the tape. This was carried out
at 77 random points on the tracks. The loca-
tion details and corresponding photograph
numbers were recorded for analysis. The
absolute width of the track was determined
from the photographs using the procedure
described next.
Analyis of photographs: The track photograph
considered for measurement was opened on a
computer and a screen pixel measuring tool
(used both JR Screen Ruler and Ruler by Jeff
Key) was overlaid on the tape in the photo-
graph.
The pixel length of the tape was measured
between the thumbs of two individuals holding
it. The distance between the thumbs was
maintained at 6 m.
The fully damaged (A), partially damaged (B)
and not damaged (C) parts of the track were
measured using the pixel ruler.
The width of the damaged track was deter-
mined by considering the relative proportions
of the tape and the track on the photograph.
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 7
A A
CB
Vegetation damage frequency: As a parallel
check, a frequency based assessment for
each image was made at 30 regular points .
on the photograph using the pixel ruler. The
vegetation damage for each point was noted.
The points were tabulated as “Not Damaged”
(C), “Partially Damaged” (B) and “Fully
Damaged” (A), based on the flattening of veg-
etation, appearance of bare patches and
cracks on the dry ground.
Of the 30 equally spaced points, equivalent to
being 20 cm apart on the rope transect used
to estimate the width of the track, most points
fell on un-damaged vegetation. This graph is
to show that the length of the rope transect
chosen was adequate and wide enough to
sample the width of the damaged track.
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 8
C
BA
Results
Vehicular movement: A total of 71 four wheel-
ers (cars and SUVs), a three-wheeler and six
two-wheelers were counted on four days. This
averaged to 20 vehicles per day. The highest
number of four wheelers, 26, was counted on
a day that had a rare bird sighting (The
European Roller Coracias garrulus). The vehi-
cles were seen approaching the bird and fol-
lowing it relentlessly as it flushed from one
open perch to another. Incidentally, the bird
has been listed as “Vulnerable” in the Red List
published by the International Union for
Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources (IUCN) [19].
The average time duration spent by each vehi-
cle pursuing the birds was 3.5 hrs. However, a
few vehicles were present from 0600 to 1800
hrs, with a break between 1200 and1400 hrs.
Each vehicle was observed to drive at least
five times in the entire study area. Some of
these vehicles were driven at visually estimat-
ed speeds of 40-50 kmph to get to a perching
bird which was then stalked carefully at
speeds less than 10-20 kmph. Most individu-
als photographed from vehicles while a few
got down from the car and crawled to
approach a bird. Whenever a vehicle stopped
near a bird, about 4-5 vehicles converged on
to the spot and circled around. If the bird
flushed, there would be a frenzy to reach the
bird again first.
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 9
The network of tracks which exists today in brown; water
spread of August 2009 in blue
Vehicle Track Length: The total track length
was about 43 km, including existing pathways.
Photographers’ contribution to the track length
was estimated to be about 25 km. This was
deduced from interactions with local people
and by field observations.
Much of the tracks seen on Google Earth®
imagery and in the field today are post 2010
as the study site was marshy till then. There
were both arterial tracks and their branches.
The total track length measured in this survey
is an underestimate because several lesser
used branches were not considered for the
measurement. Most photographers enter the
study area on one or two tracks but then
branch off depending on where the birds are.
It was also observed that the vehicle tracks
were more extensive near and around trees or
shrubs on which birds perch. The vehicle
borne photographers locate a bird on such a
perch, drive cautiously towards it, inching as
close to the bird as possible. On a particular
day, ten vehicles were found to encircle a
perch in a period of about five hours. The
radius of such circles was 10-15 m. Birds nor-
mally fly away from an approaching vehicle.
However, on several occasions, when vehicles
approached a Common Kestrel close, the bird
ran to avoid the photographers rather than fly-
ing. We believe that this avoidance behaviour
was not because the bird was too lazy to fly
but it was too tired to fly. It is likely that other
vehicles had pursued the bird earlier and it
had little energy left.
Vegetation loss: Effects of moving vehicles
were measured on photographs of 77 sample
points spread randomly across the tracks. The
average damage to vegetation (partially dam
-
aged and fully damaged) was 27%. This esti
-
mate is of the width of the fully exposed
ground plus the partially damaged shoulder
and inter-track space. Therefore, for a 6 m.
sample width, an average of 27% damage
amounts to 1.62 m. This means that every
time a vehicle drives over natural vegetation,
an average swath of 1.62 m. is damaged or
lost.
Multiplying this value with the total track length
of 43 km results in an area of 7 ha (17 acres).
17.6 km of tracks were found on the erstwhile
water spread area of 400 ha.
