The government has begun the process to carry out a national Red List Assessment of 1,211 bird species across the country according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) framework, with a preliminary assessment already completed for over 100 birds, including the Great Indian Bustard (proposed as critically endangered) and the Indian Roller, whose status has been proposed as ‘vulnerable’, officials said.
The SoIB initiative uses citizen science data to assess population trends for a large number of widespread and common bird species. Population size estimates, however, remain unavailable for the majority of India’s birds currently.
“Addressing gaps in these data is therefore essential in strengthening the scientific basis for national assessments,” said WTI in a statement. “To ensure that this national effort is inclusive and scientifically robust, the National Red List Assessment of Birds Forum was launched as a collaborative platform that aims to bridge the knowledge gaps in assessments by bringing together ornithologists and conservationists to share expertise, discuss available evidence, and develop estimates of these key parameters, thereby strengthening the scientific basis for assessing the conservation status of India’s birds,” it added. Aparajita Datta, Executive Director, Nature Conservation Foundation and Co-Chair, IUCN Hornbill Specialist Group said long-term scientific data is essential for understanding changes in bird populations and assessing their conservation status. “The compilation and analysis of large volumes of citizen science data offer an unprecedented opportunity to understand population trends across a wide range of bird species, including those for which systematic monitoring has been limited,” she said.
