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Detailed Ecological Assessment Report 2008 – Keti Bunder
3.3.2 Summary
Keti Bunder, Taluka (Tehsil) of Thatta District is situated at a distance of about
200 km SE of Karachi. It is located in Indus Delta and represents a diverse
habitat complex supporting amphibians and reptiles. The area is very wide and
consists of several Dehs (clusters of villages). There are four major creeks in the
area viz. Chann, Hajamro, Khobar and Kangri branching into innumerable small
creeks.
Image 3 – Mangrove habitat at Keti
Bunder
Image 4 – Mudflat habitat at Keti
Bunder
Out of 45 amphibian and reptilian species, possibly occurring in the area, 27
species were observed or collected by the author. The remaining species have
been recorded through secondary data obtained through discussions with the
local inhabitants and WWF members and consulting the previous literature
citations. The amphibians are represented by three species belonging to three
genera and two families. Among the reptiles, chelonians are represented by four
species belonging to four genera and two families. Lizards are the second
dominant group of herpetiles, represented by 18 species belonging to 12 genera
and six families. Snakes outnumber all the groups of reptiles in the study area
and are represented by 20 species belonging to 17 genera and seven families. A
comprehensive list of species collected both in summer and winter in the annex
document.
Keeping in view the diverse habitats, the Keti Bunder area is also interesting in
the sense that three out of five species of sea turtles of Pakistan i.e. Chelonia
mydas (Green turtle), Lepidochelys olivacea (Olive Ridley) and Dermochelys
coriacea (Leather-back) may also visit and nest along the mangrove coastal strip,
as reported earlier (Minton, 1966; Khan, 2006). Besides, there are 14 species of
sea snakes occurring in Pakistan, the majority of which inhabit the mangrove
swamps and the mouth of Indus.
The number of amphibian and reptilian species is seemingly less than what will
be the actual occurrence in the area but was not unexpected due to several
limitations mentioned earlier. In summer studies, the author observed or collected
20 species of amphibians and reptiles from all the study sites, adding 07 more
species as a result of winter studies including Hemidactylus brookii,
Acanthodactylus cantoris, Ophisops jerdonii, Bungarus c. caeruleus, Daboia
russelii, Hydrophis caerulescens and Praescutata viperina.
Overall, the summer season is well represented by the higher richness, Shannon
index and Margalef index of 20, 2.382, and 2.885 respectively. This highlights
that the summer season, which is the active period of all of the herpetiles, is more
WWF Pakistan – Indus for All Programme Page 46 of 188