Hetauda, 3 June 2026: A conservation outreach program titled the "Bird Talk Series" was successfully organized by the BCN Hetauda Branch, with technical support from the Nepalese Ornithological Union (NOU), at the Faculty of Forestry, Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU). Chaired by Bivek Mehta, Coordinator of Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN) Hetauda Branch, the event brought together 50 enthusiastic BSc Forestry students from both AFU and Tribhuvan University's Institute of Forestry (IoF). Facilitated by NOU President Hathan Chaudhary, Vice President Manshanta Ghimire, and Executive Director Laxman Prasad Poudyal, the session aimed to bridge academic knowledge with real-world wildlife management strategies in Nepal.
During the program, Laxman Prasad Poudyal delivered a comprehensive lecture on the history of conservation and the evolution of Protected Areas (PAs) in Nepal. The presentation highlighted Nepal’s dramatic shift from the historical "Royal Hunt Era" of the 19th and early 20th centuries to structured legal frameworks like the Wildlife Conservation Act of 1958 and the landmark National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1973. Students learned how modern strategies evolved over the decades, moving from strict species protection in the 1970s to revenue-sharing models with local community buffer zones in the 1990s, and finally to today’s massive landscape-level conservation networks.
Following Poudyal's interactive session, Hathan Chaudhary, President of the Nepalese Ornithological Union (NOU), who brings 40 years of bird conservation experience in Nepal, delivered a presentation titled “Bird Diversity: Global Scenario to Nepal.” He highlighted that of the 11,185 bird species recorded so far worldwide, 13% face extinction. Consequently, he emphasized that global conservation priorities must focus heavily on habitat protection, threat mitigation, climate adaptation, and citizen science. Shifting to the national context, Chaudhary explained that Nepal's dramatic altitudinal variations support 903 recorded species across 25 orders and 101 families. This rich diversity includes 40 globally threatened species (10 Critically Endangered, 7 Endangered, and 23 Vulnerable) and 38 globally near-threatened species. He also discussed Nepal's 168 nationally threatened species, 62 near-threatened species, and 22 data-deficient species, focusing on the ongoing revision of the country's national threatened species status.
Following Chaudhary's presentation, Manshanta Ghimire delivered a lecture overviewing the market trends and prospects of bird tourism. The session covered the demographic profiles of birdwatchers; global and regional market trends; economic, ecological, and social impacts; opportunities in Nepal; challenges and industry constraints; and a future outlook alongside key recommendations.
The program concluded with closing remarks from the session's chair, Bivek Mehta.