Vembannur Wetland is a human-made irrigation tank, situated a few kilometres inland in Tamil Nadu near the southernmost point of mainland India. The Site forms part of an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) and it provides suitable habitat to several species of waterbird in the breeding and non-breeding seasons such as the Indian river tern (Sterna aurantia), the spotted greenshank (Tringa guttifer), the garganey (Anas querquedula) and the grey pelican (Pelecanus philippensis). The Site is also an excellent habitat for notable plants including Indotristicha ramosissima, Cyrtococcum longipes and Eriochrysis rangacharii. The wetland supports more than 2,000 hectares of agricultural land on which more than 1,000 families depend. It also supplies fish and drinking water to local communities while moderating the impacts of drought and floods, influencing the local microclimate, enhancing the beauty of the landscape, and providing many recreational opportunities. Vegetation clearance and land conversion, garbage and solid waste present moderate threats to the ecological integrity of the Site. Although a management plan has been prepared, the authorities are yet to start implementing it.