The Bustard Specialist Group (BSG) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature wrote to the Assam government on the urgent need to prevent land-use changes at Kokilabari Seed Farm in the state to protect Bengal floricans and other species.

About The Bengal Florican:

=> Scientific Name: Houbaropsis bengalensis

=> Habitat: The species is found in very small numbers only in India and Cambodia. About a hundred of them are present in Nepal and the species is extinct in Bangladesh.

=> It is an iconic species of topmost conservation priority and it exhibits transboundary movements.

=> It has a very small, rapidly declining population largely as a result of the widespread loss of its grassland habitat.

=> Threat: Its migration exposes it to threats such as land-use changes, collision with power transmission line at the boundary area of India-Nepal and probable power-line collisions.

Conservation Status:

=> IUCN status: Critically Endangered.

=> Listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of India, 1972.

=> Inclusion of the species in Appendix I of CMS will aid in transboundary conservation efforts facilitated by International conservation bodies and existing international laws and agreements.