Edited by Asad R. Rahmani, Director, BNHS
CONTENTS
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Editorial Board J. C. Daniel, Hon. Secretary, BNHS Kulojyoti Lahkar n
Compiled, Layout and Designed by Kulojyoti Lahkar and Abhijit Malekar n
Layout: Gopi Naidu n
Contributions should be sent to Editors, MISTNET, IBA-IBCN Bombay Natural History Society Hornbill House, S. B. Singh Road Mumbai-400 023, INDIA Tel: +91 22 22821811 Fax: +91 22 22837615 Email: ibabnhs@vsnl.net
House-Crow: Threat to Indian Skimmer
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— A.I.Siddiqui, Jitendra Pandey and Raja Mandal
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Bombay Natural History Society Mission Statement ‘Conservation of nature, primarily biological diversity through action, based on research, education and public awareness.’
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IBCN workshop in Kaziranga
BirdLife’s Annual Red List 2007
— Moloy Baruah
BNHS is BirdLife International partner designate n
BirdLife International is a global partnership of conservation organisations, represented in over 100 countries, working for the diversity of all life through the conservation of birds and their habitats. BirdLife International Wellbrook Court, Girton Road Cambridge CB3 0NA, UK Email: birdlife@birdlife.org.uk Web: www.birdlife.org
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Sarus: the state bird of Uttar Pradesh — Fazlur Rahman
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www.rspb.org.uk
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Little Tern breeding in Vikramshila IBA — D.N.Choudhary, Arvind Mishra and Ajit Kumar Singh
www.darwin.gov.uk
This Newsletter is supported by the RSPB and Darwin Initiative
n Cover: Swamp Francolin Francolinus gularis
by Ravi Singh, CEO, WWF-India Photo of Dr. Asad R. Rahmani on Editorial page by Kulojyoti Lahkar Views expressed by the contributors in the MISTNET are not necessarily those of the IBCN/BNHS.
(For private circulation only)
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New Bird Books
— Kulojyoti Lahkar
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Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary — Tsilie Sakhrie
EDITORIAL
Popularizing and protecting IBAs
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he tome “Important Bird Areas in India” was released in November 2004 by the Minister of Environment and Forests, Government of India; and later it was released in many states and distributed to the Forest Department officials and individuals who had contributed during the IBA selecting process. The book has also made good sales, thanks to the distribution network of Oxford University Press, copublishers of BNHS titles. Since its publications, the book has been quoted and referred to, but not as much I would like it to be. I have seen many reports and publications on sites which are IBAs without mention of the IBA status. All our state coordinators must see that the term IBA is popularized and becomes a part of our conservation jargon, much like we say an area is a national park or a sanctuary. If a site is an IBA, it should be mentioned in all our publications, communications and conversation with officials. It should be the duty of all IBCN members to popularize this term. We should be proud to call a site an IBA, if it is listed in our book. Some of our state coordinators and IBCN members are members of the State Wildlife Advisory Boards. I request you to include discussion on the state IBAs in the Board meetings. Photocopy the relevant chapter of your State, and distribute it to the board members before the meeting. Get a resolution passed that your state will protect IBAs. Explore the possibility of getting legal protection for IBAs which have no legal protection. As our aim is to involve people in the protection of IBAs, work with local communities/stake holders to get their support. People’s support is the best long-term protection for IBAs. As our main book is too large and expensive, it is not possible to distribute free copies to all decision makers and conservationists. We need state level IBA books. I am very happy to inform the IBCN partners that Mrs Usha Lachungpa, State Coordinator of Sikkim, has brought out “Important Bird Areas of Sikkim: Priority Sites for Conservation”. It is published in collaboration with the Department of Forest, Environment and Wildlife Management, Government of Sikkim, IBCN, BirdLife, BNHS and RSPB. This is an example for other state coordinators to bring out similar statelevel books. The IBA-IBCN Secretariat will be happy to provide complete information for the state from the main book. To protect IBAs and threatened bird species, we need grass-root support. As a first step, we need more IBCN partners/members, spread among the civil society. Presently, we have about 800 members and about 80 institutional partners. I request each of you to make at least one more partner/member. If you know any conservation organization who is not an IBCN member, try to enroll it and let us know its name and address. In our country where conservation is so pathetically and comically tiger-centric, unless we come together strongly, no one will listen to the plight of the Indian birds and Indian IBAs. Peoples’ power can change the government’s attitude, so let us come together and use this power. Asad R. Rahmani
MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007
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R E S E A R C H A N D M O N I T O R I N G F O R C O N S E R VAT I O N
Pic: A.I. Siddiqui
House-Crow: Threat to Indian Skimmer
The Indian Skimmer breeds in small numbers on the islands in the Ganga near Naraora Atomic Power Station
A.I.Siddiqui *, Jitendra Pandey**, Raja Mandal **
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he Indian Skimmer Rynchops albicollis is an endemic and threatened bird and falls in the Vulnerable category (criteria A1c,e; A2c,e;C1) of the BirdLife-IUCN. Once described to be an extremely common bird in upper India, both its range and number have declined rapidly with an estimated population of 10,000 individuals. The major causes of its population decline are destruction and fragmentation of its habitat, because of anthropogenic pressures. Here we describe our observation on a yet another threat to the bird¯ House Crow Corvus splendens. Presently the Indian Skimmer is confined to the major river systems of north India viz; Chambal and Ganga. The Indian Skimmer has been observed
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at Norara (280 14' 15” N, 780 24' 18” E) in Uttar Pradesh, some 120km from Delhi. Narora, located on the right bank of the Ganga, is an IBA (IBA Criteria A1, A4iii). Recently Narora has been declared a Ramsar site – a wetland of international importance. Narora is also an Important Bird Area (IBA). Narora is home to a large number of birds, both resident and migratory, turtles, the Marsh crocodile, the Gharial, the Gangetic Dolphin, and others. Narora is also the site for India’s fourth atomic power station, Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS). Two large canals, forming one of north India’s biggest and perhaps the oldest irrigation systems originate from Narora barrage. It has been observed that during the pre- and post-monsoon surveys,
the total population of the Indian Skimmer was scattered throughout the river course (Anupshahr – NaroraKachla, ˜ 75 km of river stretch) mostly in groups of 1-3 individuals. Postmonsoon surveys during 1999-2000 in the downstream, in Narora – Kachla stretch (˜48 Km downstream of Narora barrage) the population of the Indian skimmer was estimated to be, on an average of 3.25 individuals per km. This population was observed mostly on semi-submerged sandbars. However, during November-April period the total population of the Indian Skimmer was found to vary between 12-24, individuals, mostly in groups on the sand-islands and sandbars, which dot the river Ganga. In the year 2007 an extensive survey MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007
R E S E A R C H A N D M O N I TO R I N G F O R C O N S E RVAT I O N
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Narora is home to a large number of birds, both
resident and migratory, turtles, the Marsh crocodile, the Gharial, the Gangetic Dolphin, and others.
