Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology

Established in 1990 and named after Salim Ali, the leading pioneer in ornithology the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) is a national centre for information, education and research in ornithology and natural history in India. It was esttablished as a public- NGO partnership between the MoEF&CC, and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) under the Centre of Excellence Scheme and registered under the Indian Societies Registration Act. Its headquarters are at Anaikatti, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.

Mission of SACON

"To help conserve India’s biodiversity and its sustainable use through research, education and peoples’ participation, with birds at the centre stage".

Objectives of SACON

To design and conduct research in ornithology covering all aspects of biodiversity and natural history
To develop and conduct regular courses in ornithology and natural history for M.Sc., M.Phil. and Ph.D. and also, short term orientation courses in the above subjects
To create data bank on Indian ornithology and natural history
To disseminate knowledge relating to ornithology and natural history for the benefit of the community
To confer honorary awards and other distinctions to persons who have rendered outstanding services in the fields of ornithology and natural history.

Inhabitants of SACON

SACON is home to 107 species of butterflies one-third of which are from the Western Ghats. The campus is famous for the astonishing mass-movement (local migration) of the butterflies during October-November. Eight species of amphibians and 40 species of reptiles are also found on the campus. Out of 21 mammal species found, two are ‘Endangered’ (Asian Elephant: Elephas maximus and Indian Wild Dog: Cuon alpines); four are ‘Vulnerable’ (Sambar: Rusa unicolor, Gaur: Bos gaurus, Leopard: Panthera pardus, and Sloth Bear: Melursus ursinus); one is ‘Near Threatened’ (Rusty-spotted Cat: Prionailurus rubiginosus) and the remaining 14 species are ‘Least Concern’ according to the IUCN Red List categorization.

Academics in SACON

The SACON is affiliated with Bharathiar University. SACON students are enrolled for PhD and for M.Phil. SACON also conducted short term training programmes on instrumentation and analytical techniques and offered analytical service to industries and academic institutions.