Permanent conservation of temporary homes

Habitat conservation plays the most critical role of making the long journeys of migratory birds safe along their flyways. Huge damage to ecosystem of Motapung Maguri Beel during blowout of a producing gas well at Baghjan in Assam brought to the fore the vulnerability of habitats of the winged visitors resulting from unsustainable development activities. Thousands of migratory birds visiting this wetland in winter is a treat to the eyes of nature lovers, ornithologists, wildlife biologists, and amateur bird watchers. The World Migratory Bird Day 2020 observed across the globe on this day reminds the global communities grappling in COVID-19 pandemic the significance of conservation of wetlands and other ecosystems that support the migratory birds. This year's theme "Birds Connect Our World" underlines the importance of conservation and restoration of the habitats that support natural movement of migratory birds. An estimated 1800 of the word's 11,000 bird species migrate and travel long distances across countries and continents using the habitats along their flyways as temporary homes to complete the migration cycles.

India drew up a five year long (2018-2023) National Action Plan for Conservation of Migratory Birds and their Habitats along Central Asian Flyway. This flyway covers overlapping migration routes over 30 countries. India provides critical stopover sites to 90 per cent of migratory bird species using this route. This flyway is among the nine flyways of migratory birds in the world. Three areas in Assam – Majuli river island, Ahom-era tanks in Sivasagar district and Panidihing wildlife sanctuaries- were included in the national plan for undertaking conservation measures. About 20 migratory bird species visit these three areas. Baghjan incident showed that message of the national action plan did not percolate down to all stakeholders beyond the areas included in it. A mid-term review of the implementation of the national plan in the three areas of the state will help articulation of the state action plan. Research and monitoring help the scientific community to refine and build a reliable data on the status of wetlands, buffer zones, issues of livelihoods of communities dependent on these habitats of the migratory birds. Satellite tagging of three Amur Falcons by Nagaland Forest Department in 2013 helped scientists plot the entire migration of 22,000 km from Mongolia to South Africa via India. Amur Falcons arrive in large number in Nagaland during October-November for roosting but the scientific community is yet to solve the mystery why the migratory bird skips Nagaland on their return journey.

Government and private funding agencies need to support such scientific research work for solving the mystery and shed new light on many other aspects of migratory birds in the region. Hunting posed a grave threat to the migratory species in the past but community-driven conservation initiatives have made the destination Nagaland villages amplify the critical role the communities play in conservation of the habitats of the long-distance winged-guests. It also creates a rippling effect of building community awareness on habitats of other resident birds as well as other wildlife species. Changing land use pattern such as conversion of farms lands into industrial lands pose tough challenges for conservation of habitats on which migratory land birds are dependent. Deepor Beel, a permanent freshwater lake on the outskirts of Guwahati city is the lone Ramsar site in the state and support about 70 migratory bird species. Dumping of a municipal solid waste on its boundary and illegal encroachments have posed grave threat to this important habitat of migratory birds. It is unfortunate that successive state governments, forest department officials, Guwahati Municipal Corporation Authorities remained nonchalant towards conservation threats to this wetland of global importance. The national action plan has prescribed the solution of cross-sectional approaches which have a bearing on various developmental activities taking place within the landscape in which wetland is situated. The plan calls for developing a clear institutional arrangement to ensure that decision makers of all relevant departments such as water resources, irrigation, flood control, tourism, forest, revenue, urban development, flood management, fisheries, flood management converge in management of the particular site. Even though plan prescriptions are for the sites identified under it, they hold good for all other habitats that support migratory birds. While building awareness among the communities on conservation of these habitats the emphasis should be laid on drawing up actionable plans so that significance of the day is not reduced to merely popularising the theme. Students need to be trained to monitor the migratory birds and their habitats. The conservation of the habitat is essential for survival of the migratory birds. It is also critical to sustaining growing tourism industry around the wetlands and migratory birds as well as research activities. The state governments should draw from the national plan and undertake own action plans for permanent conservation of the temporary homes of the winged visitors.