| A. |
Threatened Species Conservation
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a. |
Greater Adjutant Stork Conservation
Project: Once common in the Brahmaputra Valley, the bird disappeared
rapidly during the last 2-3 decades and has reached an alarming
situation. Tagged as Endangered the stork struggles to survive in few
pockets of Assam and efforts are on to save ot from extinction. In
collaboration with Green Guard, a grassroot NGO in Nagaon (known as the
largest breeding site), Assam; Aaranyak took up a project in 2002 to
rescue and rehabilitate the chick of this stork that fell down from
their nest during windy season. They were raised in a captive facility
and released later in the same locality. 22 storks were rehabilitated
and released in the wild during 2002-2004. However, this project is
facing financial hardship at this stage and Aaranyak and Green Guard
seeks contributions from interested donors. Several chicks died this
year due to lack of rescue facilities and fund.
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b. |
White-winged Wood Duck: The
population of this threatened duck has been subjected to monitoring
since 1993 by Dr. Bibhab K Talukdar. The duck is restricted to only few
pockets of tropical rainforests in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, which is
hunted by local. The loss of habitat due to illegal felling of trees
have pushed the duck towards the brink of extinction in the state.
Aaranyak accepted this bird as its official logo as a sign of its
commitment to save the bird from extinction in 1989 and also filed a
Public Interest litigation in the Gauhati High Court challenging the
decision of the government to lease out fisheries in the Dibru-Soikhowa
NP (then WLS).
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c. |
Bengal Florican: Aaranyak's
biologists have been monitoring the Bengal Florican Houbaropsis
bengalensisis since 1997. Bengal Florican is found only in few PAs in
Assam including Manas NP, Kaziranga NP, Orang NP and Dibru-Saikhowa NP.
Recently, a population of the Florican was observed on the fringe of
Manas NP and biologist Bibhuti P. Lahkar has been monitoring the
population through capacity building and direct involvement of the local
youth there. A series of awareness programme have been carried out in
different parts having distribution of this threatened bird to aware the
local community and seek their support in conservation of the species
and their habitat.
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d. |
Dark-rumped Swift: One of the
poorly known threatened species (VU), Dark-rumped Swift Apus acuticauda
has been a subject of survey and population monitoring by M Firoz Ahmed,
Biologist of Aaranyak for the last four years (since 2001). The study
has helped in generating vital data on its distribution and conservation
aspects in different interior areas in the region. An extensive study on
ecology, ethology and distribution of the swift has been carried out in
Cherrapunjee, Meghalaya; the largest known stronghold of this rare bird.
A publication is under preparation.
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| B. |
Inventories |
|
a. |
IBA Inventories: Aaranyak with support from the Important Bird Areas
Programme of the Bombay Natural History Society carried out survey of birds
with reference to the RDB species available in and around different
protected and non-protected areas in the northeast India.
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b. |
Inventories in Protected Areas: Large number of PAs in the region are
data deficient. Aaranyak has been putting efforts in evaluating the
diversity of avifauna along with other biodiversity of some PAs.
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|
i. |
As a result of continuous study on birds, Aaranyak has published a list
of the Birds of the Hengerabari Reserve Forest, Assam in collaboration with
the Assam State Zoo Authority.
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|
ii. |
Also carried out survey and published a checklist of "Hundred Birds
of the Gauhati and University Campus, Guwahati". |
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iii. |
Surveying the birds of Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary and Garbhanga Reserve
Forest that are located around the Guwahati City. |
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iv. |
Ornithologists of Aaranyak have been monitoring the nesting colonies of
Cormorants, Egrets and Herons in and around Guwahati City. There are a
number of colonies of these birds in and around the city. Monitoring. |
|
c. |
Inventories in Community Protected
Forests: The indigenous communities
own a large amount of the forests in the hill areas of the region and some
of them are also protected traditionally. The biodiversity information of
such areas is lacking. Aaranyak has taken initiatives to inventories and
document the biodiversity and traditional knowledge of such areas.
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|
i. |
The avifauna of the Sacred Groves in Cherrapunjee, Meghalaya have been
inventorised during 2002-2004.
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ii. |
Avifauna of the Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary,
Nagaland are being surveyed systematically since 2004.
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iii. |
Additional areas in Phek district has been considered for avifaunal
survey during the next two years.
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| C. |
Long term Research
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|
a. |
Dr. Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, Secretary General of Aaranyak completed his
PhD theses on "Status of Anatidae and Ecology of the White-winged Wood
Duck in Assam" from the Gauhati University in 2000.
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|
b. |
Dr. Rathin Barman, Vice President of Aaranyak completed his PhD on
"An ecological analysis of the wetlands in relation to waterbird
diversity of Brahmaputra Valley, Assam." He was awarded his PhD in 1999
by the Gauhati University.
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c. |
Dr. Hilloljyoti Singha, Publicity Secretary of Aaranyak completed his PhD
"Ecology, Biology and Ethology of Greater Adjutant Stork Leptoptilos
dubius (Gmelin) in Assam, India." The Aligarh Muslim University awarded
him the PhD Degree in 1998.
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| D. |
Capacity Building and
Awareness: Aaranyak has been conducting bird
identification and census training programme for undergraduate and graduate
students as part of Aaranyak's manpower development programme in the region
for last 10 years. Under this program 10 persons have been trained to
conduct study on birds. Further, during 2002-2003 a series of bird
identification and scientific monitoring training program for the amateur
and skilled birdwatcher of the region.
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