Indian Bird Conservation Network

Indian Bird Conservation Network
Name	Indian Bird Conservation Network
Formation	1990s
Purpose	Bird conservation, habitat protection, research, community engagement
Headquarters	New Delhi
Region served	India
Leader title	Director
Main organ	Executive Committee

Indian Bird Conservation Network is a national coalition of conservationists, ornithologists, NGOs, research institutions and citizen scientists working to conserve avian biodiversity across India. The Network coordinates habitat protection, species recovery, monitoring programs and policy advice through partnerships with academic bodies, conservation NGOs and international agencies. It serves as a platform linking field projects, museum collections, and government and non-government actors to address threats to migratory and resident birds across landscapes such as the Sundarbans, Western Ghats, and Indus River flyway.

Overview and Mission

The Network's mission unites stakeholders from Bombay Natural History Society, Zoological Survey of India, Wildlife Institute of India, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, and regional groups including Nature Conservation Foundation and Kerala Forest Department to protect species like the Great Indian Bustard, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Himalayan Monal and Siberian Crane. Its objectives encompass habitat conservation in ecoregions such as the Eastern Himalaya, Deccan Plateau, Gangetic Plains and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, threatened-species recovery following priorities from the IUCN Red List, and capacity-building aligned with frameworks from Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and Convention on Migratory Species.

History and Development

Origins trace to collaborative meetings between academics from University of Delhi, curators from Indian Museum, Kolkata, and practitioners from Conservation India and the Wildlife Trust of India in the late 1990s, responding to declines flagged by surveys from BNHS and assessments by the IUCN. Early milestones included a national bird atlas initiative modeled on efforts by British Trust for Ornithology and a migratory bird forum influenced by the East Asian-Australasian Flyway partnership. Expansion occurred after strategic consultations with UNEP and bilateral projects with Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and BirdLife International partners.

Organizational Structure and Membership

The Network is governed by an Executive Committee with representatives from institutions such as Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Indian Institute of Science, and state agencies like the Maharashtra Forest Department. Membership comprises academics from Pondicherry University, curators from National Museum, New Delhi, NGOs including Wildlife SOS, and community-based groups from Rajasthan and Assam. Specialist working groups on wetlands, grasslands, and alpine ecology include experts from Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History and international advisors from Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Royal Ontario Museum.

Programs and Conservation Initiatives

Key initiatives include species recovery for Great Indian Bustard in Rajasthan, wetland conservation in Chilika Lake and Bhitarkanika, and coastal habitat protection around Pondicherry and Goa. Programs run joint efforts with Forest Department of Odisha and community institutions like Van Panchayat to secure Farakka Barrage tributaries and riparian corridors. The Network supports protected area management in Kaziranga National Park and landscape-scale conservation in Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, partners on rooftop and urban biodiversity projects with Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, and coordinates emergency response for avian influenza outbreaks with National Centre for Disease Control.

Research, Monitoring, and Data Management

Monitoring programs integrate long-term datasets from bird ringing schemes associated with BNHS and migration studies linked to Siberian and Central Asian Flyway research. The Network curates occurrence records contributed by institutions such as Indian Statistical Institute and citizen science platforms inspired by eBird and projects run by Xeno-canto contributors in India. Data-sharing agreements with museums like Asiatic Society and universities support occupancy modeling, population viability analysis, and habitat suitability mapping used in Environmental Impact Assessments submitted to bodies including the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Community Engagement and Education

Education and outreach engage school programs run with National Council of Educational Research and Training, village-level stewardship with panchayats in Mizoram and Uttarakhand, and ecotourism initiatives with operators in Sundarbans National Park and Periyar National Park. The Network facilitates training of para-ecologists through collaborations with Wildlife Institute of India and community monitors from Adivasi and fisherfolk associations, leveraging storytelling traditions documented by scholars from Jawaharlal Nehru University and communication specialists from Centre for Science and Environment.

Policy Influence and Partnerships

The Network provides technical inputs to national policy processes including updates to the Wildlife Protection Act schedules, submissions to consultations run by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and evidence briefs for India's National Biodiversity Strategy aligned with Convention on Biological Diversity obligations. It partners with international agencies such as UNDP, FAO on agroecology for bird-friendly landscapes, and regional bodies like SAARC for transboundary flyway coordination. Collaborative projects with corporate partners under Corporate Social Responsibility frameworks and conservation finance pilots with Green Climate Fund intermediaries support habitat restoration and community livelihoods.

Category:Bird conservation organizations in India Category:Environmental organisations based in India