CHHATTISGARH is taking its Bird Count beyond a festival-driven exercise into sustained citizen-science documentation after 211 bird species were recorded through 954 eBird checklists across all 33 districts, an expanding database that could sharpen conservation planning while bringing the State’s birdwatching and nature-tourism potential into clearer focus. Chhattisgarh State Biodiversity Board (CGSBB) officials familiar with the initiative told ‘The Hitavada’ that the exercise, being pursued under Forest Minister Kedar Kashyap’s guidance, is increasingly moving towards decentralised bird documentation. Birders, students, youngsters, YUVAAN volunteers and local communities are being encouraged to record sightings independently rather than wait for organised events. Observations are now coming from wetlands, ponds, riverbanks, agricultural fields, forests, villages and urban landscapes. Officials associated with the exercise said these records are being channelled into eBird to progressively build scientific information on species presence, distribution and habitat associations across Chhattisgarh. Importantly, CGSBB officials see the accumulated data as having relevance beyond species enumeration. Once observations acquire sufficient geographical and temporal depth, they could help identify significant bird habitats requiring sustained monitoring and provide an evidence base for conservation-sensitive birdwatching and nature-tourism planning.

 

No new eco-tourism destination, however, has yet been designated under the campaign. Those involved in the documentation exercise said experienced birders and specialists are assisting participants with identification, behaviour, habitat interpretation and scientific recording, an intervention considered important for improving the reliability of citizen-generated observations. The campaign gathered momentum during Hareli Bird Festival-2026. According to figures shared by officials, the three-day exercise across all 33 districts produced 954 eBird checklists covering 211 species. Field observations have continued thereafter, adding fresh records from different landscapes. Self-help groups and Joint Forest Management Committees have also been brought into the initiative, giving the exercise a community interface alongside its scientific objective, officials associated with the campaign said. CGSBB officials overseeing the exercise said regular Bird Walks, school and college programmes, community birdwatching and monitoring of important wetlands and bird habitats are planned to maintain continuity. Officials expect sustained participation to eventually create a stronger, updated information base for assessing Chhattisgarh’s avian wealth, tracking important habitats and framing future biodiversity conservation priorities.