𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞-𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧-𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝

An annual population survey of White-bellied Heron(WBH) this year observed the presence of 𝟮𝟱 individuals of WBH in Bhutan, including three herons that are currently being raised at the White-bellied Heron Conservation Center.

For the year 2024, the survey was conducted from 1st to 5th March across the major river basins in Bhutan; Wangchhu, Punatshangchu,

Mangdichhu, Kuri-gongri, and Jomori. These major rivers with its tributaries are identified as either currently occupying populations or known as potential habitats of WBH.

The WBH population survey was first initiated 2003 and it is an ongoing annual event coordinated by the RSPN with the support of DoFPS and LCSG members in conducting the survey. This concerted effort is significant for the WBH conservation. Today, WBH conservation is not only as a flagship program but also as a fundamental aspect of RSPN’s core mandate aimed at securing the species’ genetic diversity and facilitating population recovery in Bhutan and the region.

The annual nationwide population count enlisted the efforts of more than eighty surveyors from the Department of Forests and Park Services(DoFPS), Local Conservation Support Groups (LCSG) and the staff of Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN).

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