Nationwide water birds count starts

A nationwide water birds counting has been started on in lakes, rivers and wetlands across the country from Saturday. Counting nationwide water birds is being done every year from the first Saturday of January.

From January 4th to 19th, from January 20th to January 6th, counting will be done to get information about the number, species, and habitat conditions of waterfowl.During this period, data collection of resident and migratory birds that depend on water and live around water will be done.

Last year, along with lakes like Koshitappu Wildlife Reserve, Chitwan, Banke, Bardia, Shuklaphanta, Rara National Park, Kathmandu, Pokhara, Lumbini, Bisahjari Lake, Ghodaghodi, Jagdishpur, etc.

This year too, a target is set to continue all those areas. Moreover, the lake in the Himalayas like Gokyo, Gosaikund, Maipokhari, Phoksando Lake has not yet been counted regularly.

The Asian water birds census in the Indian Ocean was started in 1987 by Wetlands International. This work was initially done in Afghanistan, Japan, South Asia and Australia in Asia.

Since 1987, Asian water bird census has been done regularly in Nepal. The first census in Nepal was done at one Ramsar site and some other wetlands. After that, the calculation continues continuously.

Water bird census has played an important role in the conservation of biodiversity in the country. The main purpose of this census is to collect information about the number and distribution of water-dependent migratory birds, living in and around water.

By this census, information can be obtained about the condition of wetlands, the breeding condition of waterfowl and the condition of climate change.

According to him, waterfowl counting is important for assessing the health of wetlands, understanding climate change, making wetland conservation plans and increasing public awareness. It supports the Ramsar Convention, the Convention on Migratory Species, the Important Bird Areas of Biological Diversity Programme, the IUCN Red List Program and the Wetlands International Waterfowl Population Estimation Programme.

It is his understanding to provide support in the implementation of various international treaties and campaigns.

In the waterfowl census conducted last year in 2024, 402 volunteers recorded 63,900 waterfowl of 79 species in 84 small areas under 18 major wetlands across the country.

Six of these were Ramsar listed wetlands. According to senior researcher Paudyal, the preliminary results of this year’s calculations will be announced on the occasion of World Wetlands Day on February 2, 2025.

The detailed report will be made public on the occasion of Wildlife Week, which will be celebrated from 14th April to 20th April 2025. It is expected to get important information about the number, description and condition of wetlands from the comparative study of last year’s data.

Thousands of birds come from the extremely cold areas such as North Pole Russia, China, and Mongolia to the various lakes, ponds, rivers and forest areas of Nepal in search of a suitable environment and abundant food to survive the winter.

Since the temperature is very cold due to snowfall in the North Pole, the birds come to Nepal in search of suitable temperature for survival.

There is an abundance of food such as fish in the lakes and rivers, and there is a safe habitat available in various protected areas to avoid predators, so the environment is favorable for birds.

In Nepal, various species of ducks, such as ducks, ducks, etc., live in winter migration.

Water birds are a key part of wetland ecosystems. Their presence, numbers and trends at a site can tell us a lot about the health and quality of a wetland. Water birds have an important social function, providing food, recreation and tourism opportunities. Water birds connect wetlands and people across cultures and borders, they are a shared wonder of the natural world. The IWC supports many aspects of the work we do to conserve water birds and the wetlands they depend upon – from conservation status assessments, to the identification, designation and monitoring of important sites, and providing the international context for managing species at a national or local level.