near Tso Kar Lake
Flora The inlets of the Tso Kar are a source of non-saline water;
pondweeds and basic nettles grow there, forming floating islands of vegetation in the spring and dying off in the winter.
Sedge and large numbers of
buttercups grow on the shores of Startsapuk Tso and of the tributaries of the Tso Kar, while some parts of the high basin are marked by
steppe vegetation interspersed with
tragacanth and
pea bushes. The shore of Tso Kar is partly covered with a salt crust, which keeps vegetation away from the inflows.
Fauna Tso Kar is an important stopover ground for migratory birds along the
Central Asian Flyway. It is one of the most important breeding areas in India for the black-necked crane (
Grus nigricollis). Some of the species found here are endangered saker falcon (
Falco cherrug) and
Asiatic wild dog or dhole (Cuon alpinus laniger), and the vulnerable
snow leopard (Panthera uncia). Due to the salinity of the Tso Kar, most of the resident fauna is found in its tributaries and in Startsapuk Tso. There are large breeding colonies of
grebes and
brown-headed gulls, and some
bar-headed geese,
ruddy shelducks and
terns. In the vicinity of the lake
black-necked cranes and
Tibetan grouse are relatively common. The basin of the Tso Kar and the adjoining More Plains constitute one of the most important habitats of the
kiang,
Tibetan gazelles,
Tibetan wolves and
foxes; there are
himalayan marmots in the higher reaches.
Yaks and
horses are kept by nomads.
Conservation Currently the lake basin has no special protection, but there are plans to include it within a national park which may be established in the highlands of south-eastern Ladakh. ==ISRO station==