Chlidonias hybridus. Indian Skimmer was found to be carrying out trial nesting along with the River Tern, on some islands towards the second half of March 2007. The first nest of the Indian Skimmer was observed on April 4, 2007. The nest had a clutch size of 2. Another survey next day (April 5) resulted in the discovery of about 38 individuals on another island. The nesting colony at the island was shared among the Indian Skimmer, the Small Indian Pratincole and the River Tern. In all 19 nests of Indian Skimmer were observed on the island. The nests of the Indian Skimmer were observed on the outer periphery of the Island (near water) whereas the nests of the River Tern and the Small Indian Pratincole were found in the middle of the island, mostly camouflaged with small grass. Binocular observations from a distance revealed that the nests were intact and the clutch size varied between 1 and 3. Often the nests were attacked by a small flock of crows (5-6.) but the Indian
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Skimmer and other birds in the colony chased them out and defended their nests. 17 April proved to be an eventful day. A storm hit the area at the time of observation (˜0600 hrs). The storm converted into a sandstorm in the island, due to the presence of loose sand. The intensity of the wind increased significantly, reducing visibility and even making breathing difficult. The surface sand-temperature (taken at another similar island) in the morning was 32.20 C, rising to 38.40 C at 0900 hrs and 52.90 C at about 1100 hrs. The air temperature at this moment was about 420 C and the temperature of the river water was about 300 C. Several birds were sprinkling water on the eggs, so characteristic of the Indian Skimmer. Around that time a large flock of House Crows (˜ 90-100) attacked the colony. This meant double jeopardy for the Indian Skimmer, on the one hand they needed to protect their eggs from roasting due to scorching heat and on
Pic: A.I. Siddiqui
for the Indian Skimmer was carried out under a study on the breeding behaviour of the bird, in and around the Exclusion Zone of NAPS. The study is being conducted under the Environment Stewardship Programme (ESP), a voluntary activity of Nuclear Power Corporation, Ltd. The downstream of the river, which is very difficult to negotiate due to very low water levels and presence of loose sand, was extensively surveyed. A large variety of birds and a congregation of 45 individual Indian Skimmers were spotted on the sand-islands. This bird population was much bigger than that observed in the past. Some other birds found in the area included, the Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger, the Grey Heron Andea cinerea, Little Egret Egretta garzetta, the Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala, the Blacknecked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus, the Black Ibis Pseudibis papillosa, the Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia, the Brahminy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea, the Spotbilled Duck Anas poecilorhyncha, the Sarus Crane Grus antigone, the Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius, the Great Stone-Plover Esacus recurvirostris, the Small Pratincole Glaeola lactea, the River Tern Sterna aurantia, the Black-bellied Tern Sterna acuticauda, and the Whiskered tern
Indian Skimmer nests together with River Tern in Narora
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Pic: A.I. Siddiqui
R E S E A R C H A MONITORING N D M O N I TIMPORTANT O R I N G FBIRD O R AREAS C O N S E R VAT I O N
Indian skimmers in the Narora Atomic Power Station
other they needed to defend the colony from the attackers. In a matter of two to three hours, the entire colony was vandalized by the House Crows. The nests of Indian Skimmer, being totally in the open were vandalized first, however, some nests of the Small Pratincole and the River Tern survived the attack, being partly or fully camouflaged. The next survey on 20 April 2007 revealed a barren island with no-eggs and almost no birds. Only a few Blackbellied Terns Sterna acuticauda and three Great Stone-Plovers were spotted. Several days later, during another visit to the colony site, an Indian Skimmer with its newborn chick was found disappearing into the nearby grasspatch. The fate of the chick remains unknown. The above observations show the havoc that House Crows are capable of. The authorities of NAPS as also the members of Nature Club volunteered and took adequate steps to protect the nesting birds, by erecting barriers on the pathways to the island to block the entry of stray animals, creating awareness about the bird among the fishermen, frequenting the area and a regular visit and vigil by the volunteers to protect the site from human encroachment. While some islands in the river are uninhabited by humans, villagers have been cultivating many other islands in the neighbourhood, using
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insecticides and pesticides. Often dogs accompany these farmers. These activities have not only reduced the number of breeding sites, but also attract House Crows, dogs etc. – a potential threat to the breeding population on the neighbouring islands. The air-attack by the House Crows on a relatively isolated island, came as a surprise to the researchers. The entry of stray animals can perhaps be checked and human activity minimized, but the crow-menace remains a big challenge. Subsequent to the tragic end of the above breeding colony, additional observations were made to understand the behaviour of the House-crow in the area. We suspect that a large flock of House-Crow ( 300-500) takes a few kilometre long flight to reach the river, almost every morning and return after feeding. The main food of these crows is thrown away tomato, pumpkin, from the island farms, floating carcasses etc. It is proposed to work on a multipronged strategy in future to check the menace of House-Crows, in consultation with expert groups like the IBCN-BNHS. The first step is to create awareness among the villagers and other stake holders about the Indian Skimmer and launch a campaign against the House-Crow menace. Second, is to persuade local farmers to abandon some of the neighbouring islands. Third, to erect physical barriers on entry points
to the islands as also to hire man-power if possible, and required, to keep a regular watch on entry of animals and humans. The study will continue till the next breeding season of the Indian Skimmer and we hope to return with a success story. Acknowledgement: The authors are thankful to the management of NPCIL and the Narora Atomic Power Station for their support to carry out the above study. We are also thankful to IBCN-BNHS for their advice. About the Authors A.I.Siddiqui is Deputy General Manager at NPCIL, Mumbai and Member Secretary, Environment Stewardship Programme of NPCIL. He is a bird-watcher and naturephotographer. He has conducted bird surveys at all the seven plant sites of NPCIL. Jitendra Pandey and Raja Mandal work in the Operations department at Narora Atomic Power Station, Uttar Pradesh and have contributed in the conservation of Gangetic dolphin, turtles, crocodiles and avi-fauna. The have also contributed to the IBA book and AWC. Contact: * NPCIL, Mumbai, Corresponding author, aisiddiqui@npcil.co.in ; ** NAPS, Narora
MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007
C A PA C I T Y B U I L D I N G A N D C O N S E R VAT I O N
IBCN’S Kaziranga Workshop for Bird Conservation Moloy Baruah
MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007
Pic: Kulojyoti Lahkar
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M C Malakar Chief Wildlife Warden of Assam inaugurated the workshop, Left to right – Dr Anwaruddin Choudhury, M.C. Malakar and D.N. Singh
Pic: Kulojyoti Lahkar
he first week of February in 2007 brought a lofty offer from Mumbai through an e-mail about IBCN’s proposed workshop at Kaziranga. The Indian Bird Conservation Network is currently working from Hornbill House, Mumbai office, under the guidance of its parent society, BNHS. A few days later Kulojyoti also rang me up from Mumbai to know about my participation, which I confirmed then and there. At the initiative of BirdLife International, BNHS, the Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Darwin Initative for Survival of Species have geared up to protect the Important Bird Areas of India under the banner of IBCN. It is worth mentioning that there are 466 IBAs in India of which the highest number had been declared in Assam, which is 46. The other north-eastern states share is as follows: Arunachal – 28, Meghalaya – 9, Mizoram- 6; Nagaland – 9, Tripura – 2, and Manipur – 9. Mr. Mohan Chandra Malakar, Chief Wildlife Warden, Assam and Mr. D N Singh, Conservation Central Assam Circle and Field Director In-charge of the Kaziranga National Park, came to inaugurate the four-day along with Dr. Anwaruddin Choudhury, the renowned conservationist and also the IBCN State Coordinator for Assam. Mr. Singh emphasized in his lecture, on why flood is essential for Kaziranga and its more than 400 wetlands. He also explained how the eco-system is badly affected without floods. He also informed the participants of the drought-like situation in the summer of 2006. As a result, nesting sites for Grey pelicans remained mostly inactive. Mr. Malakar among other things highlighted difficulties facing protection of the Deepor beel, a Ramsar site, and how people are thwarting the move to introduce of the alternate livelihood means other than fishing; local communities resistance at Bordibam-Bilmukh which is an IBA and notified bird sanctuary, and also spoke about how the whole community at Khonoma village, Nagaland had come forward to protect a ‘Peoples Reserve’. Dr Choudhury as State Coordinator of IBCN – Assam also highlighted his point of view. After the inauguration session, a few cut-out pieces of illustrations of animals were distributed amongst the participants who were asked to find out a partner to rejoin the other piece. Putting together two pieces of a wild bison, Miss Viprino Pucho became my partner and narrated my introduction briefly and very neatly. She is the General Secretary of Nagaland Eco Tourism Society and operates tours. She is a science graduate from North East Hill
IBCN members introducing each other – Moloy Baruah and Viprino Pucho
University, Shillong and a diploma-holder on Environmental Science from Sikkim Manipal, Delhi campus. This is considered to be an attracting system for a revealing introduction, as many people are often heard boasting while giving a self-introduction. In the workshop, 20 participants from Assam, five from Nagaland and four from Arunachal were present (excluding IBCN State Coordinators). For Sikkim and other north-eastern states, a separate workshop
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Group exercise- IBCN State Coordinators Anwaruddin Choudhury (Assam) and B.B. Bhatt (Arunachal Pradesh) are helping the group
The second day began with the SWOT (strength/ weakness/ opportunities/ threats) analysis, based on the IBCN networking states. The participants were divided into three groups and asked to prepare analytical reports. The next session was by Dr. Anwaruddin Choudhury, explaining the role of advocacy in the field of conservation and how NGOs can get the maximum yield, utilizing it in the proper forum. Next it was Kulojyoti giving lessons on communication and media. The demon dams that are coming up in the AssamArunachal river systems are damaging the whole eco-system and the wildlife were brought to critical analysis by Mr. Niraj Wagholikar in the next topic. The second day, session came to an end with power point presentation of activities of three
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Prashant Mahajan briefing participants before going for Time – species count exercise
leading activist groups of Assam, Nature’s Foster, Green Heart and Early Birds. Mr. Gautam Choudhury, General Secretary, on behalf of Early Birds presented the activity at a glance. The third day’s programme begun with BirdLife International’s monitoring scheme, including IBA monitoring and what, where, why, when and how we could do the monitoring. How bird counting is to be done actually in the field was also discussed by Mr. K. Lahkar. Towards the end of the session Mr. K T. Thomas of Nagaland narrated their conservation story and IBA status. He said that many people in Nagaland do not take dog meat, many people had been offered LPG connections by the government as an alternate fuel resource so that tree felling incident minimizes. Naga people carry their gun only as a traditional show piece. Nagas have undetouchable relations with their pride bird ‘Hornbill’. Many people are protecting jungles after declaring them as community reserve. In spite of all this the Nagas had to face humiliation in the matter of conservation.