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 10
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 11
Highlights
Total area of lake bed: 744 ha
Waterspread area in August 2009: 400 ha
Average number of vehicles per day: 20
Average time spent chasing birds: 3.5 hrs
Number of sampling points: 77
Rope transect length: 6 m
Mean width of track: 1.62 m (±0.16 SE)
Total length of tracks: 43 km
Total length of tracks on ex-waterspread
area: 17.65 km
Flushing distance: 15 m
Road effect zone in area: 136 ha
Tracks of different usage intensities visible on Google Earth or
Google Maps for the Hesaraghatta lake bed
Discussion
Studies elsewhere have shown that the vegeta-
tion height along the road shoulders reduced
with increasing vehicle movement. Trampling
leads to changes in vegetational composition
and structure. Off-road driving causes exten-
sive crushing of vegetation and it has been
estimated that a standard car on hard ground
exerts 1500 g/cm2of pressure as compared to
206 g/cm2for an average sized human male
or 160 g/cm2for an average sized human
female walking on hard ground [6]. Apart from
affecting vegetation, trampling and driving also
destroy the nests of ground nesting birds like
the Skylarks, pipits, and lapwings, to name a
few.
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 12
Disturbance: Moving vehicles d amage hab itats.
Vegetation: The visible irreversible impacts on
vegetation include flattening and breakage of
standing stalks especially if woody, crushing of
foliage, destruction of floral parts, prevention of
regeneration either by seed and seedling dam-
age. Such d amages result in reduction of species
diversity and facilitate an explosive spread of
ecologically dominant species, usually weeds.
Soil: Repeated vehicular movement affects soil
variously, top-soil damage being visually promi-
nent. Soil compaction, caking and cracking,
change in textural class, breaking of soil aggre-
gates together contributing to redu ced water
retention and percolation. Different levels of soil
erosion (surface creep a nd suspension) may lead
to deposition of soil particles on foliage resulting
in reduced ph otosynthesis and thereby growth.
Fauna: Damage to animals is observable. Birds,
invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles are likely
to be run over by vehicles. Da mage is com-
pounded as several ground nesting birds loose
their nests and young ones.
Long term impacts: may extend to reduction in
complexity of food webs and imbalance in food
chains. (For example: loss of ground vegetation >
reduction in abundance of grasshoppers > reduc-
tion in prey base for insect feeding birds).
The possibility of the dried up grass catching fire
and spreading due to increased human activity is
not ruled out either [following 10].
The impact of such pressure causes proportion-
al loss or compression of vegetation, prevent-
ing regeneration and soil compaction.
Assuming that each vehicle drives atleast five
times on the lakebed, then 20 vehicles on one
weekend day could drive over any point a 100
times. Extrapolating this to 42 weekend days
between October and February where migrant
birds are plenty, we get 4200 passes on every
track. Elaborate experiments elsewhere have
shown that vehicles cause more crushing/
trampling than walkers and anywhere up to
1828 passes will reduce the vegetation cover
and biomass by 50 percent depending on the
area, terrain, etc [6]. The end result of vegeta-
tional cover loss is analogous to calculating
half life. Assuming the same rate, given the
number vehicles and the passes they make,
about 75 percent destruction should be
caused every migratory bird season.
Plant succession: The long term damage to
vegetation and ecological processes is some-
thing which is not apparent at first look.
Bangalore falls in the Tropical Dry Deciduous
Bioclimatic zone [8]. As mentioned earlier,
grassland-savanna habitats in a tropical dry-
deciduous bio-climatic zone are habitats in
flux. Left alone, it can be expected that such
habitats will tend to grow into dry-deciduous
forests by a process of ecological succession
[9]. The damage to vegetation will affect this
ecological process. If in the event of water
flowing in again, grass would get inundated
but trees have a good chance of surviving
flooding. They thus would continue to provide
substrates to those forms living on them.
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 13
Calling out for help! Irresponsible driving can lead to problems
for people too!
Disturbance and flushing of birds:
Considering bird behaviour, road disturbance
would not refer to the width of the road alone
but to a broader strip on both sides of the
road (road effect zone) defined by the flushing
distances of birds. Flushing distance is the
closest distance a bird would allow a vehicle
to approach before flying off. This distance
varies with species, habitat and prior distur-
bance. To determine the road effect zone in a
rapid assessment is difficult and hence, we
have used a road effect zone of 15 m on
either side of the road [10]. This behaviour
has been extensively used for determining the
impacts of anthropogenic activities on wildlife
[11]. Ten observations made randomly vali-
dates the earlier assumption of a 15 m flush-
ing distance. Adding this ‘road effect zone’ to
the actual vegetation lost, the impacts become
more signficant. A total width of 30 m is dis-
turbed on either side of each track. For the
entire 43 km of track, the road effect zone
amounts to 136 ha or 336 acres. For the
tracks on the waterspread area alone, which
was 17.65 km, the road effect zone is 56 ha or
138 acres which is roughly about half the area
of Lalbagh Gardens (97 ha). If computed to
the total water spread area, 138 acres
amounts to about 41 percent.
