Hope for wildlife documentation is raised by Nagaland's first bird census

 By Mongabay

January 11, 2023

Although there are growing conservation initiatives, there is not enough data to count all the bird species in the state.

A citizen science project called the Tokhü Emong Bird Count (TEBC) aims to honour the birds of the Nagaland state. Bird Count India, a bird monitoring and documentation collective and one of the organising organisations, has hailed the event as Nagaland's first bird documentation event. The Wokha Forest Division and the Divisional Management Unit, Nagaland Forest Management Project, are additional organisers (NFMP). The event, which comprised 18 e-birders from Nagaland's Dimapur, Kohima, Peren, and Wokha districts, lasted for four days from November 4 to 7, 2022. 178 different bird species could be distinguished by the e-birders.

Lansothung Lotha, a district forest ranger of the Nagaland Forest Department and a passionate environmentalist, was the creator of the TEBC. According to Lotha, who spoke with Mongabay-India about the TEBC procedure, the majority of the participants were students who were invited by their schools. Young participants were encouraged to develop a passion for birding and conservation. The organisers held birding seminars and showed participants how to utilise and submit their data to eBird, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's online bird observation database.

A list of the birds that were recorded by the participants is provided in the preliminary report of the TEBC event, which was published by Bird Count India. It provides a day-by-day summary of the event. Brown shrike, black-tailed crake, blue-napped pitta, brown bush warbler, spot-breasted scimitar babbler, brown-capped laughingthrush, eye-browed laughingthrush, and the flagship species, Amur falcon, are just a few of the prominent birds that have been observed.

Bird Count India (BCI) coordinator Mittal Gala said, "One of BCI's goals is to have data on the distribution and abundance of Indian birds at the finest scale, which means data from the smallest place (a city, town, or village) to the largest scale (across the country)" when speaking to Mongabay-India about the TEBC.

Gala indicated that several bird species unique to Nagaland may be found there. Through TEBC, BCI aims to monitor these bird species and spot those that could require conservation assistance.

The Amur falcon migration's peak season, which occurs in the first week of November every year in the Wokha area of Nagaland, was taken into consideration when planning the event. The organisers used the Onam Bird Count in Kerala, the Pongal Bird Count in Tamil Nadu, and the Bihu Bird Count as examples of bird counting activities held during festivals in other states (Assam). The Tokhu Emong festival, one of the Lotha Nagas' festivals, is when the incident occurred. Following harvest, in the first week of November, Tokhu Emong is observed. The phrase "Tokhu Emong" implies to take a break from field work so that you can feast after the harvest. Notably, no hunting, fishing, commerce, or travel is permitted during this celebration.

In the country of the Hornbill Festival, hornbills are endangered.

According to renowned ornithologist and wildlife researcher Anwaruddin Choudhury, who has written numerous books and articles on bird records in Nagaland, the following keystone bird species can be found in Nagaland: Austen's brown hornbill, Blyth's tragopan, Mrs. Hume's pheasant, rufous-necked hornbill, and Naga wren babbler.

In addition to the two hornbill species already mentioned, the state is also home to the great hornbill, the oriental pied hornbill, and the wreathed hornbill. The IUCN Hornbill Specialist Group member Lansothung Lotha revealed that hornbills are being driven to extinction in the region.

Hornbills were identified by Choudhury as a "indicator species." In other words, their existence or absence in a certain area signals distinct environmental circumstances and changes. Hornbills need mature trees to build their nests. There are no longer any mature trees in the region from which they can nest if they are not there. One important sign of Nagaland's rapidly dwindling forest cover has been their conspicuous absence from the state's woods. According to the Global Forest Watch, Nagaland's tree cover decreased by 130 square kilometres (0.85%) between 2000 and 2020.

Numerous bird species in the state are being driven to extinction, including hornbills. Hornbills and other bird populations that are on the verge of extinction would have to be preserved in order to do this, which would imply fundamentally altering long-standing agricultural practises and cultural practises.

Jhum farming, hunting, tree-felling and logging, and more contemporary development projects like road building and expansion, monoculture, among other things, are the main causes of wildlife and biodiversity loss in the state.

