India Launches First Vulture Knowledge Portal ‘The Vulture Network’ in Assam on International Vulture Awareness Day 2025.
App and Web Portal
On September 2, 2025, coinciding with International Vulture Awareness Day, India unveiled its very first Vulture Knowledge Portal—The Vulture Network—from Assam. This pioneering initiative offers a consolidated digital platform for research, awareness, and citizen-driven conservation of Indian vulture species.
- The portal, developed through a collaborative effort by We Foundation India and the Department of Zoology, Gauhati University, serves as a comprehensive cloud-based knowledge ecosystem. It offers scientific insights, freely downloadable awareness materials, and digital tools designed to support researchers, conservationists, students, and local communities.
- Support for the initiative comes from key organisations such as the Assam Bird Monitoring Network, LASA Foundation, Suraksha Samitee, and dedicated conservationists—who together pooled expertise and resources to bring The Vulture Network to life.
Main Point :- (i) At the launch event, esteemed dignitaries including Dr. Prasanta K. Saikia (Retired Professor and former Head, Zoology, Gauhati University), Prof. Dandadhar Sarma (current Head, Zoology Dept.), Rohini Ballav Saikia (Deputy Conservator of Forest), Dr. Narayan Sarma (Assistant Professor, Cotton University), and Dr. Oinam Sunanda Devi (Scientific Officer, Assam State Biodiversity Board) emphasized the portal’s pivotal role in uniting conservation efforts across India.
(ii) Experts at the launch also raised concerns over ongoing threats to India’s vulture populations—from carcass poisoning and the veterinary use of diclofenac to habitat loss and social misconceptions—highlighting the serious decline of critically endangered species like the Slender-billed Vulture, with only about 800 mature individuals remaining.
(iii) Speakers further underscored the need for grassroots participation, urging integration of citizen science into vulture conservation. Strategies included awareness campaigns on safe practices, monitoring initiatives, and educational outreach to strengthen the bond between communities and vulture protection efforts.
About Assam
Chief minister: Himanta Biswa Sarma
Governor: Lakshman Acharya
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