Delhi: BNHS, BirdLife join hands to protect migratory birds and wetlands

The Bombay Natural History Society BNHS and BirdLife International has joined hands to protect migratory birds and wetlands in parts of India an official statement saidBNHS and BirdLife jointly organised a capacitybuilding workshop on migratory bird conservation from March 9 to March 13 2026 in New DelhiThe event was held in Delhi and brought together more than 45 participants from 13 countries in the Central Asian Flyway regionThe workshop aims to strengthen cooperation among conservation groups working to protect migratory birds and their habitatsFocus on the Central Asian FlywayThe Central Asian Flyway is one of the worldrsquos major migratory bird routes stretching from Siberia in the north to Sri Lanka and Maldives in the southMany bird species travel thousands of kilometres along this route every year depending on wetlands forests and coastal habitats across several countriesThe workshop was designed to help partner organisations learn new methods to protect these habitats and reduce threats such as illegal hunting and habitat loss the statement saidKey goals of workshopThe workshop aims to strengthen conservation work across the flyway through several initiatives Assessing ecosystem services provided by important bird habitats and understanding their benefits for local communities Restoring wetlands and natural systems using naturebased solutions to support biodiversity and climate resilience Promoting naturesafe energy infrastructure to ensure power projects do not harm migratory birds Supporting governments in monitoring wildlife crime and preventing illegal hunting of birds Using bird tagging technology to track migration routes and understand habitat use Encouraging knowledge sharing among NGOs and governments across the flyway Participants are also expected to learn about Indiarsquos conservation initiatives and share successful practices with their respective countriesIndiarsquos role in migratory bird conservationThe official statement further stated that India has been playing a leading role in protecting migratory birds in the regionDuring the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals COP14 held in Samarkand Uzbekistan the Government of India introduced the Initiative for the Central Asian Flyway ICAFFor its efforts in conserving migratory birds India was also awarded the ldquoChampion Plusrdquo status by the ConventionGovernment officials address delegatesThe workshop was inaugurated on March 9 with senior officials interacting with participantsRajeev Mital Director General of the National Mission for Clean Ganga under the Ministry of Jal Shakti spoke about government projects aimed at protecting bird habitats along major riversPraveen Pardeshi Chief Economic Advisor to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and CEO of MITRA also interacted with the delegates and explained conservation initiatives being carried out by the state governmentKishor Rithe Director of BNHS highlighted the organisationrsquos 142 years of bird migration research in IndiaMeanwhile Vinayagan Dharmarajah Regional Director of BirdLife Asia explained the objectives of the workshop and said it could bring positive changes across nearly 30 countries located along the Central Asian Flyway