Ipsa Tripathy
Bhubaneswar: In a forest, water is more than something animals drink. It can influence where wildlife moves, where animals concentrate during dry periods and how species use their habitat. A small pond, seasonal pool, stream or waterhole can therefore become an important part of the ecological landscape, particularly when surrounding sources begin to dry.Water availability is known to influence the ecology of terrestrial birds and mammals. A 2025 review of 181 studies found that researchers have documented wildlife use of both natural and artificial freshwater sources across different ecosystems. Most of the studies examined surface water bodies such as waterholes and pools, and camera traps were among the most commonly used methods for studying animal activity around them.
The importance of a waterhole becomes clearer during the dry season. When streams, ponds and other sources become less available, animals that require regular access to drinking water may spend more time near the remaining sources.This does not mean every species depends on waterholes in the same way. A study in a seasonally dry forest in Mexico found that larger terrestrial mammals used surface water bodies more frequently, while some smaller and arboreal mammals made greater use of water collected in tree holes. Birds also showed differences in their use of different types of water sources.
Water availability can therefore influence the spatial distribution of wildlife. Research on Asian elephants in India’s Melagiri landscape, for example, found that surface water availability was positively associated with elephant habitat use during the pre-monsoon dry period. This relationship is also relevant to Odisha.
The state’s forests include tropical moist and dry deciduous forests, and official forest planning documents identify seasonal water scarcity as a concern in some forest divisions. One Odisha forest working plan notes that many seasonal streams and nallahs dry between January and June and recommends maintaining or creating waterholes and check dams in suitable locations to improve summer water availability for wildlife.
When animals gather around water, their presence can influence the surrounding ecosystem. Large concentrations of herbivores can affect vegetation around water sources through grazing and browsing. Studies of elephants show that their dependence on surface water can lead to higher concentrations around permanent water sources during dry periods, with consequences for nearby vegetation.
Waterholes can also become places where different species encounter one another. This can be ecologically important, but it also has a less obvious consequence: concentrated animal activity can increase opportunities for disease transmission.Research in African savannas found that water sources can concentrate animal faeces and faecal-oral parasites, particularly during dry periods and in drier environments. The researchers found that parasite concentrations increased around water sources as animal activity became concentrated there.
Water quality itself can also change. Research from Bandipur and Nagarahole Tiger Reserves in Karnataka found that microbial water quality in forest waterholes deteriorated during the hotter months and improved during the rainy season. The study detected several types of bacteria in water samples, illustrating why simply having water available does not necessarily mean that its quality is suitable.
Artificial water sources are sometimes used by wildlife managers in places where natural water availability is limited. But adding water to a forest is not automatically beneficial in every situation.Artificial waterholes can change animal movements and concentrate wildlife in particular locations. Research has shown that the ecological effects can extend beyond the water itself, including changes in vegetation and patterns of animal distribution.
Their location, water quality, availability of food and surrounding habitat therefore matter. A waterhole cannot replace the broader requirements of a functioning ecosystem.This is particularly important because animals need more than drinking water. They also require food, shelter, breeding habitat and safe movement routes. Odisha’s forest planning documents similarly treat water as one component of broader habitat management alongside food, shelter and protection.
A forest waterhole may look insignificant compared with a river or lake. Ecologically, however, its importance can be much greater during periods when water becomes scarce.For researchers, these locations can also provide useful windows into wildlife behaviour. Camera traps placed around water sources can record which species visit, when they arrive and how patterns change between seasons. The growing scientific literature on wildlife and freshwater availability shows that these observations are helping researchers understand how animals respond to changing access to water.
The lesson is simple but important. A waterhole is not merely a pool in the forest. It is part of a larger network of water, vegetation, animal movement and ecological interactions.As dry periods become an important consideration for forest management, understanding where water occurs, how long it remains available and how wildlife uses it becomes increasingly important. Protecting natural streams, ponds and other freshwater sources is therefore not separate from wildlife conservation. For many animals, protecting the water means protecting part of the habitat itself.