Amur falcons gather in millions at Nagaland roost sites during migration, where they were historically killed in huge numbers before a community-driven conservation success transformed attitudes.
Amur falcon welfare transformation in Nagaland demonstrates that community engagement can produce rapid and large-scale welfare improvement without requiring punitive enforcement. The killing of hundreds of thousands of resting migrants at roost sites caused direct welfare harm through traumatic mortality, and the stress of persecution on surviving birds during a critical migration fuelling stopover. Community pride in hosting the world's largest falcon roost replaced the previous exploitation dynamic. This case study in welfare improvement through positive community engagement rather than prohibition has influenced conservation approaches globally.