Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest

The Pallikaranai Marsh, (located on the geo-coordinates of 12.949371 N latitude and 80.218184E longitude), is one of the last remaining natural wetlands of Chennai city. It is locally known by the generic Tamil name ?kazhuveli? which means a flood plain or water logged area. On its eastern periphery, the Marsh is flanked by the Buckingham Canal and the Old Mahabalipuram Road, which houses the Information Technology (IT) Corridor. The southern and western boundaries are typified by mixed residential and institutional land use. To the North of the Marsh, there are dense human habitations and public infrastructure such as the Mass Rapid Transit System. Pallikaranai Marsh drains an area of 250 km2 of South Chennai encompassing 65 wetlands through two outlets viz., Okkiyam Madavu and the Kovalam creek and falls into the Bay of Bengal. The topography of the Marsh is such that it always retains some storage, thus forming a classic wetland ecosystem. Pallikaranai Marsh is a part of the vast Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem. It is one of the few natural coastal aquatic habitats that qualify as a wetland in India. The seasonal dynamics in water volume, spread and chemistry, both historical and current, have rendered the Pallikaranai Marsh a biodiversity-rich South Indian wetland. This uniquely heterogeneous hydrology and ecology also makes the Marsh one of the most diverse natural habitats of the country. Biodiversity of Pallikaranai Marsh is typified by the presence of species representing various faunal groups, of which birds, fishes and reptiles are the most prominent. It is the natural habitat to some of the most endangered reptiles such as the Russel?s Viper and birds such as the Glossy lbis, Pheasant-tailed Jacana etc., The Marsh also has the distinction of new records of reptiles and plants being described, on a rather regular basis since 2002. Although tropical in bio-climate, the influence of the Bay of Bengal has been significant on the Marsh. Dramatic changes in its hydrology and biodiversity witnessed annually may be attributed to the maritime influence and the vagaries of the North East Monsoon. The fact that the Marsh is so close to the sea and yet not fully estuarine is a unique character indeed. Parts of the Marsh are well below the mean sea level and qualify as low-lying basins. It is but natural that some parts of the Marsh are estuarine / brackish and harbour maritime animals such as mud crab, window-pane oysters and other bivalves. The mixing of freshwater and seawater is brought about by the huge volume of surface runoff that the Marsh receives year after year during the monsoons. A right mix of freshwater and seawater is important in maintaining the ecological integrity of the Marsh. For, in the natural process of ecological succession, Marshes tend to give way to grasslands and scrub, eventually attracting the colonization of woody shrubs and trees. The heavy inflow of freshwater every year and the influence of tidal water that is brackish (if not saline) have limited the vegetation to herbaceous plants including salt tolerant. Sedges like fimbristylis triflora and grasses, Surface runoff from almost all sides, the tidal influence from the south and southwest and the dense growth of emergent aquatic plants have balanced siltation, creating extensive mudflats and wide sediment banks that border the shallow water.

Salient Features

Pallikaranai Marsh acts as a sponge absorbing excess storm water runoff from surrounding areas in the city of Chennai, Pallikaranai Marsh collects floodwater thereby playing a vital role in recharging groundwater levels in the landscape, The wetland supports several IUCN red- listed threatened species, About 54 large and small satellite man-made waterbodies are located around Pallikaranai marsh which releases surplus water during monsoons, Pallikaranai marsh supports 18 listed, species of international conservation significance, Pallikaranai Marsh has a diverse habitat including large and deep reservoirs with several inlets and surrounding irrigated agricultural fields, which provide good nesting and foraging habitats for birds