A single vehicle is bad enough, but if 20 vehi-
cles per day making 100 passes on the lake
bed area each day for the entire winter sea-
son are considered, the impact would be very
high.
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 14
Tracks in black with the road effect zone in red and the water-
spread area of August 2009 in blue
Loss of host plants for Butterflies: A rare
species of butterfly the Lilac Silverline
(Apharitis lilacinus) was observed and pho-
tographed during the study by one of the
authors (Nitin RA), after a span of 103 years,
since it’s last confirmed sighting from
Soledevanahalli located north of Bangalore. A
small population of about 15-20 individuals
was seen on the grass during the day. This
species of butterfly is protected under the
Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 [18]. This
species was earlier known from only a few
localities and was patchily distributed through-
out the country. The recent rediscovery from
Hesaraghatta provides an opportunity to gain
insights into the ecology and behaviour of this
species. The food plant of this butterfly is not
known. However, it was observed that several
host plants of other butterflies were crushed
by off-road vehicle movement. Butterflies have
specific host plants on which females deposit
eggs and the larvae feed on the plant, pupate
and metamorphose into adult butterflies.
During this critical stage of development, the
butterflies are not given to moving and will
succumb to any damage inflicted on the host
plant. Persistent off-road driving will not only
destroy common butterflies but also this rare
and protected butterfly species in this area.
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 15
Ethics: For most small sized raptors, feeding
frequently is important. The more a bird is
flushed from its perch (by an over enthusiastic
photographer in this case), the more time and
energy it spends in flying from one perch to
another [12]. This reduces the time available
for it to find food. In experimental studies else-
where, a significant decrease in the food gath-
ering rate was documented in wading birds
due to vehicle movement [11]. Such actions
impose immense physiological stress on the
bird and may even lead to its death. On sever-
al occasions in the past, there have been
reports of how photographers in vehicles
chased Pied Harriers, a relatively uncommon
winter migrant to India, until the birds were
tired and did not have any stamina to fly any
further.
It is also to be noted that some photographers
are rumoured to regularly bait birds of prey
with live snakes which are tied to a peg on the
ground. This practice is repugnant and unethi
-
cal and contravenes the law.
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 16
This Bluefaced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus vi ridirostris),
killed off-road at Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve,
illustrates what could happen with overspeeding in
wilderness areas (July 2011)
A wider perspective
In geological history, plants have pioneered the
colonization of land. They setup the energy
flows through the ecosystem. If the plant
cover is lost, the insect community dependent
on it will decline and consequently the food
available to birds too. This then, will lead to a
decline in bird populations. The mindless act
of off-road driving just to get images of rare
and vagrant birds is counterproductive.
Fame and popularity that photography gives to
people has to a large extent, fuelled this craze
for migrant, rare or charismatic species. This
race to get the rarest and the best picture
crosses the thin line between seeming igno-
rance and outright wilful unethical practice. In
the past, there have been instances of nest
photographers destroying bird nests after their
photo-shoots to prevent others from clicking
the same. Today, nest photography is banned
in almost all nature photography competitions,
repositories or social media pages. Could we
take lessons from this? Indeed, nature photog-
raphy forums should be discouraging such
practices of deliberately destroying the habitat
for the purpose of photography. They could
discredit any photographer who deviates from
ethical practices and is caught cheating.
Personal websites could be discredited next.
In other parts of the world where human use of
wildlife areas for recreation is allowed, they
are strictly monitored and controlled [For
example,13]. Walkers are expected to follow
specific trails and stick to them. Gaining public
support for the conservation of biodiversity is
fundamental in nature conservation and man
-
aging human use has been one of the corner
-
stones in conservation science. The recent
issue of Supreme Court enforcing a blanket
ban on tourism in tiger reserves is an example
[14]. A sad consequence of such a blanket
ban, which is often necessary, is that it
excludes the very people who are needed to
lobby for conserving wildlife. If people follow
-
ing unethical practices do not correct them-
selves, a blanket ban is not out of place.
Therefore, regulating such recreational activi
-
ties is the key. Peer pressure could help great
-
ly in achieving this. The measures mentioned
below, coupled with a strong and strict code of
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 17
conduct have worked wonders with the same
wildlife-photography community in the past
and we see no reason why it should not work
again.
