Promoting waterbird and wetland conservation in India

Since 1987, the Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) has mobilized thousands of volunteers across India to monitor waterbirds and wetland conditions during mid-winter. As part of the global International Waterbird Census led by Wetlands International, the AWC in India is jointly coordinated by Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and Wetlands International South Asia, with voluntary support from state-level coordinators.

Objectives

• Estimate waterbird population and trend
• Identify and monitor priority sites for waterbirds
• Support wetland conservation and management planning
• Inform global agreements and national policies with waterbird status and trend data
• Encourage citizens’ participation in waterbird and wetlands conservation

In India, the AWC is announced each November with dates, data forms, and guidelines shared by Wetlands International South Asia, BNHS, and Bird Count India. The AWC is held during mid-winter, typically from the first Saturday to the third Sunday of January. It is coordinated by the voluntary network of State Coordinators with active support from State Forest Departments, Biodiversity Boards, and bird enthusiasts. Furthermore, the AWC envisages conducting a multi-season census at AWC priority sites to support management planning and actions.

The AWC data is available to a wide range of government agencies and non-government organisations and contributes to conservation activities from the local to global level, including:

Who contributes to the AWC?

The major contributors to waterbird monitoring are volunteer birdwatchers who participate because they find counting birds enjoyable and rewarding. Many thousands of volunteers join the count every year, making it one of the largest citizen science programmes in the world. In most countries, the census is coordinated professionally, and in many countries, professionals also carry out much of the fieldwork (although often voluntarily). We also work closely with organisations implementing special species or regionally focused waterbird monitoring programmes. 

• Volunteers/Citizens
• Csos
• Government Bodies
• See the full list of AWC State Coordinators here.

How are the counts conducted?

Standardised counting is essential for monitoring waterbird trends. Annual visits to the same AWC sites on suggested dates using consistent methods support reliable population estimates and long-term trend analysis. The waterbird count data and site information are recorded on standardised census forms. AWC participants should contact their state/national coordinators for AWC implementation and reporting.

Counting and reporting in India

The AWC is jointly coordinated by the Bombay Natural History Society and Wetlands International. To help prioritize sites to be covered, a reference list of internationally important AWC sites and wetland IBAs in India is available for your guidance.

Data submission in India can be done in one of three ways:

• AWC India Count and Wetland Assessment Entry Form (Excel format)
  For this year, we are providing two options: the AWC India Count and Wetland Assessment Entry Form. In the first, the counter can use the dropdown menu option to enter the waterbird species. In the latter, these are pre-entered in a flat form, so only the number needs to be entered.  Either form can be used.

AWC India 2025 Count and assessment form (empty)

AWC-India-Count-and-wetland-assessment-Form-empty

AWC India 2025 Count and assessment form (species filled)

AWC-India-Count-and-wetland-assessment-Form-species_entered

We also request that for each new site you cover, you kindly submit a simple outline/boundary map of the actual count area (check the AWC Site Network map to see if this site has been counted before and if a boundary exists; if so, use this as a guide for your count). Guidance to produce the map is here.

What sites and species are counted under the AWC?

The AWC in India spans 29 States and Union Territories, covering diverse ecosystems from the Himalayas to coastal and floodplain regions. It includes a wide range of natural and human-made wetlands like lakes, reservoirs, mangroves, mudflats, rice fields, and urban wetlands. Sites of ornithological importance—Ramsar Sites, Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Protected Areas and Flyway sites are identified as AWC priority sites.

The AWC records a variety of waterbirds—such as ducks, geese, herons, storks, flamingos, and shorebirds—alongside wetland-dependent species, many of which are of conservation importance. A significant number of these species are migratory, travelling along the Central Asian Flyway and other key global migration routes.

How can you participate?

Raising awareness for waterbird and wetland conservation

We encourage you to actively raise local awareness of waterbird and wetland conservation issues around the census by contributing to or publishing news items and articles in print and electronic media. Kindly share links to articles to [email protected], so we can help promote them. We also encourage you to use social media (Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn) to actively publicize the census and your findings. We encourage you to include the hashtags #WaterbirdsCount, #AWC, or #AsianWaterbirdCensus where possible and tag us on @WetlandsInt @EAAFP so we can help to share this widely too. For your posts in India, tag @WetlandsInt_SA and @BNHSIndia.

Generating support for monitoring

Through the global Waterbird Fund www.waterbird.fund, we can now receive dedicated funds to channel to our network to fill geographic gaps and strengthen local capacity to implement and monitor waterbirds, as well as remote wetlands that are not being regularly counted. We aim to target new funding sources to secure contributions to support our network, including conservation organizations, governments, birders, hunters, and their clubs and associations, foundations, as well as the public with an interest in waterbirds and the environment. Do consider promoting the fund and donating to help strengthen monitoring in the region.

Want to know more?

• Read our newsletters here.
• Browse our archive of Reports & Publications here.
• See all our Press highlights here.
• Get more info here – AWC Info and AWC 2025

For more information, reach out to Taej Mundkur ([email protected]), Dhruv Verma ([email protected]), or Apoorva Thapa ([email protected])