Pic: Kulojyoti Lahkar
Pic: Kulojyoti Lahkar
is proposed at Shillong in the near future. Mr. Ian Barbar from RSPB was present all along, in the workshop. On day one, Mr Prasant Mahajan of BNHS explained the Darwin Initiative project and its expected outcome. The other topics for discussion for the same day were IBCN as a network building. It is worth mentioning that an attempt had been made nation-wise to build up IBCN supporting network and so far, eighty-five NGO’s and more than 700 individual members had joined it. All these members are expected to participate in the IBA status-reporting (IBA monitoring) as well as participation in the annual waterfowl census. Towards the end of the day, the role of Site Support Groups were discussed and Kulojyoti Lahkar narrated our group’s example of how Early Bird’s compelled the state authority to declare Amchang reserve forest as a wildlife sanctuary and stopped a stone quarry which had been used by the elephant as passage. Day-one session ended with a presentation of activities from Arunachal Pradesh.
Pic: Kulojyoti Lahkar
C A PA C I T Y B U I L D I N G A N D C O N S E R VAT I O N
Anwaruddin Choudhury requested Dharanidhar Boro (Range Officer) to share his experience with IBCN members
MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007
C A PA C I T Y B U I L D I N G A N D C O N S E R VAT I O N
The writer is the President of Early Bird’s founded in 1991 and works for creation of an immune belt around the PAs by offering free vaccination. Contact: 26, Surajmukhi, Chandramari P.O. Silpukhuri, Guwahati-781003 Email: baruahm@iocl.co.in MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007
Book release of Birds in our Lives by Mr. Ashish Kothari
Pic: Rajendar Singh
T.K. Sajeev
On 8 March 2007, IBCN had the pleasure of organizing the release ceremony of the book, Birds in our Lives By Mr. Asish Kothari and published by Universities Press(UP) at the India International Centre at New Delhi. The book was released by renowned conservationist Valmik Thapar. It was a matter of great delight that the function was attended by various eminent personalities in the field of conservation, publication and the media. We were honoured by the presence of Mr.Tsilie Sakhrie, a Naga elder who has been associated with the Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary in Nagaland. His lecture was followed by an enligtenening presentation by the author. Mr.Thapar also shared his valuable thoughts about conservation issues, and on the book with the audience. Mr. Madhu Reddy, the CEO of Orient Longman also graced the occasion by his presence. Overall the release was a grand success which helped IBCN-BNHS, CEC Delhi to get showcased in front of such a huge gathering of all renowned and reputed characters. The media people too were trying to draw as much information about IBCN-BNHS endeavours in Delhi, the chief focus being on the Conservation Education Centre, about which they have been reading and hearing about recently. All the audience, on their return carried a BNHS kit which consisted of a Mistnet magazine, BNHS and CEC Brochures and membership forms for BNHS and Indian Bird Conservation Network (IBCN). n
Pic: Rajendar Singh
The penultimate day programme started with the most sought after activity, i.e. the field trip. The team boarded six gypsies and entered the Agaratoli sector (eastern range of the National Park) to see birds around the Sahala beel. The accompanied forest guard informed us about the little breeding activity of the pelicans in the current season due to drought. Most of the Silk Cotton trees in the nesting colony on the other side of the beel look deserted. We had traveled almost six km inside passing through the Rangamatia and Ahaatguri camp up to Debeswari. This is the last camp at the bank of the river Brahmaputra. The whole team was delighted to see raptors. Grey-headed Fish-Eagle Ichthyophaga humilis, Pallas’s Fish-Eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus, the Crested Serpent-Eagle Spilornis cheela and a lone Osprey Pandion haliaetus kept our binoculars and cameras busy. Within two hours we could count as many as forty-six species (courtesy: Arnab Bose, Nature’s Foster, Bongaigaon). While returning, we noticed a herd of elephant playing in the beel water; a few buffaloes showing only their horns and rest of the body under water, a wild boar herd, a group of hog deer and a few rhinos. During the journey a masth elephant from a very close range blocked our passage and created some panic and trouble, which the three guards managed to avert. The Kaziranga IBCN networking workshop will definitely linger in the minds of the bird lovers who participated, with its glittering reminiscence and should work as a moral boost up to work hard towards preservation of IBAs and biodiversity as a whole.
Contact: Conservation Education Centre Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary Near Karni Singh Shooting Range, Tughlabad, New Delhi-110044
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M O N I T O R I N G A N D C O N S E RVAT I O N
BirdLife’s Annual Red List 2007
Pic: Asad R. Rahmani
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he BirdLife International has recently released its annual Red List update which is the latest evaluation of state of world’s birds. It revealed that more birds are threatened with extinction than ever. BirdLife considers population size, population trends and range size for all 10,000 bird species worldwide before finalizing the Red list. The Red list states that 1,221 species are threatened with extinction and the list will be included in the 2007 IUCN Red List. According to the latest update, an additional 812 bird species are now considered Near Threatened. Since 1988, the overall conservation status of the world’s birds has deteriorated steadily, from when they were first comprehensively assessed. Now, more than a fifth (22%) of the planet’s birds is at increased risk of extinction. BirdLife also expressed that additional conservation action is critical to reverse the current declines. In the Red list BirdLife has ‘uplisted’ five vulture species to higher catagories of concern as a result of many threats like habitat loss, conversion and degradation (which remains the principal threat to all the world’s birds, impacting on 86% of Globally Threatened species), fewer feeding opportunities (as a result of declining wild ungulate populations on which to scavenge), and poisoning by the veterinary drug Diclofenac – a factor behind rapid population declines in vultures across Asia in recent years. The
Egyptian Vulture has now been uplisted to Endangered from Least Concern
Red-headed or King Vulture Sarcogyps calvus has been uplisted directly from Near Threatened to Critically Endangered. Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus is also uplisted from Least Concern to Endangered. Other birds which are uplisted are the White-bellied Heron Ardea insignis from Endangered to Critically Endangered, the Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis, Endangered to Critically Endangered. In the Red list 2007, two bird species found in India have been downlisted, Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis and the Rusty-bellied Shortwing Brachypteryx hyperythra from Vulnerable to NearThreatened. The newly-described species Bugun Liocichla Liocichla bugunorum has
been placed in the Vulnerable list. This recently-described species is known from only one single small location, providing it prone to human impacts. It is therefore classified as Vulnerable. Considering the lack of previous records despite its spectacular appearance, it is not thought to be common or widespread, but further evidence may reveal a larger range and population. Dr Stuart Butchart, BirdLife’s Global Species Programme Coordinator said of this year’s Red List update: “There are two sides to this story: whilst conservation efforts have been successful in recovering some species, there are more and more species slipping towards extinction. The challenge becomes greater each year.” “But where efforts, resources and political will are directed, species can recover. Conservation works,” he said. “We just need much more of it in order to turn back the tide of impending extinctions.” The results of BirdLife’s Red List update will be incorporated into the 2007 IUCN Red List, released in September 2007. For more and detailed information see the website of BirdLife International (http://www.birdlife.org)
Pic: Hira Punjabi
Species changing IUCN Red List
King Vulture has now been uplisted to Critically Endangered from Near Threatened
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Scientific name
Common name
Status in 2006
Status in 2007
Ardea insignis Pelecanus philippensis Neophron percnopterus Sarcogyps calvus Houbaropsis bengalensis Liocichla bugunorum Brachypteryx hyperythra
White-bellied Heron Spot-billed Pelican Egyptian Vulture Red-headed Vulture Bengal Florican Bugun Liocichla Rusty-bellied Shortwing
EN VU LC NT EN NR VU
CR NT EN CR CR VU NT
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M O N I T O R I N G A N D C O N S E RVAT I O N
Sarus: the state bird of Uttar Pradesh Fazlur Rahman
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Pic: Suresh Chaudhari
tehsil (sub-division) called Mohammadi in the Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh (UP), India is very important area for avian fauna. Situated along the border between Shahjahanpur, Hardoi and Lakhimpur Kheri district, this area has lots of small and large wetlands which nourish a rich population of the Sarus Crane Grus antigone and other waterbirds. There are many seepage wetlands besides irrigation canals. I visited a wetland called Jhabar in February 2006 and counted 60-70 Sarus. I sighted these birds regularly in February-March, 2006 but during April this wetland started drying up due to summer heat and the Sarus were scarcely seen thereafter. A villager told me that sometimes, up to 150 Sarus congregate here for night roosting in this wetland. Early mornings and late evenings are usually the best time to see them. During this time they can be seen dancing and courting. After the Monsoon a wildlife photographer Suresh Chaudhari and I made a plan to take photographs of the Sarus Cranes. From 26-29 September 2006, we both visited this area to see the Sarus. We counted a total 46 Sarus, including 3 young, scattered in family groups or pairs. This was the breeding period of the bird and we discovered four nests too, each with two eggs. Two nests got destroyed later. During this period we did not get any opptunity to photograph more than three birds together.
