A unique area, Keibul Lamjao is referred to as a habitat that is too deep to be a marsh, too shallow to be a lake’. The phumdi is even able to support the weight of large mammals. Additionally, there are duee hills on which the animals can take shelter during the monsoon, when much of the area is inundated. In the dry season, the phumdi settles on the ground (lake bed) and over several continuous dry years, it’s margins could even become hard ground.
As in the case of most wetlands, owing to poor land management, the Logtak lake is being over exploited by the people of Manipur Valley. At one time locals used to harvest the area sustainably, but with the passage of time and the introduction of chemical agriculture, a decline has predictably set in. Simultaneously, over-fishing, deforestation in the catchment areas, sewage discharge, pesticides and waterfowl hunting continue to be the bane of this incredible lake. The Keibul Lamjao swamp was declared a National Park in 1977, chiefly to preserve the brow-antlered deer. Despite being a protected area, however, the swamp continues to be highly disturbed. Half a decade ago the Logtak Hydroelectric Project was commissioned, which envisaged a dam across the Manipur river. This would significantly affect the biology of the swamp and could be a major threat to this unique ecosystem and to the World famous deer of which all of Manipur is justifiably proud. The area of Keibul Lamjao was once around 4,000 ha, but in April, 1987, nearly 1,840 ha was removed from the protection of the National Park because of widespread local opposition to the park. Logtak is one of the sites selected for conservation and management by the NWC.
Besides the brow-antlered deer, this vanishing wetland is home to sambar, hog
deer, common otter and wild boar and several other animals all of which help
ta maintain the habitat Along with the much larger Logtak lake, Keibul Lamjao
is also a major wintering ground for waterfowl.