Avian Voices, Avian Silences: Learning By Listening to Birds

Abstract

Research which integrates conservation with community needs is also presented by Devi Barman, Sharma, Cockrem, Malakar, Kakati, and Melvin, growing out of their concern for the survival of the Adjutant Stork (Leptoptilos dubius) in Assam, India. The Adjutant Stork is the second rarest in the world and was on the edge of extinction due to habitat loss and poaching. However, in 2007, a conservation program was initiated by the researchers to work with three communities where the majority of the storks still survived. A women’s group of conservation leaders was organized, together with village elders, youth, and visiting dignitaries. Their efforts were rewarded by a reduction in logging and poaching, and greater success of nests, as measured by increasing chick survival rates. Over 10,000 women joined in these efforts, and now their children have become leaders in protecting the storks. The success of this collaboration between researchers and community groups is demonstrated by the rise in the stork population from 400 birds at the beginning of the research to 950 in 2020.