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Pic: Fazlur Rahman
M O N I T O R I N G A N D C O N S E RVAT I O N
In summer, Sarus Cranes of an area gather in the remaining wetlands
On January 16 2007, I was on my way to Shahjahanpur from Mohammadi on my bike; I spotted a pair of Sarus flying just over my head, near a village named as Machecha. Soon thereafter the pair landed on a wetland which was a half km from the main road. Then, I was lucky enough to see some more birds near the site where this pair had landed. I counted 22. This was 12:30 in the noon. In the evening on my return from Shahjahanpur, I found 58 Sarus in the same place. I immediately conveyed all this to our IBCN state coordinator Dr. V P Singh, over phone. After two days, I went there with my camera. As I reached there at 1:00 in the noon, I found 31 Sarus which had increased to 54 by the evening. The birds were so scattered over the wetland that it was not possible to photograph all of them together. I could catch only a group of 35 in my camera. THREAT Human disturbances and habitat loss are the major obstacles in the population growth of the Sarus Crane. I came to know from the local village, that some eggs are taken away for food. Some time eggs of the Sarus are eaten by the dogs. In this area Sarus is also considered inauspicious by the village folks and therefore they drive them away from their village. Use of pesticide in many crops, including Singhara (water chestnut), paddy, wheat and sugar cane are also a cause of the decline of
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the state bird of Uttar Pradesh. In the year 2006 the number of pairs without offspring was quite high. NEED OF PROTECTION There is an urgent need to start an awareness campaign in the Sarus nesting and foraging areas. This campaign should be carried out with the help of village elders, religious head, teachers and students. The main emphasis of the awareness campaign should be, that the Sarus is the State Bird of Uttar Pradesh and it is our duty to protect it and its habitat. BIRD DIVERSITY OF THE AREA About 200 species of birds have been recorded from this area. In winter season many migratory bird species also share these wetlands, including the Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus, the Mallard Anas platyrhynchos and the Red-crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufina. At least some Vulnerable species such as the Swamp Francolin Francolinus gularis and some Critically Endangered species such as the Indian or Longbilled Vulture Gyps indicus and White-rumped Vulture Gyps benghalensis are also found in this area. Sarus Crane and Darter Anhinga melanogaster are Near Threatened. Contact: Mohalla Sarayan, Ward no.20 Town Mohamadi-26802, Lakhimpur-Kheri UP
MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007
M O N I T O R I N G A N D C O N S E RVAT I O N
Breeding of Little Tern and some other wetland birds in Vikramshila IBA On 23 May 2006, we started our boattrip to Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (VGDS), an IBA, from Kahalgaon (Water Works Ghat). We were moving upstream of the Ganga towards Bhagalpur. It was a trip for the survey of the Gangetic Dolphins by Environment Laboratory, Post Graduate Department of Zoology, Patna University and we joined it for the study of nesting behaviour of birds in VGDS. Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (VGDS) has been recognized as an important extant habitat for the Ganges River Dolphins Platanista gangetica. The Government of Bihar, in 1991 designated, a 60 km segment of the river Ganga between Sultanganj and Kahalgaon, in the Bhagalpur district as the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary, considering the occurrence of higher number of “Soons� or Ganges River Dolphin. This sanctuary has been selected as one of the IBAs in Bihar. The VGDS is the only protected area in the country established specifically for the protection of the Ganges River Dolphins. This Sanctuary lies in the alluvial tract interspersed with agricultural fields. The area has a moderate climate and July is the rainiest season. The Sanctuary comprises many small and large Islands (sand bars or sand deposits) chaurs, crisscross water bodies, river banks, a few cultivated fields and the main river stream. Apart from these, there are two rocky hillocks enriched with thick vegetation situated in the main stream near Kahalgaon. These are situated adjacent to each other opposite to the water MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007
Pic: D. N. Choudhary
*Dr. D.N.Choudhary, **Mr. Arvind Mishra and *** Mr. Ajit Kumar Singh
Egrets and Herons regularly nest on some islands in the Ganga
works Ghat at a distance of about 300 m. Each of the hillocks has a temple of Lord Shiva on its top with many shrubs and trees around it, comprising Banyan, Peepal and Semal. One of the hillocks is a good nesting site for egrets and herons. Little and Intermediate egrets and Pond Herons were found at a height of about 25-30 m from the water level. Sometimes more than 100 individuals are found in the nest building activities. Recently Choudhary and Mishra (2006) has reported the presence of some threatened bird species in VGDS. We have seen many species such as the Northern Pintail Anas acuta, the Mallard, the Red-crested Pochard, the Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata and various species of gulls and terns in the winter season. But the most amazing discovery was that during one trip, we
recorded 53 Greater Adjutant Laptoptilus dubius and 57 Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala on the riverbank about 2 km before Sultanganj Ghat. Such a large congregation of Greater Adjutants and Painted Storks was recorded for the first time in Bihar. There was also a flock of more than 400 Small Indian Pratincole. On the same day we found a large breeding colony of the Little Tern Sterna albifrons in the Sanctuary area. The breeding colony of Little Tern with a couple of nests of Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus and Redwattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus was recorded on a bare sandy island upstream, at about 5 km away from Kahalgaon Ghat whereas the colony of Small Indian Pratincole Glareola lactea was noticed on bare sandy river bank at about 7 km before Sultanganj Ghat.
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M O N I TO R I N G A N D C O N S E RVAT I O N I. Nesting of Little Tern Sterna albifrons A total of thirty-two nests of Little Tern were recorded. Out of them seven nests were found empty having no eggs and chicks, five nests with only one egg in each, six nests having two eggs in each, seven nests with two eggs and one chick in each of them and seven nests with three eggs in each. All the nests were found scattered, but not too far from each other at a distance of about 4'-6' from each other. A few birds were found incubating their
Pic: D. N. Choudhary
While moving in the main stream at about 7 km from Kahalgaon-ghat, we suddenly observed a flock of more than 200 Little Tern flying, hovering over our boat, and calling vigorously. In the meanwhile we noticed the movement of some of the birds among the weeds on the sand bar with the help of binoculars. We decided to watch them carefully. We anchored our boat and moved on the sand bar. Walking hardly 50-60' from the river bank we were astonished to see a large breeding colony of Little Tern with a
Little Tern breeds in Vikramshila IBA
few nests of the Black-winged Stilt and the Red-wattled Lapwing. Some birds were found incubating their eggs, whereas a few others were feeding chicks. According to Ali & Ripley (1981) the Little Tern is a small wetland bird separable from all other grey and white terns by their small size. They are found singly or in loose flocks in coastal lagoons, rivers and fresh water jheels. They fly back and forth scanning the surface for food, occasionally hovering like the Kingfisher. The nesting of the Little Tern occurs on sand banks in rivers or sandy islets and jheels (Ali & Ripley, 1981), and on sand banks or shingle of rivers or islet of ghats or on bare rock or islet of coast (Grimmett, Inskipp, & Inskipp, 1998). Our observation has been summarized as below :
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eggs. Three nests with eggs were found submerged under water due to an increase in water level in the last two days. The nests were shallow oval depression on the sand. A few of them were lined with few small rootlets. Colours of the eggs were pale grey or sand coloured with brown or reddish brown spots all over. The chicks were pale cream in colour and brown streaks on it. The Bills of the chicks was fleshy in colour and the legs were pale yellow. II. Nesting of Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus Two nests of Black Winged Stilts were recorded on the same island near the nests of the Little Tern. The nests were shallow depressions on the sand supported with few fresh plant stems. One nest had three eggs, while another four eggs.
