The initiative builds on the recent Hareli Bird Festival, leveraging local volunteers and the eBird platform to build a comprehensive avian database.

RAIPUR, Sept 3 — It was a statewide bird counting programme which was started at the Hareli Bird Festival that has now turned into an ongoing citizen science programme in Chhattisgarh.

The initiative is being led by Forest Minister Kedar Kashyap and the Forest and Climate Change Department with a team of residents, students and volunteers from the region recording the bird life in the area. It’s not all about seeing wildlife. The department is advocating a scientific, verifiable census of avian habitats and local ecology.

Volunteers are entering their sightings into eBird. The records of the wetlands, agricultural lands and urban ponds of Chhattisgarh are being added to the international database gradually.

In 2026, the first three days of Hareli, volunteers in 33 districts reported a total of 954 eBird checklists. The lists recorded 211 different species of birds.

The first flush of information has now become a habit. Enthusiasts are not only participating in government-sponsored activities, but are also keeping an eye on the birds outside the government-sponsored activities, in the riverine and rural areas.

Birders with experience are volunteer mentors. They are teaching regular citizens scientific observation techniques that include accurate species identification and tracking of their behavior to keep the data clean as it comes in.

The district specific data will determine future conservation strategies based on species distribution and identification of critical habitat at each district level.

The participation of youth continues to be high. Local self help groups, forest management committees and members of YUVAAN’s volunteer group are actively involved. These participants are now beginning to see local birds as an active part of the agricultural and forest system, rather than just natural scenery, the Forest Department said.

The department will be adding more to its network soon.

Moving forward, there will be a need for community monitoring of selected wetlands, school-based monitoring programs, and frequent bird walks. More citizens are now being encouraged to install the required platforms and start recording the observations from their own backyard.