Beas Conservation Reserve

Indus River Dolphin following country boat at Karmowala village.
Indus River Dolphin at Mundapind village.
Riparian community crossing river Beas near village Kapoora.
Flock of Bar-headed Geese in River Beas
Gharial basking on a mid channel island near River Beas.

Beas Conservation Reserve

  • Country: 
    India
  • Site number: 
    2408
  • Area: 
    6,428.9 ha
  • Designation date: 
    26-09-2019
  • Coordinates: 
    31°23'N 75°11'E
Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Overview

The Beas Conservation Reserve is a 185-kilometre stretch of the Beas River located primarily in the north-west of the State of Punjab. The River meanders down from the Himalayan foothills to the Harike Headworks, where its course is diverted into a number of channels. The River is dotted with islands, sand bars and braided channels creating a complex environment supporting substantial biodiversity. More than 500 species of birds are documented along this stretch, along with more than 90 fish species. The Reserve also hosts the only known population in India of the endangered Indus river dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor). Further threatened species include the endangered masheer (Tor putitora) and hog deer (Axis porcinus) as well as the vulnerable smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata). In 2017, a programme was initiated to re-introduce the critically endangered gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) with 47 individuals released into the River 30 years after their disappearance. Major threats include urban and domestic pollution as well as impacts of agriculture along most of the River’s course. The Department of Forests and Wildlife Preservation, Punjab, conduct the scientific management of the wetland.

Administrative region: 
Hoshiarpur, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Kaputhala, Jalandhar, Tarn Taran

  • National legal designation: 
    • Conservation Reserve - Beas Conservation Reserve
  • Last publication date: 
    01-02-2020

Downloads

Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS)

Additional reports and documents