III. Nesting of Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus Two nests of Red-wattled Lapwing were recorded on the same island, 1012' away from the river bank. Both the nests were situated at least 20 metres from each other with four eggs in each of them. The nests of the Red Wattled Lapwing were similar to that of the nests of Black Winged Stilt, a shallow depression on the sand, supported by few plant stems. But the diameter and depth of the nests were found slightly larger than the nests of the Stilt. IV. Nesting of Small Indian Pratincole Glareola lactea A colony of more than 400 Small Indian Pratincole was observed on the sandy bank of river Ganga at about 5 km before from Sultanganj-ghat. There were numerous small depressions created by Cattle hooves. These birds were frequently sitting on these depressions and flying over it. But there were no eggs in these depressions. Perhaps we were slightly early on the site. Probably they were preparing themselves to lay their eggs on these depressions as we hope. References 1. Ali, S and Ripley, S. D. (1981) : Handbook of the Birds of India & Pakistan 3, 2nd Ed. Oxford Univ. Press, Delhi. 2. Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C. and Inskipp, T. (1998) : Birds of the Indian Subcontinent, Cristopher Helm., London. * Dept. of Zoology, P.N.College, Parsa, Saran-841 219, BIHAR **State Co-ordinator, Indian Bird Conservation Network, Bihar and Jharkhand, ***Env. Lab., P.G.Deptt. of Zoology, Patna Univ., Patna, Bihar [Authors are senior activists of the Mandar Nature Club, Bhagalpur, Bihar] MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007
R E S E A R C H F O R C O N S E R VAT I O N
Red List Index to become UN development indicator he changing conservation status of birds and other species is to be used to track progress towards the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which range from halving extreme poverty to ensuring environmental sustainability, are targets for the year 2015, agreed upon by all the world’s governments and development institutions. The Red List Index, which was initially designed and tested by BirdLife International using data on all bird species from 1988-2004, is to be the basis of a new MDG “indicator”. To be known as the Proportion of Species Threatened with Extinction, it will be used alongside other MDG indicators, such as the proportion of population with an income below $1 per day, the rates of infant and maternal mortality, the proportion of children in primary education, and the prevalence of diseases such as malaria. The new indicator is the only species-based indicator in the UN set. The Red List Index is based on the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List, which uses quantitative criteria based on population size, rate of decline, and area of distribution to assign species to categories of relative extinction risk, such as Vulnerable, Endangered and Critically Endangered. The index is based on the proportion of species in each category on the Red List, and changes in this proportion over time, resulting from genuine improvement or deterioration in
“Yet again it’s really good to see birds and BirdLife playing such a leading and catalytic role in this process.” — Dr Mike Rands, Chief Executive, BirdLife International
“I am delighted that the UN has recognised the value of species in measuring progress towards achieving environmental sustainability,” said Dr Mike Rands, BirdLife’s Chief Executive. “ The likely adoption of ’The Proportion of Species Threatened with Extinction’ as one of around 50 global indicators to assess progress in achieving the MDGs highlights the issue of extinction, the enormous value of species data and the importance of biodiversity to sustaining livelihoods.” “Yet again it’s really good to see birds and BirdLife playing such a leading and catalytic role in this process.” Although the new indicator is likely to be incorporated into an annexe to the Millennium Development Goals report for 2007, it will not be formally adopted into the MDG framework until 2008. Source: BirdLife International (http://www.birdlife.org)
Pic: Asad R. Rahmani
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the status of individual species. Birds remain the best-known class of organisms worldwide, and have the longest history of comprehensive assessment for the IUCN Red List. Birds are useful indicators for other biodiversity, and the bird Red List Index will represent the best available speciesbased biodiversity indicator in many developing countries for years to come. BirdLife’s unique partnership of national NGOs plays a key role in collecting and providing the on-the-ground data that are used in global Red List assessments.
Birds and humans often share the same resources in India: an example of sustainable livelihoods
MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007
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BOOKS ON BIRDS
NEW BIRD BOOKS Kulojyoti Lahkar
BIRDS IN OUR LIVES This is not another fieldguide of Indian birds, but rather a book focusing on sociological issues of birds related to our lives. The book has seven chapters; 1. Birds, birds everywhere, 2. Birds in Indian culture, 3. Ornithology through Indian history, 4. Brought in by the wind: the wonder of migration, 5. What good are they to us? Birds in Indian economy, 6. An ill wind blows, and 7. The winds of change: Indian birds in danger. The references and bibliography are given chapter-wise, not altogether. So readers should find it easy to trace references which are used in each chapter. There are four annexures where lists of threatened birds of India, IBAs of India, Ramsar sites of India and periodicals on Indian birds and related issues are given. Author: Ashish Kothari Price: Rs. 550.00, Page Extent: 308, Published in 2007 Publisher: Universities Press (India) Private Ltd. 3-6-752 Himayatnagar, Hyderabad 500 029, Andhra Pradesh, India
A POCKET GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH This is an up-to-date checklist with current status reports on some notable species. This small book has four chapters. In the Introductory chapter, geography of the state, history of ornithology and conservation issues are discussed. The second chapter tells about some key birding sites and some outstanding areas. Even coordinates are given. In the third chapter, selected species notes, status of the globally threatened and endemic birds in Arunachal are given. Interesting information about some other birds, like new to the state and country record (new to India) are also given in this chapter. The fourth chapter is the annotated checklist of the birds found in the state. There are five appendices; Appendix 1 is a list of the birds not yet recorded in Arunachal but recorded in neighbouring areas of the state and they are likely to occur in Arunachal. Appendix 2 deals with the NGOs and publications relevant to the state. The Appendix 3 gives basic information for visitors. Appendix 4 lists the protected areas and key reserved forest. In the appendix 5, list of IBAs and major wetlands is given. There is also an exhaustive bibliography. The text is supported by some illustrations and species distribution maps with sites where birds were recorded. Author: Anwaruddin Choudhury Price: Rs.245.00, pp.109, 60 illustrations, 9 colour plates, 52 maps, Published in: 2006, Publisher: Gibbon Books, Guwahati – 781 007, Assam. India and the Rhino Foundation for North east India, c/o Assam Co. Limited, Bamunimaidam, Guwahati, Assam, India
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MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007
BOOKS ON BIRDS
BIRDS OF PERIYAR This is a fieldguide of birds found in the Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala, India. Birds are described in the following four chapters: Birds of the lake and lakeside, Birds of the air and open spaces, Birds of the jungle and Birds after dark. A list of some selected references are also included. Author: Suresh Elamon Price: Rs.395.00, pp.153, 153 illustrations, 4 colour photographs, 10 maps, Published in : March, 2006 Publisher: Periyar Foundation, Periyar Tiger Reserve Thekkady – 685 536, Kerala, India
BIRDS OF MANAS NATIONAL PARK This is an exhaustive check-list of birds of Manas, which recently completes 100 years of its establishment. In Chapter 1; introduction, history of Manas, its topography and conservation issues are discussed. In Chapter 2, notes on some key birding sites are given. In Chapter 3, notes on some selected birds which include globally threatened, endemic and interesting records. The full checklist of the birds of Manas is given in the fourth chapter. There are eight appendixes: a list of birds likely to occur in Manas given in the 1st appendix, appendix 2: sequence of bird orders and families followed in the book, appendix 3: ornithological and conservation NGOs working in Manas, appendix 4: basic information for visitors, appendix 5 and 6: news about the rediscovery of Manipur Bush-Quail published in three websites are given, appendix 7: Copy of the notification of Manas proposed reserved forest on 1 June 1905, appendix 8: two maps of Manas showing spots tourist attraction. A detailed bibliography is also given. Author: Anwaruddin Choudhury Price: Rs.245.00 pp. 80, 68 illustrations, 10 colour plates, Publisher: Gibbon Books, Guwahati – 781 007, Assam, India and the Rhino Foundation for North east india, c/o Assam Co. Limited, Bamunimaidam, Guwahati, Assam, India
INDIA THROUGH ITS BIRDS This book is a collection of 19 articles written by naturalists who worked and working in India. This is not a field guide, authors have written about the associations and the behaviour of birds in the regions where they work or have worked. Most of the articles were written for the book, however, a few old articles are taken from the Newsletter for Birdwatchers. Editor: Zafar Futehally Price: Rs.395.00 pp. 214, 68 illustrations, 10 colour plates, 12 maps , Published in: 2007 Publisher: Dronequill Publishers Private Limited, 777, M 13th Main, 1st Cross, HAL Second Stage, Bangalore 560 008 MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007
