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Read, Debate: Engage.
| topic: | Conservation |
|---|---|
| located: | Bhutan, Myanmar, India |
| editor: | Bindu Gopal Rao |
The elusive White-bellied Heron, the second-largest species of heron, is characterised by a dark grey body with a white underside. It is currently one of the rarest birds in the world, and is only found in Bhutan, Myanmar, the Namdapha Tiger Reserve and the Kamlang Tiger Reserve in the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh in India.
With its numbers ranging from a mere 50 to 250 adults, the bird is under severe threat of extinction. The annual population survey in 2021 by the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN) Bhutan actually reported only 22 herons as compared to 27 birds in the same region in 2020.
Among the key reasons for the dwindling numbers is the loss and degradation of lowland forests and wetlands, natural forest fires, hunting and noise pollution. The bird that depends heavily on riverine habitats is facing an increased threat of extinction as there are over 130 proposals for new dam constructions in Arunachal Pradesh. Changes in fish population and collision with electric transmission lines are also issues that are causing the fast-depleting numbers.
The Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) has been working on the conservation of the White-bellied Heron since 2014 in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh through surveying, monitoring and engaging with communities for awareness and sensitisation. ATREE recently won 'The Action Grant' by The Habitats Trust.
Rushikesh Chavan, the Head of The Habitats Trust (THT), an organisation working to protect natural habitats says “the White-bellied Heron is a species that is on the verge of extinction. It also represents the riverine ecology of the northeastern rivers. If we wish to save the species and its habitat, the time is now.”
Apart from monitoring known sites, ATREE plans to extensively search and survey potential habitats in Arunachal Pradesh along key river valleys. The team is also working towards sensitising local communities in the vicinity of the Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam, mobilising support of the villagers and training people to work as “heron guardians.”
With so little known about this shy and elusive bird, it is important that conservation efforts are aimed to ensure it does not slip into oblivion. While there is some work that has started, the hope is that the endeavour will gain sufficient momentum to preserve this elusive heron.
Image by Cuatrok77
