Aditya Pradhan
Other projects
11 Jan 2023
Conserving and Monitoring Woodpeckers and Other Birds in the Differently Managed Forests of Darjeeling, Eastern Himalaya, India
Darjeeling in Eastern Himalaya is home to 50% of India's bird species, despite covering less than 0.0001% of India's total area. This makes Darjeeling a hotspot of avian diversity, worthy of conservation attention. Bird tourism can be linked with bird conservation, making it crucial for the overall conservation of biodiversity in the human-dominated landscapes of Darjeeling. As part of our previous projects, we provided training to 79 local community members across five sites across Darjeeling Himalaya. However, the increasing trend of bird tourism and rapid urbanization unfolding in the non-protected landscapes of Darjeeling underscores the urgent need to extend our efforts further. Expanding the reach of our training becomes imperative to encompass more localities across the landscape. By equipping more community members with relevant skills, we not only enhance their capacity to engage in sustainable practices but also empower them to actively contribute to bird conservation efforts in the landscape while economically benefiting from them.
Rufous-capped Babbler. ©Aditya Pradhan.
The project is proposed to be implemented in Darjeeling, Eastern Himalaya, India with objectives to i) understand human-bird interactions in terms of conflict, ecosystem services, and economic benefits from community perspectives, ii) build the capacity of local community members as proficient birding guides through birding guide training in potential bird tourism sites, and iii) to assess the impact of birding guide training on local communities, and build wider public awareness for bird conservation using citizen science tools for documenting birds. The project strives to establish a sustainable framework for bird conservation by empowering communities, promoting bird tourism, and fostering a culture of citizen science participation in the region, while also contributing towards establishing literature on human-bird interactions in the Eastern Himalaya.
Field Activity during the training in Rangbhang Valley. ©Aditya Pradhan.
Header: Striated Laughingthrush. ©Aditya Pradhan.