Background: Bird species diversity of Uttarakhand State is unparalleled with a reported bird list of 710 species (An Updated Checklist and Bibliography of Birds of Uttarakhand, Dhananjai Mohan & Sanjay Sondhi, 2017) representing more than half of all bird species found in India. Bird Tourism holds immense promise for both conservation of this unique heritage and benefits for livelihood generation in remote areas of the State. Uttarakhand Birdwatching Programme was launched on 5th February 2012 from Asan Conservation Reserve to promote bird tourism. Under this programme, more than 70 bird watching camps have been conducted during the last 12 years at various rural tourism destinations. More than 1,500 forest staff, nature guides and students have already benefitted from these camps. The camps have been supplemented with large scale events organised by the Uttarakhand Forest Department. – 1st Uttarakhand Spring Bird Festival at Asan Conservation Reserve, 5th to 9th February 2014. – 2nd Uttarakhand Spring Bird Festival at Pawalgarh Conservation Reserve, 4th to 8th February 2015. – 3rd Doon Valley Spring Bird Festival held at Asan, Forest Research Institute, Rajpur, and Thano, 11th to 14th February 2016. – 4th Uttarakhand Spring Bird Festival at Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary, 3rd to 5th March 2017. – 5th Uttarakhand Spring Bird Festival at Thano and Jhilmil Jheel, 9th to 11th March 2018. – 6th Uttarakhand Bird Festival at Asan Conservation Reserve, 30th November to 1st December 2019. – 7th Uttarakhand Spring Bird Festival at Pawalgarh Conservation Reserve, 7th to 9th February 2020.
Purpose: The purpose of Uttarakhand Bird Festivals (UBFs) is to improve the profile of Uttarakhand as a crucial state in India for bird conservation and as a birdwatching destination as well as to popularize lesser-known destinations. The bird festival will help to scale up bird awareness, birdwatching activity and benefits through bird tourism and ecotourism. This Festival will seek to build on the partnerships and investments of the Uttarakhand Birdwatching Programme. The UBF will be organized in such a way that it is more inclusive and visible and draws strength from the location of State’s Capital.
Date:The UBF8 will be a three-day event that will start on the morning of Friday 18th October, 2024 and end on the evening of Sunday 20th October, 2024.
Venues:The main festival venue will be at Benog, Mussoorie WLS, Uttarakhand.
Accommodation: Boarding and lodging will have to be paid for by visitors. Visitors can chose from a variety of accommodation options that will be listed on the website,
Partners:The event will be organized by the Uttarakhand Forest Department, led by the DFO, Mussoorie, supported by the office of CCF Ecotourism, and the Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board. Other partner institutions include Titli Trust, Nature Science Initiative, Doon Nature Walks, WWF-India, Been There Doon That, among others.
