February 21,2020
Anna Murray
On February 17, the report put together by more than 10 institutions and numerous citizen scientists, was released at the United Nations 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The newly released study “State of India’s Birds 2020” indicated raptors, migratory seabirds, and habitat specialist birds were most affected in past decades in India.
Using 3 measures and the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of global threat status, this report categorized India's species into low, moderate and high conservation concerns for India. The IUCN is an international organization targeting the field of nature conservation and the use of sustainable natural resources, whereas the IUCN Red List represents a critical indicator of global threat status in the health of the world's biodiversity.
According to the study carried out in this report, there were 867 species of Indian birds assessed in accordance with 10,000,000 observations by more than 15,500 birdwatchers to form the basis of the analyses. The findings of the study indicated a 100% increase in the abundance of peafowl across the country over the past decades, but 52% of species showed clear declines over the past decades. Meanwhile, there were 101 species classified as of high conservation concern and require immediate attention.
It is the first comprehensive assessment of the majority of species that regularly reside in India. This national-level assessment of birds is a significant step forward in the monitoring and conservation of India’s rich and abundant biodiversity. According to the findings, the white-rumped Vulture, Indian Vulture, large-billed Leaf Warbler, Richard's Pipit, Pacific Golden Plover, and Curlew Sandpiper were among the species that had suffered the highest declines. Nevertheless, species such as Rosy Starling, Feral Pigeon, Glossy Ibis, Plain Prinia, Ashy Prinia, and Indian Peafowl whose numbers have reportedly increased.
Photo:Webshot.