A project supported by a 2021 CLP Future Conservationist Award has contributed significantly to the conservation of hornbills in North Bengal, India.
A great hornbill female at Buxa Tiger Reserve. Image by Sitaram Mahato
To understand and mitigate the anthropogenic threats faced by hornbills in north Bengal (part of the Himalaya global biodiversity hotspot), the CLP project team conducted social surveys in 10 local villages, which uncovered key insights on the history, resource dependency and cultural association with wildlife, hornbills and forests.
The team engaged and trained 250 local stakeholders, including nature guides, Forest Department staff, teachers and students.
Importantly, the team also co-developed a 15-year hornbill conservation action plan involving multiple stakeholders representing the forest department, local communities, wildlife research organizations, independent researchers and tea estates. The action plan was launched on July 19, 2025, during the Bengal Birders’ Meet held in Kolkata organized by the Birdwatchers’ Society and is available for free download here.
The 15-year hornbill conservation action plan © Karishma Pradhan
The team have reported significant behaviour and policy change as a direct result of their outreach work; for example, they continue to receive information from locals about hornbill nests, and hornbill food plants have been incorporated into annual plantations by the Forest Department.
Partner organizations: Aaranyank, ATREE, Birdwatchers’ Society, Coexistence Consortium, Hathi Sathi Foundation, Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation, Mahananda Ecotourism and Conservation Society, Neora Valley Sustainable Ecological Society, Prakriti Samsad, WWF-India, Sikkim Forest Department, Ugyen Wangchuk Institute for Forestry Research and Training, West Bengal Forest Department, Zoo Outreach Organization