Tsomoriri Lake

Tso Moriri is a lake in the Changthang Plateau (literally: northern plains) in Ladakh. The lake is at an altitude of 4,522 m (14,836 ft). It is the largest of the high altitude lakes entirely within India and entirely within Ladakh in this Trans-Himalayan biogeographic region. It is about 16 miles (26 km) north to south in length and two to three miles (3 to 5 km) wide. The lake has no outlet at present and the water is brackish though not very perceptible to taste. The lake and surrounding area are protected as the Tso Moriri Wetland Conservation Reserve.

The lake is fed by springs and snow-melt from the adjacent mountains. Most water enters the lake in two major stream systems, one entering the lake from the north, the other from the southwest. Both stream systems include extensive marshes where they enter the lake. It formerly had an outlet to the south, but this has become blocked and the lake has become an endorheic lake. The lake is oligotrophic in nature, and its waters are alkaline.
Accessibility to the lake is largely limited to summer season, though Karzok on the northwest shore and the military facilities on the eastern shores have year-round habitation.
As per a classification of the Himalayan Lakes done on the basis of their origin, there are four groups and Tso Moriri falls under the third group of "remnant lakes". The classification as reported states

1.  Glacial lakes which are formed in and around glaciers
2.  Structural lakes, formed by folds or faults due to movements in earth’s crust (e.g. Nainital lake in Uttarakhand),
3.  Remnant lakes which were originally structural but represent the remnants of vast lakes (e.g., Tso Moriri, Tso Kar, Pangong Tso in Ladakh, and Dal Lake in Kashmir)
4. Natural dammed lakes i.e., temporary water bodies formed along the river courses due to deposition of rocks or debris e.g. Gohna Tal in Garhwal, Uttarakhand

The lake is 20 to 50 kilometers southeast of the elevated valley of the core Rupshu Valley and falls within the greater Rupshu Plateau and valley area. The lake is ringed by mountains rising over 6,000 m (20,000 ft), including Mentok Kangri and Lungser Kangri. "Changpa", the nomadic migratory shepherds (pastoral community) of yak, sheep, goat, and horses of Tibetan origin and who are engaged in trade and work on caravans in Ladakh region, are the main inhabitants of the area. Changpa (Champa) herders use the land of this valley as grazing ground and for cultivation

The Working Report (2006) of the Planning Commission of the Government of India also reports:

Despite a poor vegetation cover, relatively low standing biomass and high anthropogenic pressure, this area sustains a considerably high livestock population. Steady increase in the livestock population in the area is mainly attributed to influx of nomadic herders from Tibet during recent decades and promotion of Pashmina goat production by the Animal Husbandry Department (AHD) for fine quality under wool (Pashmina). The herders and AHD officials, in recent years have begun to raise concern over degradation of pastures, resultant shortage of forage, and mass mortality of livestock during severe winters.

The Korzok Monastery, on the western bank of the lake is 400 years old and attracts tourists and Buddhist pilgrims. Tourism during May – September attracts large number of foreign and local tourists even though tented accommodation is the facility available, apart from a small PWD guest house close to the Lake. Northeast of Tso Moriri is a small lake which is known locally as Lake of Joy.

The lake, with water spread area of 120 km² (46 sq mi) is enclosed by peaks exceeding 6,000 meters on both the east and west sides. On the south, a nearly flat valley connects with but does not drain into or out of the Pare Chu river which is part of Sutlej river basin. Lingdi Nadi, major tributary of Tso Moriri, drains western catchment area of the lake and joins the lake on its south side.^[8] This valley contains the Nuro Sumdo wetlands (with a catchment area of 20 km² or 7.7 sq mi), a boggy area that mostly drains into the Pare Chu. Several small mountain streams feed the lake, including one through pasture land at Peldo Le. The lake is fed by springs and snow melt and has a maximum depth of 40 m (130 ft). Aridity and cold desert conditions prevail in the lake region; with summer temperature varying from 0° to 30 °C (32° to 86 °F) and winter temperature recording −10° and −40 °C (14° to -40 °F). Geologically the lake is in Ordovician rock

Avifauna

• Thirty-four species of birds included 14 species of water birds (some are pictured in the gallery) of which following are the vulnerable species
  • Black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis) endangered.
  • Bar-headed geese (Anser indicus)– only breeding ground in India
  • Brown-headed gulls (Larus brunnicephalus)
  • Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
  • Ferruginous pochard
  • Black-necked grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)

Mammals

• Tibetan gazelle, Procapra picticaudata, Goa antelope (threatened)
• Eurasian lynx
• Nayan Ovis ammon hodgsoni
• Bharal (Pseudois nayaur) Himalayan blue sheep
• Tibetan Ass (Kiang) or Equus kiang, endemic to the Tibetan Plateau
• Great Tibetan Sheep
• One species of marmot, Marmota himalayana in large numbers seen on the hill slopes surrounding the lake and also along the roadsides
• One species of hare, Lepus oistolus
• One species of vole, Alticola roylei
• Three species of mouse hares, Ochotona macrotis, Ochotona curzoniae or Tibetan sand fox and Scincella ladacensis

Large carnivores

• Carnivores fauna reported are:
  • the snow leopard (Uncia uncia)
  • the Tibetan wolf (Canis lupus chanco)

Threats to the lake

There are a number of threats to the Lake, such as:

• Increase in the number of tourists visiting the lake affecting the breeding of avifauna
• Additional road construction along the lake
• Pasture degradation affecting wildlife, particularly wild herbivores (marmots, hares, ungulates)
• An increase in the grazing of sheep in the wetlands surrounding the lake
• The absence of a proper garbage disposal facility at the lake.
• Dogs kept by the people who live near the lake are known to attack the cranes and destroy their eggs.
• Jeep safaris have been known to chase wildlife such as kiang and approach close to the breeding ground.
• Lack of regulations and monitoring by the government

Ramsar site

Largely based on the ecological diversity of the Lake (explained in the previous section) and its surroundings, the Tsomiriri was notified in November 2002 under the List of Ramsar Wetland sites under the Ramsar Convention. The justification could be summarized as

• The faunal collection is unique and has a large variety with endemic and vulnerable species
• The herbivore species are also endemic to the region
• The lake plays a fundamental role as breeding grounds and key staging posts on migration routes for several water birds belonging to six families, which is distinctive of wetland diversity and productivity

Tsomoriri. 19/08/02. Jammu & Kashmir. 12,000 ha. 32°54'N 078°18'E. Wetland Reserve. A freshwater to brackish lake lying at 4,595m above sea level, with wet meadows and borax-laden wetlands along the shores. The site is said to represent the only breeding ground outside of China for one of the most endangered cranes, the Black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis), and the only breeding ground for Bar-headed geese in India. The Great Tibetan Sheep or Argali (Ovis ammon hodgsoni) and Tibetan Wild Ass (Equus kiang) are endemic to the Tibetan plateau, of which the Changthang is the westernmost part. The barley fields at Korzok have been described as the highest cultivated land in the world. With no outflow, evaporation in the arid steppe conditions causes varying levels of salinity. Ancient trade routes and now major trekking routes pass the site. The 400-year-old Korzok monastery attracts many tourists, and the wetland is considered sacred by local Buddhist communities and the water is not used by them. The local community dedicated Tsomoriri as a WWF Sacred Gift for the Living Planet in recognition of WWF-India's project work there. The rapidly growing attraction of the recently opened area to western tourists (currently 2500 per summer) as an "unspoilt destination" with pristine high desert landscapes and lively cultural traditions brings great promise but also potential threats to the ecosystem. Ramsar site no. 1213. 

https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/1213