News: The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) has granted in-principle clearance to the Kalai-II Hydroelectric Project in Arunachal Pradesh, raising concerns over one of India's last confirmed habitats of the White-bellied Heron.

About White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis)

• Also known as the Imperial Heron, it is the world's second-largest heron after the Goliath Heron.
• Population: Fewer than 60 individuals remain in the wild.
• Habitat: Fast-flowing mountain rivers and wetlands surrounded by mature subtropical broadleaf forests.
• Found in the Eastern Himalayan foothills of Bhutan, northeastern India (Arunachal Pradesh and Assam), and northern Myanmar.

Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered (CR)
• Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
• Recognized among the Top 100 EDGE (Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered) species due to its unique evolutionary lineage and extreme rarity.