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BOOKS ON BIRDS
THE ILLUSTRATED SÁLIM ALI A CHILDREN’S BIOGRAPHY This book has 15 chapters. All chapters have been selectively drawn from Salim Ali’s autobiography The Fall of a Sparrow’. This illustrated edition combines writings with original drawings from Ali’s monumental ten-volume Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan. This book is mainly for young readers and bird enthusiasists. Author: Salim Ali Price: Rs.225.00 pp.128, 70 colour illustrations, 40 bandh, 8 colour plates, 46 photographs Published in: 2007, Publisher: Oxford University Press YMCA Library Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi 110 001
A BIRD’S EYE VIEW THE COLLECTED ESSAYS AND SHORTER WRITINGS OF SÁLIM ALI 2 VOLUMES This 2 volumes book has a collection of Salim Ali’s scientific papers, essays and popular articles published in the different journals and magazines. The book has 11 parts in both volumes; five parts in the first and six in the second volume. The headings of these parts are: Fundamental Ornithology, Bird Ecology, Bird Species, Breeding and Nesting, Bird Migration, Bird Behaviour, Economic Ornithology, History of Indian Ornithology and Nature Study, Bird Surveys, Kailas-Mansarowar trek; and Views, Reviews and Interviews. This set of books was released in BNHS on November 11, 2006 by Mrs. Pheroza Godrej, Vice President, BNHS. Mrs. Tara Gandhi, Mrs. Sheila J. Kurian, Mr. J.C. Daniel, Honorary Secretary, BNHS, Dr. Asad R. Rahmani, Director, BNHS were also present in the function. Author: Tara Gandhi Price: Rs.1,495.00, Pages: 905 Published in: 2007, Publisher: Permanent Black YD-28 Oxford Apts, 11 IP Extension, Delhi 110092
BIRDS OF DELHI AND HARYANA This book can be divided into three major parts; Introduction, Main Species Accounts and Scarcer Species Accounts. There are a couple of introductory chapters about the project (the book), methodology, general information, about Delhi and Haryana States, etc. In the main species accounts section, description of total 266 species supported by two photographs each species with distribution maps is given. Each species is treated in a single page and information about their identification and distribution is given. In the maps (for both states), along with distribution, their status like breeding, summer visitors, breeding summer visitors and winter visitor or passage migrant are shown. In the Scarcer species section, short description about 252 species have been given. A list of historical records for Haryana and Delhi and a selected list of references are also given. Author: Bill Harvey, Nikhil Devasar, Bikram Grewal Price: Rs.795.00, pp.352, 654 photographs, 534 maps,, Published in: 2006 Publisher: Rupa & Co 7/16, Ansari Road, Daryaganj New Delhi – 110 002
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MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007
BOOKS ON BIRDS
BIRDS OF PREY OF THE INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT The much awaited book on Indian raptors was published in the end of December, 2006. This 692 pages book is bundled with lots of information on raptor biology, status and distribution. The book has following chapters: Introduction; Raptors in Indian history and mythology; Biogeographical distribution; Locating, observing and photographing raptors; Conservation and management. These chapters are followed by 15 colour plates for identification. After this detailed species accounts with many coloured photographs of raptors in different positions and maps showing distribution, breeding records and sight records. A huge bibliography of 50 pages reveals the erudition of the author. Author: Rishad Naoroji Price: Rs.1800.00, £40 for BNHS members Rs.1530/pp. 704, Published in: 2006 Publisher: Om Books International 4379/4B Prakash House, Ansari Road, Darya Ganj, New Delhi-110002
A PHOTOGRAPHIC GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF INDIA INCLUDING NEPAL, SRI LANKA, BHUTAN, PAKISTAN AND BANGLADESH This is a good photographic guide book on some common Indian birds. The book contains photograph and description of 150 birds. Each species is supported by more than one photographs and a little bit of text about its habitat, behaviour, food, identification, breeding, call and distribution. Information about birdwatching, a short bibligography and a list of bird sources in the internet are also given Author: Amano Samarpan Price: Rs. 495.00 pp. 160, Published in: 2006 Publisher: Wisdom Tree 4779/23, Ansari Road, Darya Ganj, New Delhi-110002
BIRDS OF SOUTH ASIA: THE RIPLEY GUIDE This monumental book is divided into two parts: Volume 1: Volume 1is Field Guide which covers all South Asian birds including for the first time Afghanistan and Chagos Islands. This book has 180 color plates by different bird artists, illustrating over 3400 plumages. Every species is supported by text for identification. The coloured maps show many status of a species, such as, breeding visitor, year-round resident, two-way migration, spring migration, fall migration, winter migration, special status, isolated records, Endemic status and geographical variation. Maps also include distribution of species in surrounding areas, mainly Tibet and western and central Myanmar. Distribution maps of hypothetical species, misidentified species in earlier, some sub-species and some vagrants are not presented.
Volume 2: Attributes and Status: Volume 2 describes over 2500 taxa, including all 1428 species recorded in the region. The main text or species accounts describe morphology, distribution, habits and vocalizations. Sonagrams or spectrograms most of the species are given. There are 10 appendices which include region’s first hypothetical list. Author: Pamela C. Rasmussen and John C. Anderton. Price: $110, £55, •75 /Set. pp. : 682, Published in: 2005 Publisher: Lynx Edicions, Montseny 8, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007
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C A PA C I T Y B U I L D I N G A N D C O N S E R VAT I O N
WORKSHOP UPDATE North East India Workshop
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present in the inaugural ceremony. State Coordinators of all three states, Dr. Anwaruddin Choudhury (Assam), Dr. BB Bhatt (Arunachal Pradesh) and Mr. Thomas Kent (Nagaland) were also present throughout the workshop. Mr. Dharanidhar Boro, Range Officer of Kaziranga’s central part attended the workshop and shared his experience working in Kaziranga with participants.
Pic: Kulojyoti Lahkar
Pic: Kulojyoti Lahkar
he IBCN workshop for members of three northeastern states, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, was held in Kaziranga, Assam on 21-24 February, 2007. A total no. of 27 members participated in the workshop. The workshop was inaugurated by Mr. MC Malakar Chief Wildlife warden, Assam. Mr. DN Singh then Director In-Charge, Kaziranga National Park and Conservator of Northern Assam Circle was also
Group discussion during the workshop
Pic: Ian Barber
Pic: Kulojyoti Lahkar
Participants are preparing their presentation
IBCN members are practicing with GPS
Pic: Kulojyoti Lahkar
Participants are interacting during the workshop
Kaziranga IBA in Assam is home to the highest number of threatened birds in India
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MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007
C A PA C I T Y B U I L D I N G A N D C O N S E R VAT I O N
Gujarat Workshop
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Pic: Viral Prajapati
BCN workshop for IBCN members of Western India was organized from 6-9 March 2007 at Nakhtrana, Kutch, Gujarat. Altogether 20 members participated in the workshop. Both State Coordinators Jugal K. Tiwari from Gujarat and Manoj Mishra from Rajasthan were also present throughout the workshop.
Pic: Abhijit Malekar
Pic: Mohammed Dilawar
Field visit during the workshop
Exercise with GPS during the workshop
Pic: Mohammed Dilawar
Group discussion and exercise during the workshop
IBCN members from Gujarat and Rajasthan, State Co-ordinators from both states and IBCN Team in front of the workshop venue
MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007
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NETWORKING
A N D C O N S E RVAT I O N
A little bit bird watching during the break!
Pic: Noor Khan
The IBCN State Coordinators’ workshop was held in Goa on 17 and 18 March of 2007. In this 2day workshop, mainly strategic development of IBCN was discussed. During the meeting, discussions on state of IBCN, role and responsibilities of state coordinators, India Birds project, strategies and actions for conservation of key IBAs, determining boundaries for IBAs and resource mobilization for IBCN activities. All State Coordinators gave a brief presentation on activities being undertaken by various members of IBCN in their states and future plans of action. This meeting was very crucial to determine the future course of IBA conservation and role of IBCN in India. Altogether 17 State Coordinators participated in the workshop.
Pic: Mohammed Dilawar
State Coordinators Workshop
Pic: Noor Khan
Discussion about future course of the IBCN
Pic: Noor Khan
State Co-ordinators are finalising future plans of IBCN
Brain-storming session during the workshop
Radhanagari Workshop A 2-day workshop was organized in Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra on 1 and 2 March, 2007 for IBCN members of Maharashtra. In this workshop, mainly NGO development, SWOT Analysis, SSG, network building, monitoring and monitoring of IBAs, advocacy were discussed. Thirty-nine bird enthusiasts, including forest officials, teacher, researchers, students, participated in the programme.
