I. Brief Introduction

Riverine sandbars in the Ganga basin provide critical breeding habitats for several threatened bird species such as the Indian Skimmer, Black-bellied Tern, River Tern, River Lapwing, Little Tern, Little Pratincole and Great Thick-knee. These birds depend on exposed sandbars during the summer breeding season, but increasing human disturbance, sand mining, livestock movement, predation, and sudden water level fluctuations threaten their nesting success.

The Indian Skimmer is globally endangered, with more than 90% of its breeding population occurring in India. Protecting breeding habitats along the Ganga and its tributaries is therefore essential for the survival of this species and other associated riverine birds.

This project aims to safeguard nesting colonies through systematic monitoring, community-based nest protection, and improved coordination with stakeholders across key stretches of the Ganga basin, including the Chambal River, Upper Ganga (Bijnor and Narora), the Ganga-Yamuna confluence at Prayagraj, and the lower Ganga around Vikramshila.

By generating scientific evidence on breeding success and implementing community-driven conservation measures, the project seeks to develop a scalable model for protecting sandbar-nesting birds across the Ganga River system.

II. Project Objectives

The project focuses on four key objectives:

1. Monitoring and Research

   Continue nest monitoring in existing sites and initiate systematic surveys in additional stretches of the Ganga basin to generate reliable data on breeding populations and nest survival.

2. Protection of Nesting Sites

   Safeguard vulnerable nesting sandbars through trained community members (“Nest Guardians”) to reduce predation, trampling and human disturbance.

3. Community Engagement and Capacity Building

   Strengthen outreach, awareness and capacity building among local communities and government stakeholders, including coordination with irrigation and water resource departments.

4. Conservation Planning

   Develop site-specific conservation strategies and a comprehensive conservation plan for Indian Skimmer and other sandbar-nesting birds in the Ganga basin.

III. Key Deliverables

The project will generate the following major outputs:

1. Baseline and annual monitoring reports on breeding populations and nest survival across project sites.
2. Nest distribution maps and datasets documenting breeding colonies and nesting habitats.
3. Community-based nest protection model, including trained Nest Guardians and River Watchers.
4. Awareness and capacity-building programmes for local communities, schools and government stakeholders.
5. Improved coordination mechanisms with water resource authorities to minimize impacts of water releases on nesting sites.
6. A comprehensive conservation action plan with site-specific recommendations for safeguarding sandbar-nesting birds in the Ganga basin.