Nepal is located at the heart of the great Himalayan range and is at the crossroads of two biogeographic realms: Palearctic in the north and Indo-Malayan in the south. This unique geographic position, wide altitudinal variations, and diverse climatic conditions result in five main physiographic zones, from tropical to nival, within a short horizontal span. With this unique biodiversity, more than 900 species at the subspecies level have been recorded, including 74 vagrants. The Status of Nepal's Birds: The National Red List Series has identified 168 species in the nationally threatened category, while 62 species are assessed as near threatened. Moreover, Nepal is home to 41 globally threatened species. These bird species have been facing severe threats for a long time. Therefore, the Nepalese Ornithological Union (NOU) is committed to conserving these birds, focusing on threatened species across Nepal.
Research
- Taxonomy: Nepalese Ornithological Union conducts taxonomic research on avifauna of Nepal, and it updates the Nepal bird list.
- Threatened Birds: NOU conducts ecological and behavioral studies on birds, with a focus on nationally and globally threatened species. NOU has been studying bird behavior and migration pattern using cutting-edge technologies like GPS-GSM transmitter studies on raptors and camera trapping studies on breeding biology.
- Restoring Bird Habitat: Habitat management and advocating for the protection of important and threatened habitats are highly valued by the NOU
Conservation
Partnering with local communities in conservation: NOU believes that sustainable goals can be achieved through benefitting locals who share the same landscape with birds. Community stewardship towards avifauna is one of the major visions of the NOU. NOU do the following activities
contribute to community conservation Stewardship
- Awareness and sensitization on the importance of birds and biodiversity to the locals
- Developing the capacity of locals through capacity building training
- Community-based conservation program
- Livelihood opportunities for the locals