Key Highlights
- Keibul Lamjao stands as the sole floating national park globally.
- The park’s foundation of phumdis sustains an intricate wet‑land ecosystem.
- It is the exclusive habitat of the endangered Sangai deer, the ‘Dancing Deer’.
- Conservation efforts have elevated it to UNESCO tentative World Heritage status.
- Its dynamic balance between land and water offers critical lessons on ecological resilience.
Detailed Insights
The park covers almost 40 km² within Loktak Lake, the largest freshwater body in northeastern India. Its surface is supported by massed islands of phumdis—mats of decomposed vegetation and organic detritus—forming a self‑sustaining island that rises and falls with lake levels. This movement creates a habitat continuum from aquatic to terrestrial environments, allowing species such as hog deer, wild boar, otters, and numerous waterfowl to thrive.
Central to this fragile landscape is the Sangai deer (Cervus eldi eldi). The deer’s graceful stride across the floating mats has earned it the moniker “Dancing Deer.” It is not only ecologically rare—confined to this park—but also culturally emblematic for the people of Manipur.
Protection of the park began in 1966 when it was declared a wildlife sanctuary and later in 1977 designated as a national park. Ongoing management focuses on phumdi rejuvenation, pollution mitigation, and eco‑tourism policy, while local communities collaborate with government entities to preserve this unique biosphere.
Key Concepts
- Phumdi: Accumulations of floating vegetation, soil, and organic matter that form buoyant land masses in Loktak Lake.
- Sangai Deer: An endangered cervid, endemic to Keibul Lamjao, renowned for its fluid gait.
- UNESCO Tentative List: A pre‑selection register for future World Heritage Sites, indicating international recognition.
- Wet‑land Ecosystem: A dynamic ecological zone where terrestrial and aquatic habitats intermix, supporting high biodiversity.