After being guarded by local community members for almost three months, 172 Lesser Adjutant chicks have been successfully protected in the Northern Plains, so far this nesting season.
The Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) is a large stork reaching 130cm in height with a wingspan exceeding two meters. Despite a global upper population estimate of 10,000 mature individuals, Lesser Adjutants are experiencing rapid population declines, and their range is undergoing widespread contraction. As a result, the Lesser Adjutant is listed as Globally Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened species.
WCS has employed local community members to protect nesting colonies threatened by egg collection, predation and loss of habitat. In the Northern Plains nest protection is sustainably financed by revenue from the eco-tourism partner of WCS, Sam Veasna Centre who bring bird watchers to see the birds of the Northern Plains. Additional support from our donors Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, also supports the conservation of these threatened species.