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Policy document for bird conservation in the urban landscape of the National Capital Region, India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2024

Mahendiran Mylswamy*
Affiliation:
Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (South India Centre of Wildlife Institute of India), Anaikatty, Coimbatore, India
Divya Prakash
Affiliation:
Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (South India Centre of Wildlife Institute of India), Anaikatty, Coimbatore, India
Ankita Bhattacharya
Affiliation:
Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (South India Centre of Wildlife Institute of India), Anaikatty, Coimbatore, India Wildlife Division, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Jor Bagh, New Delhi, India
Rajneesh Dwevedi
Affiliation:
Lady Irwin College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
Parthiban Myswamy
Affiliation:
Department of Physical Sciences and Information Technology, Agricultural Engineering College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India
Parappurath Abdul Azeez
Affiliation:
Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (South India Centre of Wildlife Institute of India), Anaikatty, Coimbatore, India Department of Environmental Management, Bharathidasan University, Trichy, India

Abstract

Type
Conservation News
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence CC BY 4.0.
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International

In December 2023, the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), with support from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, India, released the policy document State-level Action Plan for Implementing SACON's Visionary Perspective Plan for Conservation of Avian Diversity, their Ecosystems, Habitats & Landscapes in the Country; Delhi–NCR (download it here). Almost one-third of India's bird species have been recorded in the National Capital Region, one of the fastest-growing urban areas globally, and it is thus an important area for bird monitoring and conservation.

Following consultation with various stakeholders—forest managers, academic communities, NGOs, birdwatchers and policymakers—the new policy document identifies management priorities, strategic approaches, conservation problems and financing for conserving avian diversity, habitats and landscapes, under 14 thematic areas: (1) conservation of rare and threatened species, (2) conservation of birds outside protected areas, (3) conservation of birds within protected areas, (4) conservation of birds at the landscape scale, (5) conservation of wetland birds, (6) conservation of migratory birds, (7) impacts of development projects and anthropogenic activities, (8) illegal trafficking of birds, (9) conservation of urban birds, (10) surveillance of avian diseases, (11) nature education and the importance of birds, (12) capacity building, (13) mainstreaming bird conservation in government schemes, and (14) implementation of international protocols and conventions in bird conservation. The plan will aid policymakers conserve avifauna and their habitats as they align with the principles and policies enunciated in the September 2023 G20 summit in New Delhi.