For jhum farming, a traditional method of agriculture, a section of forest or other vegetation must first be burned before the area can be used for cultivation. The land is kept fallow after harvest to allow plant regeneration until it is useable in the next cycle. Jhum agriculture was originally viewed as a viable choice in Nagaland due to longer jhum cycles and higher land holdings. But there has been a lot of discussion about the practise recently.

Bano Haralu, a seasoned journalist and a prominent conservationist in Nagaland, claimed that because land holdings are now lower, jhumming is no longer conducted on a wide scale as it once was. As a result, jhum cycles have been considerably decreased in length and now only last a few years. This is putting more strain on the land, causing nutrient depletion in the soil, and accelerating the cycle of clearing and burning trees.

Hunting has been a significant contributor to the decline in forest cover. Researchers from the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History Anaikatti, Tamil Nadu, undertook a survey in 2013 to investigate animal exploitation in the marketplaces of Tuensang town. According to the report, "the Tuensang market alone sold 13,067 birds and 3,567 animals annually for a price of nearly Rs. 18.5 lakhs." These figures come from just one district. The figures would be higher if more polls were completed in other districts.

But conventional hunting is likewise a disappearing activity. An experienced farmer from Chesezu village named Nuzota Swuro claimed that nowadays, "the major incentive for hunting is the reputation and money that comes with it. Wild meat is uncommon and a delicacy.

Insufficient recording of the state's birds and fauna

According to Lansothung, the state's present situation with regard to biodiversity loss is highly serious. "Species are rapidly disappearing, but most people seem unconcerned about this situation."

Numerous organisations, communities, and people have started a number of conservation initiatives in recent years, including the Tizu Valley Biodiversity Conservation and Livelihood Network, Sendenyu Village Community Biodiversity Conservation, and the Khonoma Green Village initiative, in response to the urgent need to provide sustainable solutions to these issues.

However, evaluating the success or failure of such projects becomes challenging without comprehensive recording of the bird and animal species present in the state. Recording bird and animal numbers and examining the condition of their habitats in Nagaland are essential needs.

"Quantitative information regarding the influence of reported levels of offtake on wild populations of hunted species in Northeast India is in very short supply," noted a 2011 research that examined wildlife hunting and conservation in that region.

Choudhury stated that several further ornithological surveys are necessary while discussing bird documentation in the state. "Progress has been rather gradual thus far."

Given that birding is a relatively new idea in Nagaland, Lansothung and his crew encountered difficulty recruiting enough birders to participate in the TEBC event.

Even though Nagaland is one of the most ecologically rich and significant northeastern states in India and is located in the Indo-Malayan global biodiversity hotspot, Gala said that the bird data from these states was weak.

Regional gatherings like TEBC and recurrent birding outings can address this need. It may spark enthusiasm in birdwatching, which encourages more research and documentation. Such recording can assist in creating baseline data to compare bird patterns over time. Gala used the State of India's Birds Report from 2020 as an example, which showed trends in 867 species' distribution and abundance over the long and near periods. This study examined 10 million observations that birdwatchers sent to eBird.

Nzanthung Ezung, a student from Tetso College in Dimapur who took part in the TEBC event, claimed that before the event, he had never engaged in birdwatching. In total, he was able to count 18 birds. He stated of the event, "Watching birds is enjoyable. I could become passionate about this. With the help of Ezung's experience, the state's population of enthusiastic birders may increase. More awareness must be raised in order for this to take place.

Haralu said that the state's environmental and wildlife education is woefully inadequate. Haralu advised that the indigenous and scientific communities be brought together to communicate and share knowledge in order to address this.

Choudhury suggested, while discussing the government's involvement in the protection of birds and other species, to "encourage study on birds and other wildlife and constantly conduct awareness on the same."

Unique contribution of Nagaland

"In locations like Nagaland where community ownership of the land covers the bulk of the territory, such local efforts would secure local support for conservation," said Choudhury, who spent almost four decades studying wildlife in the northeast. In Nagaland, land is held by certain people, clans, or groups. Since of this structure of land ownership, individuals are the best stewards for conservation because they are most knowledgeable about the biodiversity around.

The village council system, which is used in every village, was another aspect of Choudhury's account of his trips to Nagaland that he brought up: "In Nagaland there was a positive point; the village headmen were powerful and have a say on every significant problem." According to him, such a system may be a tool for carrying out conservation initiatives. These aspects make community-based conservation efforts in a region like Nagaland a practical option.