Kathmandu, August 14, 2025 – The Nepalese Ornithological Union (NOU), in collaboration with the Tribhuvan University-Natural History Museum (NHM), hosted a "Bengal Florican Conservation Workshop" today at the museum's meeting hall.
The inaugural session, chaired by NOU president Hathan Ram Mahato, began with a welcome address from the NOU Executive Director, Laxman Prasad Poudyal. Poudyal highlighted the workshop's objectives and presented an overview of the studies and research conducted on the Bengal Florican in Nepal to date.
NHM head, Dr. Ishan Gautam, inaugurated the event by reading a poster on Bengal Florican conservation. He also provided concluding remarks, expressing that the museum is always ready to support such conservation initiatives. The inaugural session concluded with remarks from NOU president Hathan Ram Mahato.
Following the inaugural session, technical sessions commenced. Dr. Tulsi Subedi chaired the first session and Dr. Hem Bahadur Katuwal chaired the second. Five presenters shared their findings:
- Devendra Maharjan: Taxidermy on large birds
- Suraj Baral: Report sharing of conservation efforts for the Bengal Florican in Shuklaphanta
- Laba KC: Grassland Habitat Management
- Nikita Phuyal: Population status, habitat use, and conservation awareness of the critically endangered Bengal Florican in the grasslands of Shuklaphanta National Park
- Birat Raj Rajak: Habitat Suitability of the Bengal Florican in and around Suklaphanta National Park: A time-series analysis of MODIS NDVI data
After the technical sessions, an open discussion on Bengal Florican conservation took place. Participants expressed concern over the bird's declining population. The discussion emphasized the need to focus on habitat management, drawing from existing studies, research findings, and the 10-year Bengal Florican Conservation Action Plan for Nepal.
A total of 40 people attended the workshop, including: Dr. Hem Sagar Baral, founding president of the Nepalese Ornithological Union, Prof. Dr. Tej Bahadur Thapa and Dr. Bishnu Prasad Bhattarai from TU-Central Department of Zoology, Dr. Thakur Silwal, Dean of the TU-Institute of Forestry, Rajendra Suwal, Head of Partnership Development at WWF Nepal, Manoj Ayer Conservation Officer at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Sujan Maharjan, Under Secretary at the Department of Forests and Soil Conservation.
Thank you to all participants for your valuable time and constructive contributions.
A big thank you to the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation for the project, "Promoting land-sharing in farmlands of Shuklaphanta National Park Buffer Zone to conserve critically endangered Bengal Florican.