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MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007
NEWS FROM NETWORK
EVENTS IBA Book Distribution
Pic Courtesy: Aaranyak
Dr. Bibhab Talukdar, Secretary General, Aaranyak, Guwahati, Assam presented a copy of the book Important Bird Areas in India: Priority sites for Conservation to Mr. Tsile Sakhire, Secretary, Kohima Nature Conservation trust and Tragopan sanctuary, Khonoma, Nagaland on 16 December 2006 at Aaranyak’s office at Guwahati on behalf of IBCN. Bibhab was IBCN State Coordinator for Assam during 2001 and 2002. n
Release of Birds of Arunachal Pradesh
Pic Courtesy: Rhino Foundation
Mr Gegong Apang, then Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh released the book A Pocket Guide to the Birds of Arunachal Pradesh at the Solung Festival at Pasighat on 2 September 2006. Solung is the most important festival of the Adis, the largest tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. The meeting was attended by MLAs, local leaders, the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of East Siang district, many other government officials, educationists and a few hundred participants. Mr Apang described the book as ‘a gift to the people of Arunachal Pradesh’. n
IBA Book Distribution
MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007
Pic Courtesy: Rhino Foundation
Dr. Anwaruddin Choudhury Joint Secretary (then Deputy Commissioner, Baksa district, BTAD, Assam) and IBCN State Coordinator for Assam handing over a copy of IBA book to Manas Maozigendri Ecotourism Society at Koklabari on 6 June 2007. n
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NEWS FROM FIELD
Pic: Thomas Kent
Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary
A patch of forests near Khonoma
Tsilie Sakhrie
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t is a great privilege for me to share a brief success story of the Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary (KNCTS) in Nagaland, Strictly speaking I am only a layman, even though I work for Nature conservation, in the far-east of India, that is in Nagaland. Khonoma is a village lying 20 kms west of Kohima, the capital of Nagaland. Our village was once a big village but it was razed to the ground and destroyed completely in the early part of the Naga Movement for self-determination in the 1950s by the Indian Armed Forces. Since then the Khonoma people have scattered in many places in Nagaland and only about one-fifth of the population returned to the village for re-settlement. Today Khonoma is only a medium-sized village with about 600 houses and a population of about three thousand plus. With a past history of resistance against the British aggression of our land throughout the later part of the nineteenth century, heroic contribution to the rise of Naga Nationalism for self determination in twentieth century. I should say Khonoma people are patriotic people, but they are also very stubborn and conservative people.
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They stick to what they say, and it is very difficult to change their minds once the people made a decision. Khonoma village area is virtually a hot-spot of flora and fauna. There are a number of endangered species, but the most popular is the beautiful Blyth’s Tragopan birds. A tradition handed down from many generations in the past, to the present generation at Khonoma is hunting. Hunting is a sport and young people prove their prowess by killing as many animals and birds as possible, thus when we started our awakening campaign for nature conservation, preservation of wildlife, and later banning of jungle burning and hunting in the entire area of Khonoma village, we actually faced a lot of opposition. However, we continued to weather the stiff opposition and we have been able to ban hunting of wildlife completely since the year 2000. Today the people have realized the meaning of our awakening crusade. Our destination is freedom for both human as well as wildlife freedom from fear, freedom from hunger, freedom from oppression and freedom from killing. Some of us agreed together in the early 90s that we must protect our
land and conserve our nature including all flora and fauna. A friend of mine who was a journalist at that time, raised an alarm that hunting had been wiping out natures treasure. That was in 1993, and he told us at the end of the year, that he had calculated from the information given by the hunters that about 300 Blyth’s Tragopan were killed in that year alone. At that time the value of a Tragopan was Rs 1 Lakh in foreign exchange if I am not mistaken. Soon we started our crusade, creating environmental awareness, telling the people about inter-dependence of human and wildlife, taking afforestation programmes, holding workshops on the importance of bio-diversity organization expedi-tions and nature camps in the sanctuary areas, and meeting individuals to expand our network. We did a lot of survey in the deep woods for 290 days in our sanctuary. We also identified areas, inhabited by a particular species of wildlife, our success largely depending on people’s participation. And by 1998 we could form the Khonoma Nature conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary (KNCTS) with the theme “Care for nature” encompassing an area of 70 sq. km. There was still some opposition of banning hunting. But by the year 2000 we could completely ban hunting of any kind wildlife in the entire village area, which is about 230 sq kms apart from the sanctuary. Anyone found killing any kind of bird will be fined Rs. 3000 (Rupees three thousand) per head. This is our story in a nutshell. The interesting part of our story is however, that the people of Khonoma no longer prepare for or wage war with nature anymore. Our people are doing whatever we can to protect our forest and conserve the wildlife which once upon a time provided our games and our trophies. We do want peace in our land among our tribesmen and we realize that even our wildlife wants peace and freedom. n Contact: Khonoma, Dist. Kohima Nagaland MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007
I B C N PA R T N E R ’ S FA C T F I L E
Pic: Bhaskar Bora
Green Heritage (A non Govt. Voluntary Organization Committed to the Care of Environment and Nature) Students participating in a bird watching programme
Objectives of the Organization l
l l l l
To create awareness among the general people, school children, farmers and forest dwelling people through grassroots education, communication and direct action. Preservation and restoration of natural heritage within northeast India. Scientific and systematic studies on various aspects of Nature and Wild life. To protect indigenous and forest dwelling people depending on the forest area. To conserve ancient monuments and historical building within the area of activity, i.e; the north-east India.
Geographical scope: Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts of Assam in particular and the north-east India in general. Organizational profile: Constituted by Executive Committee, life members and general members. Members include academics, professionals, students and farmers spread throughout Assam Date of Establishment: 28 August, 1995 as an NGO Year of Registration: 1996 Regd. No. : Registered under the Societies Registeration act, XXI of 1860 on 4/10/1996 vide no. RS/NL/258/43 of 1996-1997 Key areas of focus and expertise relating to water resources, water supply and sanitation l Pollution of river water viz. , the Gariajan River flowing through North Lakhimpur town of Assam. l Downstream impact analysis of lower Subansiri hydel power project at Gerukamukh in Dhemaji district of Assam. MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007
l
Total sanitation campaign as a member of Lakhimpur district water and sanitation committee(DWSC)
Major programme achievements since 1996 l Awareness campaigns by organizing training, workshops,
seminars for students and rural youth in association with Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India and National Council of Science Technology Communication (NCSTC), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India (GOI) through Assam Science Technology and Environment Council (ASTEC),,Guwahati, by observing National Science Day, World Environment Day etc. l Celebrating Wildlife week, National Bird Day, etc. to create environment awareness among students and rural people. l Organization nature study camp and bird watching programme for students. l Published regularly “Seuj Cinta” a Newsletter of Green Heritage to provide information on nature in vernacular language l Published bulletins, leaflets on water, environment, agriculture and public health related topics. l Green Heritage has been organizing an angling festival since 1997 at the river Subansiri to promote eco-tourism. Releases stickers, handout to create awareness about the Golden Mahseer, river dolphin, plastic pollution, river pollution etc. l Act as a working partner of Indian Bird Conservation Network (IBCN) programme of BNHS Mumbai l Participated in the National Environment Awareness Campaign l Involved in the Total Sanitation Campaign programme of GOI in Lakhimpur District of Assam Publication relating to water:
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I B C N PA R T N E R ’ S FA C T F I L E l
Published a bulletin by Green Heritage the on safe use of drinking water entitled “Water-Elixir of Life” under NEAC 2002-03
Resource that can be provided to others and how they can access them: Data-based information by e mail, Newsletter of Green Heritage, published bulletin and have expertise manpower. Work Experience with the development Department Actively associated with the Department of Forests in programmes related to social participation in plantation, wildlife conservation, tiger census, etc. Provide service as a member of joint forest management committee, Lakhimpur. b) Associated with the public health and engineering department, Government of Assam. Participated in the “Total Sanitation Campaign” and “Swajjaldhara” programme. Member of District Water and Sanitation Committee, Lakhimpur. c) Actively participate in environment awareness programme for students by the Department of Education, District Administration, Lakhimpur. Member of Monitoring Committee for National Green Corps Programme. The office bearers of Green Heritage render service as resource persons in different training, workshops conducted by Deptartment of Agriculture, Fisheries.
Outstanding achievement / Recognition: 6. Felicitated by Lakhimpur district administration at the Independence Day function in the year 2001. 7. Felicitated by the Government of Assam at Lakhimpur on 21 May 2002, for outstanding social service. 8. Felicitated by RARS, NL of Assam Agricultural University on 23 December, 2003 for outstanding performance in the field of biodiversity conservation. Name of the Organization and Postal address GREEN HERITAGE Post Box No. 21 North Lakhimpur – 787001 Assam Name of the CEO: Dr. Prabal Saikia, Ph. D Designation of the Contact Person: Secretary General Contact details: Ward No. 3, K. M. Bora Path, Nakari, North Lakhimpur 787001 Phone No. 03752-223092 R Email ID of the Organization; heritagenlp@rediffmail.com Email ID of the person: saikiaprabal@yahoo.com
Pic: Bhaskar Bora
a)
Areas of Expertise 1. Environment and wildlife Biodiversity 2. Indigenous fish diversity research 3. Bird census 4. Water and Sanitation 5. Agro-eco system research and extension
Bird conservation activites are regularly organized by Green Heritage
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MISTNET Vol. 8 No. 2 April-June 2007
I B C N S TAT E C O O R D I N ATO R S IBCN MISSION STATEMENT 1.
