https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Beas_Conservation_ReserveBeas Conservation Reserve - Revision history2026-07-30T20:45:21ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Beas_Conservation_Reserve&diff=490248&oldid=prevFallonMansom317 at 16:22, 25 January 20262026-01-25T16:22:08Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Use Indian English|date=July 2013}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}<br />
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The '''Beas Conservation Reserve''' covers an 185&nbsp;km stretch of the river [[Beas]]. The area of the Reserve lies primarily in north-west [[Punjab]]. It was declared a conservation reserve by the government of Punjab, [[India]] in 2017. The Beas flows down meandering from the [[Himalayas|Himalayan]] foothills to Harike Headworks, where it spreads into multiple channels. The braided channels form islands and sand bars creating a complex environment that supports rich biodiversity. In September 2019, the reserve was declared a Ramsar site under the aegis of the 1971 [[Ramsar Convention]] on Wetlands of International Importance.<ref name="RSIS">{{Cite web|title=Beas Conservation Reserve|date=1 February 2020|publisher=Ramsar Sites Information Service|url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/2408|access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref><ref name="ET">{{Cite web|title=Lease of life: The 185-km long Beas Conservation Reserve is helping protect many endangered aquatic species|date=23 February 2020|author=Indulekha Aravind|newspaper=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/lease-of-life-the-185-km-long-beas-conservation-reserve-is-helping-protect-many-endangered-aquatic-species/articleshow/74260960.cms |access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref><br />
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==Biodiversity==<br />
Beas Conservation Reserve hosts more than 500 species of birds and over 90 species of fish.<ref name="beas ref1">{{cite news |last1=Aravind |first1=Indulekha |title=Lease of life: The 185-km long Beas Conservation Reserve is helping protect many endangered aquatic species |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/lease-of-life-the-185-km-long-beas-conservation-reserve-is-helping-protect-many-endangered-aquatic-species/articleshow/74260960.cms |access-date=4 October 2021 |work=The Economic Times|date=23 February 2020}}</ref> It is the only location to host the endangered [[Indus river dolphin]] (''Platanista gangetica minor''), once thought to be lost from the country.<ref name = RSIS/> It is a functionally blind mammal that performs underwater navigation and hunting activities through echolocation.<ref name = ET/><br />
Other threatened species which are found in the reserve include the endangered masheer (''Tor putitora''), the hog deer (''Axis porcinus''), the [[fishing cat]], and the vulnerable [[smooth-coated otter]] (''Lutrogale perspicillata'').<ref name = RSIS/><br />
A 2017 programme reintroduced 47 long-snouted gharials (''Gavialis gangeticus'') to the Beas, 30 years after they had disappeared. The presence of the Indus river dolphin and the [[gharial]], led the area to be declared a [[conservation reserve]].<ref name = ET/><br />
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==Environmental concerns==<br />
[[Urban area|Urban]] as well as domestic pollution has threatened the [[ecosystem]] of the reserve. Agriculture along the river's course also stands as a major factor. The river itself is fragmented by [[dams]], barrages and [[canals]], disrupting water flow into the ecosystem.<ref name = RSIS/><ref name = ET/><br />
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==Research==<br />
Peer-reviewed geospatial research published in 2025 examined human–wildlife interactions around the Beas Conservation Reserve using landscape metrics and spatial modelling.<br />
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<ref>{{cite web<br />
|last1=Sood |first1=Navdeep<br />
|last2=Kumar |first2=Rohan<br />
|last3=Sharma |first3=Swati<br />
|title=Identification of human–wildlife interaction hotspots near riparian reserves: A case study of Beas Conservation Reserve, a Ramsar site<br />
|url=https://agris.fao.org/search/en/providers/124459/records/6878e9135d9ad5f58d6068a6<br />
|work=Ecology, Conservation, SDG<br />
|year=2025<br />
|doi=10.36953/ECJ.29132919<br />
|access-date=26 January 2026<br />
}}</ref><br />
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==Measures taken==<br />
The Department of Forests and Wildlife Preservation, Punjab, conduct the scientific management of the [[wetland]].<ref name = RSIS/><br />
Since the declaration of the area as a conservation reserve, it is being protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act. Commercial fishing as well as netting have been banned within the reserve area, and experts have noted that indiscriminate fishing has been significantly reduced.<ref name = ET/><br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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{{Ramsar sites in India}}<br />
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[[Category:Protected areas of Punjab, India]]<br />
[[Category:Ramsar sites in India]]</div>FallonMansom317