Experts, bird lovers discuss ways to protect sparrows
HARIDWAR: On the World Sparrow Day, experts and ornithologists discussed issues related to house sparrow conservation at workshops organised by Gurukul Kangri University and Shravan Nath Muth Jawaharlal Nehru College separately.
Noted environmentalists, avian scientists and research scholars dwelled on the ways for sparrow conservation at Swami Hariharanand school where a workshop was organised to start an awareness drive.
Avian scientist Professor Dinesh Chandra Bhatt talked about the reasons for extinction of sparrows in recent years, which were earlier seen normally in neighbourhoods.
Prof Roop Kumar Shastri, vice chancellor of Gurukul Kangri University, said industrialisation and urbanisation are the two main factors behind dwindling sparrow numbers in the country.
Emphasising the need for sparrow conservation, Dr Vinay Sethi, a bird lover at Uttarakhand Sanskrit University, said, “Everyone should be sensitised towards extinction of the sparrows, otherwise the birds which are an endangered species will no longer get visible for our future generations .Due to rapid urbanisation, biodiversity is facing a threat and rapid decline in birds like sparrows is a dangerous signal for other species.”
Experts also blamed use of pesticides in farming as a major threat to house sparrows.
“Concrete structures are mushrooming because of urban development and open spaces are shrining. Greenery is not a major concern for our urban housing and commercial projects. Sparrows need food, open space and pollution-free environment, which are not available to them now. Both at the government and personal levels, we need to take steps to ensure environment protection and ecological balance,” said Dr Sunil Kumar Batra, principal of SMJN college.