Proceedings and Recommendations: 1st National Symposium on Bird Window Collisions in India- 2026
The 1st National Symposium on Bird-Window Collision was held on 12th May 2026 in New Delhi, hosted by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, in partnership with the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati, the Nature Conservation Foundation, Feather Library, supported by the Rainmatter Foundation. The symposium was backed by Nature Future as ecosystem partner; and Roundglass Sustain and Architecture Live as media partners.
The symposium brought together an inter-disciplinary group of over 100 ornithologists, wildlife veterinarians, architects, urban designers, green building professionals, conservationists, media professionals, and policymakers for a full day of presentations, panel discussions, and open deliberation. It was the first gathering of its kind in India dedicated entirely to this issue.
The symposium started with a keynote address by Mr. Ashok B. Lall (Principal Architect, Ashok B Lall Architects), followed by presentations, panel discussions, and open-house discussions on experiences, learnings, and steps required to address bird-window collision in India. This included technical presentations on the current state of data and field experience from wildlife rescue organisations, industry perspectives on bird-safe glass and design, panel discussions on innovation, institutional roles, and citizen science and media, and the open-house deliberation that followed. The symposium ended with concluding remarks by Dr Asad Rahmani (Veteran Ornithologist and Former Director, Bombay Natural History Society).
The discussions saw representations from a diversity of institutions and companies, including Green Business Certification Inc. India (GBCI/LEED), Saint-Gobain India, Environmental Design Solutions, Asahi India Glass Ltd, Institute of Urban Designers India, Solar Gard (Habitat), People for Animals (PFA) Wildlife Hospital Bengaluru, Avian & Reptile Rehabilitation Centre (ARRC), Wildlife Trust of India, WWF India, ICLEI South Asia, Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO), Mongabay India, among others.
It closed with a consolidated set of recommendations across five thematic areas — research and evidence, policy and law, industry and design, awareness and communication, and institutions and collaboration — intended as a working reference for researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and advocates building toward bird-safe built environments in India.
The organising committee also held a Special Interest Group discussion on ‘Bird window collision in India – What do we know and where do we go from here,’ at the “Indian Wildlife and Ecology Conference” held at Ashoka University on 12th July, led by Peeyush Sekhsaria, Senior Associate Fellow at Vidhi. The proceedings were formally released by Dr Anish Andheria (President & CEO, Wildlife Conservation Trust), along with senior conservation practitioners and representatives from partner organizations.
Download the proceedings from the link below. It contains detailed insights from the discussions along with key policy takeaways from each session and consolidated recommendations from the symposium. To access the photographs from the event click here.