Relevance of this study to wilderness areas
where tourism exists: The results from this
study are relevant to wilderness areas in India
where vehicle tracks have been laid for wildlife
safaris and transportation. For example, the
Rajiv Gandhi (Nagarahole) National Park had
close to 700 km of roads, visibility lines and
fire lines in 1985 [15] which accounts to about
15 % of the park area. Some of the impacts
identified from this study, especially damage
to vegetation and soil caused due to move-
ment of vehicles, can also be extended to
these wilderness areas. The technique used in
this study can provide a simple and cost-effec-
tive way to accurately assess the impacts in
these areas.
Importance of grasslands: Grasses are funda-
mental in supporting and sustaining a “grass-
land ecosystem”. The distribution of natural
grasslands within Peninsular India is patchy.
Very little ecological knowledge exists about
them in comparison to say, a forest ecosys-
tem.
Grasslands are often chosen targets for agricul-
turural and urban devolopment. Often, grass-
lands are termed as waste lands and planted
with trees by the Government. Such changes
destroy the ecology of this fragile ecosystem.
Several grassland specialist birds are found
there (Migrants: Harriers, Falcons, Eagles,
Floricans; Residents: Pipits, Larks, Quails,
Partridges, Lapwings). Apart from birds, other
fauna like amphibians, reptiles, mollusks and
insects, including the
recently rediscovered
Lilac Silverline Butterfly were found there
in good numbers.
A third of all birds ever recorded from Bangalore
can be found in Hesaraghatta. Our city will
only be the poorer if we lose such a biological
-
ly diverse habitat. Majority of the habitat spe
-
cialist species will be gone once and for all.
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 18
Conclusions
From this rapid assessment study, it is clear
that the unregulated movement of bird photog-
raphers has had a severe impact in the form
of permanent vehicle tracks. The feeding and
foraging activities of birds are altered if con-
stantly pursued by vehicles. This imposes
severe stress on the birds living there.
Damage to vegetation is more severe by a mov-
ing vehicle than an individual walking. The
regeneration of plants and in turn the process
of succession is negatively affected by this.
Several grasses and woody saplings are per-
manently affected, especially in their growth
phase. Studies elsewhere have shown that
there is ample scope for such habitats to
recover if provided respite from constant
movement [6]. In Hesaraghatta however, the
situation is far from it. Since 2009, when the
issue of off-road driving was reported, the
number of people indulging in it has only
increased. Such activities have not been limit-
ed to the study site but are becoming increas-
ingly common in other dry lake beds and
grasslands throughout Peninsular India.
It appears that several newer entrants into pho-
tography are either unaware of the damages
they may inadvertently be causing or choose
to blatantly ignore the fact that they cause
damages to the habitat and the birds which
they intend to photograph. Several well mean-
ing photographers may simply follow others
who are indulging in off-road driving and add
the already worsening problem.
Given the variability in factors leading to the
problem, it becomes imperative that whatever
be the mode of activity in Hesaraghatta and
similar habitats, some form of regulation is a
must. Driving on the lake bed in a vehicle is
detrimental to the habitat and it must be
stopped.
This rapid assessment study is only an attempt
to highlight the problem with supporting evi-
dence. Drawing out solutions to the com-
pounded problem from this short duration
study would be unjust. However, we suggest
several ways to mitigate the negative impacts.
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 19
Protection: the
options available
Need for a regulation: Clearly off road driving
on the lake bed damages the habitat and
should be stopped. Photographers need to
understand and accept the fact that the habi-
tat saved for posterity has more value than a
close up photograph. If at all one needs pho-
tographs, it has to be made by walking and
not by driving and pursuing the bird.
Self regulation has seen limited success in the
past. Much of the photographers seen in
Hesaraghatta and similar habitats appear to
be well educated and are concerned about
birds. Given this assumption, we suggest that
they show some ‘empathy’ and voluntarily
abstain from what they are doing. What is
needed is a strict conformity to a code of con-
duct resulting in ethical photography. On sev-
eral occasions, members of the photographer
community have themselves proposed this.
Many countries have standards which can be
simply followed [See for example,16].
Need for a stakeholder committee: It may be
necessary set up a panel of stakeholders to
find viable long term solutions to this problem.
The panel could have as its members a few
veteran photographers, new entrants to pho-
tography, ecologists, representatives of lake
users and government. This panel should initi-
ate a much more detailed study (than this)
and attempt to identify means and ways of
regulating the activity by providing clear guide
-
lines. The panel should aim to address these
two questions: 1. Should vehicles be allowed
at all ? 2. If yes, how many and where are
they allowed to go?
Demarcation of pathways
on the ground, and
having no go zones on the grassland lake
bed, with moral policing and public shaming of
‘offenders’ by the photographic community.
