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| Inle Lake | |
|---|---|
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  Inle Lake | |
| Location | Shan State |
| Coordinates | 20°33′N 96°55′E / 20.550°N 96.917°E |
| Type | Polymictic lake |
| Primary outflows | Nam Pilu |
| Basin countries | Myanmar |
| Surface area | 44.9 sq mi (116 km2) |
| Average depth | 5 ft (1.5 m) (dry season) |
| Max. depth | 12 ft (3.7 m) (dry season; +5 ft in monsoon season) |
| Surface elevation | 2,900 ft (880 m) |
| Official name | Inlay Lake Ramsar Site |
| Designated | 5 December 1974 |
| Reference no. | 2356[1] |
Inle Lake (Burmese: အင်းလေးကန်; MLCTS: ang: le: kan, [ʔɪ́ɰ̃lé kàɰ̃]), a freshwater lake located in the Nyaungshwe Township of Shan State, part of Shan Hills in Myanmar (Burma). It is the second largest lake in Myanmar, with an estimated surface area of 44.9 square miles (116 km2), and one of the highest at an elevation of 2,900 feet (880 m). During the dry season, the average water depth is 7 feet (2.1 m), with the deepest point being 12 feet (3.7 m). During the rainy season, this can increase by 5 feet (1.5 m).
The watershed area for the lake lies to a large extent to the north and west of the lake. The lake drains through the Nam Pilu or Balu Chaung on its southern end. There is also a hot spring on its northwestern shore.
Large sections of the lake are covered by floating plants. Its clear and slightly alkaline waters (pH 7.8–8) are home to a diverse fauna and many species found nowhere else in the world (endemics).[2] There are more than 35 native species of fish, including 17 endemics. Some of these, notably the Sawbwa barb, red dwarf rasbora, emerald dwarf rasbora, Lake Inle danio, Inle loach and the Inle snakehead, are of minor commercial importance for the aquarium trade. Several fish that are not native have been introduced.[2][3] Additionally, the lake is home to about 45 species of freshwater snails, 30 of them endemic,[2] along with a small endemic freshwater crab, Inlethelphusa acanthica.[4] It hosts approximately 20,000 migratory gulls in November to January.[5]
In June 2015, it became Myanmar's first designated place of World Network of Biosphere Reserves.[6] It was one of 20 places added at the Unesco's 27th Man and the Biosphere (MAB) International Coordinating Council (ICC) meeting.[7] Since 2018 it has been designated as a protected Ramsar site.[1] Today the lake's environment is under serious pressure due to pollution, siltation, eutrophication, overfishing and introduced species, including the highly invasive water hyacinth. The endemic predatory fish Systomus compressiformis might already be extinct.[2]
- ^ a b "Inlay Lake Ramsar Site". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- ^ a b c d Allen, D.J.; K.G. Smith; W.R.T. Darwall, eds. (2012). The status and distribution of freshwater biodiversity in Indo-Burma. Cambridge, UK and Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. pp. 62, 67, 130–131. ISBN 978-2-8317-1424-0.
- ^ Miao, W.; S.D. Silva; B. Davy, eds. (2010). Inland Fisheries Enhancement and Conservation in Asia. FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand. pp. 95–96. ISBN 978-92-5-106751-2.
- ^ Ng, P.K.L.; W. Mar; D.C.J. Yeo (2020). "On the taxonomy of the endemic Inle Lake crab, Inlethelphusa acanthica (Kemp, 1918) (Crustacea: Brachyura: Potamidae) of Myanmar". Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 68 (452): 453–463. doi:10.26107/RBZ-2020-0063.
- ^ [1][permanent dead link] Page 16 Col 1
- ^ Aye Sapay Phyu. "Inle Lake joins UN list of biosphere sites". mmtimes.com/. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
- ^ "Inle Lake designated biosphere reserve". nationmultimedia.com/. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2015.