The Abundance of Avifauna in an Agricultural Landscape: A Benefit of Community Conservation Initiatives in Haryana, India

Abstract

Agricultural practices have the potential to negatively impact local ecosystems. Further, the clearing of native vegetation to make way for farming land could give rise to the loss of various faunal species. If properly managed, such practices have the potential to adopt a holistic approach combining agricultural produce and local species conservation. To examine such a prospective approach, the community conservation initiatives started by the agricultural village of Kanalsi, Haryana was the focus of attention. To begin with, the land use within the village and nearby areas was considered to examine the forest and agriculture dominated areas. Secondly, a survey was conducted in the month of December, 2012 to record the number of avian species present within this landscape. In total, 79 species of birds were recorded. Despite being an agriculture dominated region, the ecosystem conservation initiatives started by the local village communities had played a positive role for the protection of local avifauna.