The off-road driving of vehicles can be con-
trolled by a second level of self regulation.
Photographers deviating from such trails could
be photographed and discredited on various
forums where he/she uploads the photograph
(For eg: India Nature Watch, Indiabirds, and
other Facebook pages).
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 20
Digging a trench along access roads or lining
them with stone posts to create a physical
barrier, or visible guidelines for limits on off-
road driving. This will prevent any vehicle from
leaving the designated path. Any photogra-
pher violating this by covering the trench or
removing the stones could be subjected to
moral policing and discredited.
Policing by the Forest Department and
Bangalore Water Supply and Sewage Board
(BWSSB). Though the movement of vehicles
and people in the lake bed area does not
amount to trespassing, the concerned authori
-
ties could be involved in regulating the num
-
ber of vehicles entering the lake bed. Vehicle
movement increases soil erosion and BWSSB
has every reason to worry about turbid waters
when inflow to the lake increases. Forest
Department should come into the picture as
wildlife and protected species are involved.
Legal ban and protection
with penalization of
offenders. There is precedence for it.
Photography of the Great Indian Bustard has
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 21
been banned by the forest department owing
to increasing unethical practices in photo-
graphing the birds in their breeding season
causing a constant disturbance [17].
All the birds are protected species and are cov-
ered under the various clauses of the Wildlife
Protection Act of 1972 and so are a few but-
terflies found in Hesaraghatta. The area is a
lake bed, allthough dry now. India is a signato-
ry to the ‘Ramsar Convention’ (Convention on
Wetlands of International Importance) which it
has ratified. The convention, at its heart, is
based on the philosophy of ‘wise use’.
India is also a signatory to the ‘Convention on
Migratory Species’, which it has also ratified.
Many of the birds facing pressure from pho-
tographers in Hesaraghatta are migratory.
Some are not just migratory but are threat-
ened migratory species too by IUCN’s listing:
For example, European Roller (Coracias gar-
rulous) NT; Lesser Florican (Sypheotides indi-
cus) EN; Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila
clanga) VU etc [18].
Several of the migrant birds are already losing
their habitat in and around Bangalore.
Hesaraghatta lake is one place where they
are found in sufficiently good numbers.
Continued disturbance in this place will do
unforeseen damage to the birds. India being
signatory to the above mentioned treatises,
can take strong legal action against the activi-
ties which threaten the existence of birds and
their habitats.
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 22
Termite mounds are often a casuality of reckless driving! Apart
from the mounds serving as perches, termites themselves
have an important role in a grassland ecosystem.
Cumulative Bird List
Of Hesaraghatta and environs, compiled by Seshadri KS.
Those marked with an asterisk are from [21] and the
rest from [20]
Accipiter badius - Shikra
Accipiter gentilis* - Northern Goshawk
Acridotheres fuscus - J ungle Myna
Acridotheres tristis - Common Myna
Acrocephalus agricola* - Paddyfield Warbler
Acrocephalus dumetorum - Blyth's Reed-Warbler
Actitis hypoleucos - Common Sandpiper
Aegithina tiphia - Common Iora
Alauda gulgula - Eastern Skylark
Alcedo atthis* - Small Blue Kingfisher
Amandava amandava - Red Munia
Amaurornis phoenicurus - White-breasted Waterhen
Ammomanes phoenicurus - Rufous-tailed Finch-Lark
Anas acuta - Northern Pintail
Anas clypeata - Northern Shoveller
Anas crecca* - Common Teal
Anas penelope - Eurasian Wigeon
Anas poecilorhyncha - Spot-billed Duck
Anas querquedula - Garganey
Anastomus oscitans - Asian Openbill Stork
Anhinga m elanogaster* - Darter
Anthus cervinus - Red-throated Pipit