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To promote conservation of birds and their habitats through the development of a national network of individuals, organisations and the government Andaman & Nicobar Islands 15. Madhya Pradesh Mr. Harry V Andrews Koustubh Sharma Trustee & Director Research Station, OC/A-2, NMDC Quarters Andaman & Nicobar Islands Environmental Team Majhgawan, Panna - 488101 Division of Madras Crocodile Bank Trust Email:kos78@sancharnet.in Post Bag 4, Mamallapuram - 603 104, Tamil Nadu 16. Maharashtra Email: mcbtindia@vsnl.net Mr. Bishwarup Raha Arunachal Pradesh Hemant Vihar, 13, Savarkar Nagar Mr. Bharat Bhushan Bhatt Off. Gangapur Road, Nashik–422005 State Forest Research Institute, Van-Vihar Email: wolfajay@hotmail.com P.B.No. 159, Itanagar - 791 111 17. Manipur Email:b_bhatt@rediffmail.com Dr. R. K. Ranjan Singh Andhra Pradesh Manipur Association for Science and Society (MASS) Mr. M. Shafaat Ulla Manipur Cultural Integrated Conference H.No. 4, St. No. 1, Avenue 8 (Rd No.3) Palace Compound, Imphal - 795 001 Banjara Hills, Andhra Pradesh 500 003 Email:ranjanrk@sancharnet.in Email:shafaat_ulla@yahoo.co.in 18. Mizoram Assam Mr. N. R. Pradhan Dr. Anwaruddin Choudhury Asstt. Conservator of Forests Near Gate No.1 of Nehru Stadium, Islampur Road Guwahati C/o. Chief Conservator of Forests, WL, Mizoram 781 007, Email: badru1@sify.com Aizawl, Mizoram Bihar and Jharkhand Email:navrpmiz12@yahoo.com Mr. Arvind Mishra 19. Nagaland Mandar Nature Club Mr. Thomas Kent Anand Chikitsalaya Road, Bhagalpur - 812 002, Bihar. Asstt. Director of Tourism Email: mncarvind@hotmail.com, mncarvind@rediffmail.com C/o. Directorate of Tourism, Kohima, Nagaland - 797 001 Chhattisgarh Email: ktthomasreng@yahoo.co.in Mr. Arun M. K. Bharos 20. Orissa B-101 Gayatrinagar, PO Shankar Nagar, Raipur-492 007 Mr. Biswajit Mohanty Email: cwsraipur@yahoo.co.in, cwsraipur@hotmail.com Wildlife Society of Orissa Delhi “Shantikunj”, Link Road, Cuttack- 753 012 Mr. Nikhil Devasar Email: kachhapa@gmail.com Delhi Bird Club, C 1/503 Mayfair Tower, Charmwood Village, 21. Pondicherry Eros Garden, Surajkund Rd., Faridabad, Haryana. Dr. Priya Davidar Email:devasar@gmail.com Salim Ali School of Ecology & Environmental Sciences Goa Pondicherry University, Kalapet - 605 014 Mr. Carl D’Silva Email:davidarp@si.edu A2, Ashiyana, Caranzalem, Ilhas, Goa - 403002 22. Rajasthan Email:cbeedee@sancharnet.in Mr. Manoj Kulshreshtha Gujarat Snehdeep, B-33, Sethi Colony, Jaipur - 302 004 Mr. Jugal Kishor Tiwari Email: wildbrook@gmail.com, snehdeep_jp1@sancharnet.in Centre for Desert and Ocean 23. Sikkim Po. Moti-Virani, Taluka – Nakhtrana, Kutch – 370 665 Ms. Usha Ganguli-Lachungpa Email: cedoindia@yahoo.com Sr. Research Officer (WL), Government of Sikkim Haryana and Punjab Department of Forest, Environment & Wildlife Mr. Suresh C. Sharma Deorali-737 102, Gangtok Gokul Nagar, Rohtak Road, Sonipat - 131 001 Email: ulachungpa@gmail.com, Email:sureshcsharma@gmail.com, ulachungpa2001@yahoo.com sureshsharma@rediffmail.com 24. Tamil Nadu Himachal Pradesh Dr. V. Santharam Mr. Jan Willem den Besten C/o Institute of Bird Studies & Natural History Kuldeep House, Mc Leod Ganj, Kangra - 176 219 Rishi Valley Education Centre, Chittor – 517 352 Email:denbesten888@hotmail.com Andhra Pradesh Email:vsram2003@yahoo.co.in Jammu and Kashmir 25. Tripura 1. Dr. Ashfaq Ahmed Zarri Mr. Kamal Kanti Banik Manager Biodiversity Project Dishari, Ek No. Tila, Belonia, South Tripura - 799155. Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University Email:dishari21@yahoo.co.in Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir - 185 131 26. Uttar Pradesh (East and West) Email:ashfaq_az@rediffmail.com 1. Dr. Vijay Prakash Singh (Eastern UP) 2. Dr. Rahul Kaul Jaidev Nagar (Rajgarh), Lakhimpur Kheri - 262 701 Director-Conservation, Wildlife Trust of India Email: tarai_eco@yahoo.com A-220, New Friends Colony, New Delhi - 110 065 2. Mr. Neeraj Srivastav (Western UP) Email:info@wti.org.in Flat No.303, Plot no.26/10, Kumar Enclave, Wazir Karnataka Hasan Road, Lucknow - 226 001 Dr. S. Subramanya Email:neervun@yahoo.co.in PHT Scheme, J Block, GKVK Campus 27. Uttaranchal Dr. Bivash Pandav University Of Agricultural Sciences, c/o Wildlife Institute of India, P.O. Box 18, Chandrabani Banglore, Karnataka- 560 065 Dehra Dun 2480 01 Email: Subbus@vsnl.com Email: pandavb@wii.gov.in Kerala 28. West Bengal Mr. P. O. Nameer Mr. Kushal Mookherjee, Secretary, Asst. Professor, College of Forestry Prakriti Samsad, 65, Golf Club Road, Kerala Agricultural University (KAU), Kolkata-700 033 Thrissur 680 656 Email: kushal_m@vsnl.com Email: nameer.ommer@gmail.com
IBCN ORGANISATIONAL PARTNERS
Birdwatcher’s Institute of Bird Studies Society of Andhra Pradesh
& Natural History, Andhra Pradesh
Gramin Vikash Society of North East, Assam
Delhi
Gujarat
Karnataka
Envirosearch, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Megamix, Nature Club, Assam
Delhi, M.P. Chhattisgarh and Assam
Haryana
Karnataka
Green Guards, Maharashtra
Manipur Association for Sciences and Society, Manipur
Punjab
Rajasthan
Amrapali Institute, Uttaranchal
The Firends of the Doon Society, Uttaranchal
West Bengal
Nallamalai Foundation, Andhra Pradesh
Aaranyak, Assam
Andhra Pradesh
Assam
Assam
Wildlife Protection Society of India, New Delhi
Delhi
Bird Conservation Society of Surat, Gujarat
Rajasthan
Kerala
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
Gujarat
Maharashtra
People for Animals, Madhya Pradesh
Nature Conservation Society, Maharashtra.
Action for Protection of Wild Animals, Orissa
Orissa
Arulagam, Tamil Nadu
Aligarh MuslimUniversity, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Turquoise Wildlife Conservation Welfare Society, Uttar Pradesh
Physical Development Trust, West Bengal
Nandadevi Foundation, West Bengal
Kerala
West Bengal
Karnataka
Maharashtra
Dhan Foundation Tamil Nadu
Society for Conservation of Nature, Uttar Pradesh
West Bengal
Madhya Pradesh
IBCN has 800 individual members and 85 organisational members
Gujarat
NCF Karnataka
Maharashtra
Orissa
Sikkim
Rajasthan
Kerala
International Society of Naturalists,
Gujarat
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology & the Environment, Karnataka
Assam
Chhattisgarh Wildlife Society, Chhattisgarh
GEER Foundation
Indian National Trust for Nature Conservation Society Art & Cultural Heritage, Jharkhand Jharkhand
Haryana
Green Guard, Assam
Mandar Nature Club, Bihar
Pole Star Academy Assam
Himalayan Nature & Institute for Cultural & Adventure Foundation,
West Bengal
BIOMIX Assam
Nature Science (Club’s) Society, Maharashtra
Wildlife Society of Orissa
Nature Club, Bishop Heber College, Tamil Nadu
Alipurduar Nature Club, West Bengal
Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited
Karnataka
Ela Foundation, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Pahal, Punjab
Tamil Nadu
Association for Conservation & Tourism, West Bengal
Assam