Kathmandu: The mighty Himalayas have evoked the awe of people for years, but awareness and discussions about the threats to its fragile ecosystems and their inhabitants from climate change and infrastructure development have remained limited.
On May 14, the first-ever birding event focussed on the Himalayan region will be held. The Himalayan Bird Count (HBC) will see birdwatchers in the mountain states of India, Nepal and Bhutan coming together to document as many birds as possible. The organisers say the monitoring data HBC generates would be a baseline to compare the trends of birds year after year, apart from creating awareness to save the diverse, threatened habitats in the Himalaya.
Bird Count India, Bird Conservation Nepal, and the Royal Society for Protection of Nature, Bhutan are working together to bring the Himalayan birding fraternity together for a common good. Birders from the Indian states and Union territories of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, northern West Bengal, and Arunachal Pradesh are participating in the event. Apart from India, both Nepal and Bhutan will also feature in the Himalayan Bird Count.
The organisations have collectively decided to schedule the event on Endemic Bird Day to spread awareness about Himalaya’s bird biodiversity.