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There are 62 hornbill species in the world, of which 32 reside in Asia. 40 per cent of hornbill species are threatened with extinction globally, and face escalating threats including habitat destruction and poaching, especially in Indonesia and the Philippines. The IUCN SSC Hornbill Specialist Group (HSG) was formed with a united, established group of experts to establish and guide a global conservation strategy to address these threats.

The first workshop on the conservation of Asian hornbills was convened in Bangkok in 1992, drawing international experts and representatives, and summarising knowledge on the conservation of Asian hornbills at the time. Subsequent workshops were held in 1996 and 2001, focusing on ecology and conservation, as well as ecology, reproduction and populations respectively.  

The later inclusion of African hornbill species to the workshops has led to the formation of the International Hornbill Conference, now into its eighth session.  

The HSG comprises of several working groups focusing on: 

  1. Philippine Hornbills
  2. Sunda Hornbills
  3. Helmeted Hornbills
  4. Ex situ conservation management
  5. In situ conservation management
  6. Red-listing
  7. Research and training

As part of its conservation support, Mandai Nature hosts the Asian arm of the HSG and supports its secretariat office, which is coordinated by Nature Conservation Foundation (India), The Mabula Ground Hornbill Project (Africa) and the Hornbill Research Foundation (Thailand).

Through the HSG, Mandai Nature also hosts the IUCN SSC Helmeted Hornbill Working Group, and in 2017 funded the Helmeted Hornbill Conservation and Action Planning workshop in Sarawak, Malaysia, where a long-term Conservation Strategy and Action Plan for the Helmeted Hornbill across its range states was jointly developed.