Anthus godlewskii* - Blyth's Pipit
Anthus hodgsoni* - Oriental Tree Pipit
Anthus richardi - R ichard's Pipit
Anthus rufulus - Paddyfield Pipit
Anthus similis* - Brown Rock Pipit
Apus affinis* - House Swift
Aquila cl anga - Greater Spotted Eagle
Aquila pomarina - Lesser Spotted Eagle
Aquila rapax - Tawny Eagle
Ardea cinerea - Grey Heron
Ardea purpurea - Purple Heron
Ardeola grayii - Indian Pond Heron
Artamus fuscus - Ashy Woodswallow
Asio flammeus - Short-eared Owl
Athene brama - Spotted Owlet
Aythya ferina* - Common Pochard
Bubulcus ibis - Cattle Egret
Butastur teesa - White-eyed Buzzard
Cacomantis passerinus - Indian Plaintive Cuckoo
Calandrella brachydactyla - Greater Short- toed Lark
Calidris minuta - Little Stint
Calidris temminckii - Temminck's Stint
Caprimulgus asiaticus - Common Indian Nightjar
Casmerodius albus - Large Egret
Centropus sinensis - Greater Coucal
Ceryle rudis* - Lesser Pied Kingfisher
Charadrius alexandrinus* - Kentish Plover
Charadrius dubius - Little Ringed Plover
Chlidonias hybridus - Whiskered Tern
Chloropsis aurifrons - Gold-fronted Chloropsis
Chrysocolaptes festivus* - Black-shouldered
Woodpecker
Chrysomma sinense* - Yellow-eyed Babbler
Ciconia ciconia - European W hite Stork
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 23
Ciconia episcopus* - White-necked Stork
Circaetus gallicus - Short-toed Snake Eagle
Circus aeruginosus - Western Marsh Harrier
Circus macrourus - Pallid Harrier
Circus melanoleucos - Pied Harrier
Circus pygargus - Montagu's Harrier
Cisticola juncidis - Streaked Fantail Warbler
Clamator jacobinus* - Pied Crested Cuckoo
Columba livia - Blue Rock Pigeon
Copsychus saularis - Oriental Magpie Robin
Coracias benghalensis - Indian Roller
Coracias garrulus - European Roller
Coracina macei* - Large Cuckoo-Shrike
Coracina melanoptera - Black-headed Cuckoo-Shrike
Corvus macrorhynchos - Jungle Crow
Corvus splendens - House Crow
Coturnix coromandelica - Rain Quail
Cuculus canorus* - Common Cuckoo
Cuculus micropterus* - Indian Cuckoo
Cuculus saturatus* - Oriental Cuckoo
Cypsiurus balasiensis - Asian Palm Swift
Dendrocitta vagabunda - Indian Treepie
Dendrocygna javanica - Lesser Whistling-Duck
Dicaeum agile* - Thick-billed Flowerpecker
Dicaeum erythrorhynchos - Tickell's Flowerpecker
Dicrurus leucophaeus - Ashy Drongo
Dicrurus macrocercus - Black Drongo
Dinopium benghalense* - Lesser Golden-backed
Woodpecker
Dumetia hyperythra* - Rufous-bellied Babbler
Egretta garzetta - Little Egret
Egretta gularis - Western Reef Egret
Elanus caeruleus - Black-shouldered Kite
Emberiza buchanani - Grey-necked Bunting
Eremopterix grisea - Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark
Eudynamys scolopacea - Asian Koel
Falco chicquera - R ed-headed Falcon
Falco naumanni - Lesser Kestrel
Falco peregrinus - Peregrine Falcon
Falco tinnunculus - Common Kestrel
Francolinus pondicerianus - Grey Francolin
Fulica atra - Common Coot
Galerida deva* - Sykes's Crested Lark
Gallinago stenura - Pintail Snipe
Gallinula chloropus* - Common Moorhen
Gyps bengalensis* - Indian White-backed Vulture
Gyps himalayensis - Himalayan Griffon
Halcyon smyrnensis - White-breasted Kingfisher
Haliastur indus - Brahminy Kite
Hieraaetus pennatus - Booted Eagle
Hierococcyx varius* - Common Hawk Cuckoo
Himantopus himantopus - Black-winged Stilt
Hippolais caligata - Booted Warbler
Hippolais rama* - Sykes's Warbler
Hirundo daurica - Red-rumped Swallow
Hirundo fluvicola* - Streak-throated Swallow
Hirundo rustica - Common Swallow
Hydrophasianus chirurgus* - Pheasant-tailed Jacana
Jynx torquilla - Eurasian Wryneck
Lanius cristatus - Brown Shrike
Lanius schach - Rufous-backed Shrike
Lanius vittatus - Bay-backed Shrike
Limosa limosa* - Black-tailed Godwit
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 24
Lonchura malabarica - White-throated Munia
Lonchura malacca* - Black-headed Munia
Lonchura punctulata - Spotted Munia
Megalaima haemacephala - Coppersmith Barbet
Megalaima viridis - White-cheeked Barbet
Merops orientalis - Small Bee-eater
