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{{Short description|Wetland conservation area near Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, India}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Hokersar
| photo =Hokersar wetland.jpg
| photo_caption = Hokersar wetland
| photo_width =
| map = India Jammu and Kashmir
| map_caption = Location of Hokersar in Kashmir
| map_width = 280
| label = '''Hokersar'''
| label_position = right
| location = [[Zainakote]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], India
| nearest_city = [[Srinagar]]
| coordinates = {{coords|34|05|42|N|74|42|27|E|display=inline,title}}
| area = {{convert|1375|ha|acre}}
| governing_body = Kashmir Department of Wildlife Protection
| url =
| embedded1 = {{Designation list
| embed = yes
| designation1 = Ramsar
| designation1_date = 8 November 2005
| designation1_number = 1570<ref name=ramsar>{{Cite web|title=Hokera Wetland|publisher=[[Ramsar Convention|Ramsar]] Sites Information Service|url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/1570|access-date=7 November 2020}}</ref>}}
}}

The '''Hokersar''' is a [[wetland conservation]] area in [[Zainakote]] near [[Srinagar]] in the [[India]]n [[union territory]] of [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]]. It lies in the [[Kashmir Valley]], {{convert|10|km|mi}} northwest of Srinagar.<ref name=ramsar/> The Hokersar, which spreads over {{convert|1375|ha|km2}}, is a designated [[bird sanctuary]].<ref name=wular>{{Cite report |title=Comprehensive Management Action Plan for Wular Lake, Kashmir |url=http://www.jkwildlife.com/wild/pdf/pub/wurc_mgtplan_india_wular.pdf |access-date=7 November 2020 |date=June 2007 |publisher=[[Wetlands International]]}}</ref>

==Geography==
The Hokersar wetland, which is the largest [[bird reserve]] in the Kashmir Valley,<ref name=hoker/> is situated in the [[Jehlum River]] basin.<ref name=ramsar/> It is the northernmost part of the Doodhganga catchment, at an altitude of {{convert|1584|m|ft}} above sea level. The reserve is fed by the two perennial inlet streams; Doodhganaga from the east and Sukhnag from the west. It includes a lake and a marshy area with an average depth of {{convert|3|ft|abbr=on|order=flip}}. In the spring, the water level rises to as much as {{convert|8|ft|abbr=on|order=flip}} due to runoff from [[snowmelt]] in the [[Pir Panjal]] mountain range. The wetland also acts as an absorption basin for floodwaters.<ref name=wular/><ref name=hoker>{{Cite journal|first1=Haleema |last1=Bano |first2=Farooq A. |last2=Lone |first3=Javed I. A. |last3=Bhat |first4=Rauoof Ahmad |last4=Rather |first5=Shaista |last5=Malik |first6=M. Ashraf |last6=Bhat|title=Hokersar Wetland of Kashmir: Its Utility and Factors Responsible for its Degradation|journal=Plant Archives |volume=18 |issue=2 |date=2018 |pages=1905–1910 |url=http://www.plantarchives.org/18-02/1905-1910%20(4257).pdf|issn=0972-5210}}</ref>

==Flora and fauna==
The Hokersar wetland consists of three zones with varied flora. The northeastern zone contains various dense [[macrophytes]] while ''[[Trapa natans]]'' and ''[[Phragmites australis]]'' are found predominantly in the central zone, which is a large expanse of water. The southern zone is a [[silt]]ed portion and acts as pasture land.<ref name=hoker/>

The Hokersar wetland is a designated bird sanctuary. It serves as an important staging ground for medium and long distance migratory [[shorebirds]], [[geese]], [[Crane (bird)|cranes]], [[duck]]s and other species that breed in the northern latitudes of Siberia and Central Asia. The Valley of Kashmir as a whole is strategically located south of the Pamirs and at the western extremity of the Himalayan range. The waterbirds fly to Kashmir Valley via the [[Central Asian Flyway]]. They begin to arrive in September–October and leave by May. Over 500,000 waterbirds were recorded in the Hokersar Wetland in 2000–01. There were seven globally threatened species among the 45 waterbird species and 66 wetland-associated bird species reported in the reserve. [[Northern pintail]], [[mallard]], [[gadwall]], [[northern shoveller]], [[Eurasian wigeon]] and [[common teal]] are the most common waterfowl, found in large numbers during the winter. [[Eurasian coot]], [[red-crested pochard]], [[greylag goose]], [[common pochard]], [[garganey]], and [[ruddy shelduck]] are among the other species of waterbirds also found in the reserve.<ref name=wular/><ref>{{Cite journal |title=More than 3 lakh migratory birds arrive in Kashmir Valley |journal=Buceros |volume=22 |issue=2 |date=2017 |pages=8–9 |url=https://archive.org/details/buceros222/page/n7/mode/2up}}</ref>

==Conservation==
The Hokersar wetland was first designated as a [[conservation reserve]] under the ''Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1978''.<ref name=hoker/> Hokersar, Haigam and Shallabug are protected areas within the [[Jehlum River|Jhelum basin]] and have also been declared as bird sanctuaries by the government of Jammu & Kashmir.<ref name=wular/> In 2005, the reserve was recognised as a wetland of international importance under the [[Ramsar Convention]] as '''Hokera Wetland'''.<ref name=ramsar/> It falls under India's National Wetlands Conservation Programme and is also included in the network of [[Important Bird Areas]].<ref name=wular/>

==Threats==
Threats to the Hokersar wetland include human activities and encroachments. The wetland has been reduced from {{convert|18.75|km2|abbr=on}} in 1969 to {{convert|13.00|km2|abbr=on}} in 2008. Over time, many areas of the wetland have been converted into paddy cultivations. Discharge of the domestic waste into the wetland, primarily through the inlet streams, has led to excessive weed growth and eutrophication, both of which pose a great threat to the reserve's flora.<ref name=hoker/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Hokersar}}

{{Kashmir Valley}}
{{Ramsar sites in India}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hokersar}}
[[Category:Bird sanctuaries of India]]
[[Category:Protected areas of Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Kashmir]]
[[Category:Lakes of Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Ramsar sites in India]]
[[Category:Wetlands of India]]
[[Category:2005 establishments in Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 2005]]

Hokersar - Revision history

>JJMC89 bot III at 03:27, 4 May 2021