The Site is part of the Suchindram-Theroor Manakudi Conservation Reserve and lies at the southern tip of the Central Asian Flyway. The Wetland Complex lies at the point of the Kodaiyar river drainage system where water stored in the Perunchanidam, Pechipparai and Kodaiyar reservoirs is released into a channel which drains thousands of ponds. The wetland comprises two man-made reservoirs, Theroor and Suchindram, that provide irrigation and habitat for wetland birds. It is an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA); around 250 species of birds have been recorded, of which 53 are migratory, 12 endemic, and four threatened. The presence of at least 183 plant and animal species enables the reservoirs to provide crucial staging and foraging grounds for the birds. The extensive irrigation system was built and monitored from the ninth century, and supports the livelihoods of about 75% of the population of the wetland’s communities.