Merops philippinus - Blue-tailed Bee-eater
Milvus migrans - Black Kite
Mirafra affinis - Jerdon's Bushlark
Mirafra cantillans - Singing Bushlark
Mirafra erythroptera* - R ed-winged Bushlark
Motacilla alba - White Wagtail
Motacilla cinerea - Grey Wagtail
Motacilla citreola - Ci trine Wagtail
Motacilla flava - Yellow Wagtail
Motacilla maderaspatensis - Large Pied Wagtail
Mycteria leucocephala - Painted Stork
Nectarinia asiatica - Purple Sunbird
Nectarinia lotenia* - Loten's Sunbird
Nectarinia zeylonica - Purple-rumped Sunbird
Neophron percnopterus - Egyptian Vulture
Nettapus coromandelianus - Cotton Pygmy-goose
Numenius arquata* - Eurasian Curlew
Nycticorax nycticorax* - Black-crowned Night Heron
Ocyceros birostris - Indian Grey Hornbill
Oenanthe isabellina - Isabelline W heatear
Oriolus oriolus - Eurasian Golden Oriole
Orthotomus sutorius - Common Tailorbird
Otus bakkamoena* - Collared Scops Owl
Parus major* - Great Tit
Passer domesticus - House Sparrow
Pavo cristatus - Indian Peafowl
Pericrocotus cinnamomeus - Small Minivet
Pernis ptilorhynchus - Oriental Honey-buzzard
Phaenicophaeus viridirostris - Small Greenbilled
Malkoha
Phalacrocorax niger - Little Cormorant
Phalaropus l obatus - R ed-necked Phalarope
Phylloscopus trochiloides - Greenish Leaf-Warbler
Pitta brachyura* - Indian Pitta
Platalea leucorodia* - Eurasian Spoonbill
Plegadis falcinellus - Glossy Ibis
Ploceus philippinus - Baya Weaver
Pluvialis fulva* - Pacific Golden Plover
Porphyrio porphyrio - Purple Swamphen
Prinia hodgsonii* - Franklin's Prinia
Prinia inornata - Plain Prinia
Prinia socialis - Ashy Prinia
Prinia syl vatica - Jungle Prinia
Pseudibis papillosa* - Black Ibis
Psittacula cyanocephala* - Plum-headed Parakeet
Psittacula krameri - Rose-ringed Parakeet
Pycnonotus cafer - Red-vented Bulbul
Pycnonotus jocosus - Red-whiskered Bulbul
Pycnonotus luteolus - White-browed Bulbul
Riparia diluta - Pale Martin
Rostratula benghalensis - Greater Painted-Snipe
Saxicola caprata - Pied Bushchat
Saxicola torquata - Common Stonechat
Saxicoloides fulicatus - Indian Robin
Spilornis cheela* - Crested Serpent Eagle
Sterna aurantia - River Tern
Streptopelia chinensis - Spotted Dove
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 25
Streptopelia senegalensis - Little Brown Dove
Streptopelia tranquebarica* - Red Collared Dove
Strix ocellata - Mottled Wood Owl
Sturnia blythii - Malabar White-headed Starling
Sturnia malabarica - Grey-headed Starling
Sturnus pagodarum* - Brahminy Starling
Sturnus r oseus - Rosy Starling
Sylvia curruca - Common Lesser Whitethroat
Sypheotides indica - Lesser Florican
Tachybaptus ruficollis - Little Grebe
Tachymarptis melba - Alpine Swift
Tadorna ferruginea* - Brahminy Shelduck
Tephrodornis pondicerianus* - Common Woodshrike
Terpsiphone paradisi - Asian Paradise-Flycatcher
Threskiornis melanocephalus* - Black-headed Ibis
Treron bicincta - Orange-breasted Green Pigeon
Treron phoenicoptera* - Yellow-legged Green Pigeon
Tringa glareola - Wood Sandpiper
Tringa ochropus - Green Sandpiper
Tringa stagnatilis - Marsh Sandpiper
Tringa totanus* - Common Redshank
Turdoides affinis - White-headed Babbler
Turdoides caudatus* - Common Babbler
Turdoides malcolmi - Large Grey Babbler
Turdoides striatus - Jungle Babbler
Turnix suscitator* - Common Buttonquail
Tyto alba* - Barn Owl
Upupa epops - Common Hoopoe
Vanellus indicus - Red-wattled Lapwing
Vanellus malabaricus - Yellow-wattled Lapwing
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 26
A lark on the dry lake bed observed
at the nest during the survey
References
References have not been sorted alphabetically
or in order of usage; and formats have not
been standardised.
1. Mike Prince (2009). The good and Bad at
Hesaraghatta, BngBirds, msg# 15903.
2. Kenneth Kershaw (1973) Quantitative and
Dynamic Plant Ecology, second ed. ELBS
3. Ecological Succession in http://www.
Wikipedia.org as accessed on 8th January
4. JP Pascal, BR Ramesh (1995). Forest Map
of South India. Notes on the Bangalore-
Salem sheet. The French Institute,
Pondicherry.
