Nature Conservation Foundation

We are excited to be back with the 2026 edition of Bird Monitoring in India Symposium! This year the symposium will be held on 11- 12 Sept 2026.

Every year you have been participating in mini-symposia themes decided by the organising committee.

This year, we are inviting the participants to suggest themes of mini-symposia related to bird monitoring. If you would like to suggest a theme and host a mini-symposium this year please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/CMTk5RpBok5UyoZB9

Out of the entries, 2-4 will be selected for this year.

The proposed themes should be relevant to long-term bird monitoring in India. Past themes have included: monitoring wetland birds, understanding causes of population change, using passive acoustic monitoring for studying birds, bird atlases and more.

For more information on our past events, please visit www.birdmonitoring.in

You are also welcome to partner up with a collaborator to host your mini symposia.

The deadline to send in your entry is 5 June 2026. The selected hosts will be free to choose the format for the mini-symposia.

Each mini-symposium theme will be allocated 2 hours during the 2-day event. Hosts are free to plan this in a manner they would like. In the past we have had various talk formats – Keynotes, Short talks, Panel discussions, Speed talks, etc.

For queries, please write to [email protected]

Grasslands, scrublands, and savannas—collectively known as Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs)—are among India’s most unique and overlooked habitats.

These ecosystems support several threatened and iconic species including the Jerdon’s Courser, Great Indian Bustard, Indian Wolf, Bengal Fox, and many lesser-known plants and animals.

They are also home to pastoral communities who have lived in harmony with these landscapes for centuries.

ONEs Are Under Threat
ONEs are rapidly disappearing due to:
• Trenching and percolation pond digging
• Clearing scrubland and grassland
• Planting exotic trees and plantations
• Misclassification as “wastelands” that need to be “improved”

Replacing natural scrub and grasslands with Eucalyptus, Acacia auriculiformis, or turning them into dumping yards destroys the very essence of these ecosystems.

About This Video
Video prepared by Teja Y, Researcher, Endangered Birds Program, Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF).

Learn more about our work to protect the Jerdon’s Courser and conserve ONEs here:
https://www.ncf-india.org/endangered-birds/saving-the-endangered-jerdons-courser

Send a message to learn more