BNHS–NMCG launch major project to protect Indian Skimmer, river birds in Ganga basin

Mumbai: With India supporting nearly 90 per cent of the global population of the endangered Indian Skimmer, conservation efforts in the country are critical for the bird’s survival. Over the years, the species has suffered a sharp decline due to loss of riverine habitats, unregulated sand mining, sudden water releases from dams, predation, and increasing disturbance from humans and livestock.

The Mumbai-headquartered Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), which has been working on Indian Skimmer conservation since 2017 with support from government agencies and local communities, has now scaled up its efforts through a new project under the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG).

The project, titled “Safeguarding breeding habitats of Indian Skimmer and sympatric birds through monitoring and community participation in the Ganga Basin,” was launched at Dehradun and inaugurated by Union Minister for Jal Shakti C R Patil.

It will be implemented by BNHS with the primary objective of protecting river sandbars—critical nesting habitats for the Indian Skimmer and several other threatened river birds.

According to conservationists, these sandbars are increasingly under pressure from sand extraction, altered river flows and growing human activity. The new initiative aims to address these threats through systematic monitoring, habitat protection measures and strong community involvement.

The project builds on BNHS’s successful conservation model in the National Chambal Sanctuary, where community participation significantly improved nesting success of riverine birds. This approach will now be extended to key stretches of the Ganga basin, including the Chambal River, the Upper Ganga near Bijnor and Narora, the Ganga–Yamuna confluence at Prayagraj, and the Lower Ganga near the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary.

Under the programme, local residents will be trained as Nest Guardians and River Guardians. They will help protect nests, monitor bird populations, reduce local threats and assist in scientific data collection. The initiative is also expected to create supplementary livelihood opportunities, strengthening long-term stewardship of river ecosystems.

In addition to the Indian Skimmer, the project will support other declining riverine species such as the Black-bellied Tern, River Tern, River Lapwing, Great Thick-knee, Little Tern and Little Pratincole—species considered key indicators of healthy rivers.

Aligned with the Namami Gange programme, the initiative combines science, planning and community participation to protect river biodiversity, while developing a conservation model that can be replicated across the Ganga basin.