5. DP Shelton, PJ Jasa (2009). Estimating per-
cent residue cover using Line-Transect
method. University of Nebraska. Available
from www.extension.unl.edu/publications.
6. Michael Liddle (1997) Recreation Ecology,
Chapman and Hall
7. WF Laurance, M Goosem, SG Laurance
(2009). Impacts of roads and linear clearings
on tropical forests. Trends in Ecology &
Evolution 24:659-669.
8. JP Pascal and BR Ramesh (1995) Forest
Map of South India, Bangalore-Salem Sheet
1:250,000 scale. French Institute of
Pondicherry.
9. Ecological Succession, Feb 2013
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_succes
-
sion
10. RT Forman, LE Alexander (1998) Roads
and their major ecological effects. Annual
review of ecology and systematics 29:207-231
11. ED Stolen (2003) The Effects of Vehicle
Passage on Foraging Behavior of Wading
Birds. Waterbirds 26(4):429-436
12. J Burger and M Gochfeld (1991) Human
Distance and Birds: Tolerance and
ResponseDistances of Resident and Migrant
Species in India. Environmental Conservation
18:158-165
13. Provincial Parks Regulation Act, 1985,
Alberta, Canada
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 27
14. Krithi K Karanth and K Ullas Karanth (2012)
A Tiger in the Drawing Room Can luxury
Tourism Benefit Wildlife? Economic and
Political Weekly XLVII No. 38.
15. Ranjit Lal, Ashish Kothti, Prathiba Pande,
Shekar Singh; eds. (1994) Directoy of National
Parks and Sanctuaries in Karnataka:
Management Status and Profile. Centre for
Public Policy, Planning and Environmental
Studies, Indian Institute of Public
Administration, New Delhi.
16. Ethics for Photographers.
http://www.naturephotographers.net/
ethics.html as accessed in December 2012.
17. Ban on photography to protect the Great
Indian Bustard, Conservation India 2012.
18. Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and amend-
ments. Republic of India.
19. International Union for Conservation of
Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). Red
Data Book of Birds.
20. Mails on the BngBirds email discussion
group archives (2005-2013),
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bngbirds
21. Clement Francis, S Nitin, P.Manjunath
(2009) Checklist of Birds of Hessarghatta,
Bangalore Rural District, Karnataka, India.
http://birdsofhessarghatta.blogspot.in/
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 28
A Jackal getting chased on the lake bed.
Photograph not by the authors
Notes
All views expressed and information given in
this informal report are those of the authors
and not necessarily those of any institution or
organisation they are associated with.
This project was completely self funded by the
authors.
Pictures and maps are by the authors unless
otherwise stated.
The Report is not formally edited.
Keywords: recreation ecology; unethical
wildlife photography; eco-tourism regulation;
road ecology; ornithology; behavioural
ecology; vegetation dynamics; grasslands;
man-made lakes.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank (with apologies to those
missed) the following people who gave a
patient hearing, provided suggestions, dis-
cussed ideas, helped in various stages of the
study, and generally encouraged the endeav-
our. In random order: Nayeem Ullah Khan,
Wilson MRE, Ganesh T, Prashanth MB,
Gururaja KV, Shyamal L, Anjali Pande, Prem
Koshy, Subramanya S, Kalyan Varma, George
Alexander, Ulhas PA, Harsha J, Swamy NR,
Ravi Menon, Ramki Sreenivasan, Anand
Sankar, Karthikeyan S, Cheriyan Alexander,
Rajneesh Suvarna, Krushnamegh Kunte,
Aravind NA, Vikram Hiresavi, Sreeram MV,
Soubadra Devy, Srinivasa TS, Vishwanath S.
Authors’ addresses
(In alphabetical order)
Gautham GS, SJC <gautham.gs071@gmail.com>
Kishan SB <kishansb@gmail.com>
Krishna MB <mbk@lavabit.com>
Nitin RA, SJC <nitin.photography.110@gmail.com>
Pawan Kumar T, SJC <pawan.zamba@gmail.com>
Piyush Daga, SJC <piyushdaga4892@gmail.com>
Prabhakar BS, SJC <bspsjc@gmail.com>
Seshadri KS, ATREE <seshadri.ali@gmail .com>
Shashank Balakrishna, SJC <rb.shashank@gmail.com>
Sunil Kumar M <poirotsunil@gmail .com>
Sushant Potdar, SJC <sushant.potdar55@gmail.com>
Venkat Narayan, SJC <venkatnarayan.ms@gmail.com>
Vinay KS <vinay245@gmail.com>
SJC is St Josephs’s College of Science, Bangalore.
ATREE is Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and
Environment, Bangalore.
Ruining the ecology of Hesaraghatta lake: the role of bird photographers. Page 29
