The first Amur Falcons have started arriving in the Northeast, and in Nagaland. The local communities in various parts of the state have been eagerly awaiting the birds in the last couple of years — to welcome them as honoured guests, and to provide them with safe passage.
For the last two years, the Amur Falcon conservation efforts in Pangti and Sungro villages in Wokha district of Nagaland have passed off successfully in a remarkable conservation turnaround. In 2013 and 2014, the seasons after the 2012 season, when mass slaughter was reported on Conservation India, the migration of the falcons has continued in full swing along the Doyang reservoir with no killings reported. The government, the forest department, local NGOs and, not the least, the local communities have worked together to ensure that there was no trapping of the birds.
However, in the last couple of years, while Nagaland continued to report no killings, there were confirmed reports of hunting from Umrangso, Assam and Tamenglong, Manipur — both big falcon roosts along reservoirs. Given the heightened awareness of Amur Falcons in the last couple of years, the local media has taken the lead and now actively reports these incidents. Fortunately, in both sites, conservation action is underway, thanks to local NGO and forest department support. This season will determine whether those efforts bear fruit.
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For the last two years, the Amur Falcon conservation efforts in Pangti and Sungro villages in Wokha district of Nagaland have passed off successfully in a remarkable conservation turnaround.