India's bird-lovers thought Indian Skimmers were mostly gone. However, in mid-April, naturalist Ashish Gujjar spotted 74 flocking in the Haiderpur Wetland.
As The Art of Living Social Projects detailed, in a statement shared by PR Newswire, only 2,500 of these birds are left, so seeing this many at once was heartening for conservationists.
Gujjar has spent a lot of time in this region. It is a UNESCO Ramsar Site as a wetland with significant ecological importance. Numerous endangered species thrive there.
The area has received much acclaim and care partly because of the grassroots conservation and advocacy group The Art of Living Social Projects, which Gujjar is involved in.
Gujjar and his colleagues tracked a handful of these birds for a long time, observing their behaviors. However, he felt compelled to study them past the team's assigned research period.
Ashish Loya, Gujjar's mentor, said Gujjar "earned" the victorious sighting, commenting that "he was laser-focused."
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Stories like this remind the public of the often-forgotten species needing attention, while also encouraging greater protection of sandbar ecosystems.
The conservationist group's perseverance in the Haiderpur Wetland has made it a birding and ecotourism hub, funding further environmental initiatives. Successes like this will drive people to deepen their connections with nature and protect the planet.
Gyan Singh, a forest officer in the Bijnor district, explained how this sighting led to increased oversight.
"In view of the Indian Skimmer nesting, surveillance has been increased in the area near the Hastinapur Sanctuary," Singh said. "Public movement of sandbars has been restricted. Besides, boating has been suspended. In collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund, a detailed plan is being worked out."
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Definitely 👍 The sentiments prove how critical it is for groups to work together. Partnerships save species, as demonstrated by efforts to protect the wattled crane in South Africa and freshwater turtles in Australia — two impressive examples of what collaboration can achieve.
Gujjar has emphasized the importance of leaving the Skimmers alone.
"We can see that they are not able to nest properly because of human disturbance, movement of farmers, impact of farming on the sandbars," he said, per The Art of Living Social Projects' statement. "We are hoping that this area is left disturbance-free by authorities."
This highlights how wetland habitats are some of the most productive on the planet. They are natural barriers for coastal communities, protecting them from severe storms.
Therefore, with extreme weather events becoming more frequent and more intense because of human-caused pollution, saving the species that help stabilize and nourish these environments is more crucial than ever.
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