KOTTAYAM,
The Hindu, March 21, 2015
The Hindu, March 21, 2015
The house sparrow conservation efforts in the town got a
fillip with environmentalists joining hands to spot six areas in the
town that could be declared as House Sparrow Conservation Centres. The
decision to take an initiative was made at a meeting held near the
market in the heart of the town to celebrate World House Sparrow Day
here on Friday.
The decision comes in the wake of a
drastic fall in the house sparrow population in the town as was found by
this year’s house sparrow survey conducted by the Tropical Institute
for Ecological Sciences (TIES) a non-governmental organisation working
in the area of researches in environmental issues.
According
to Punnen Kurian Venkadath, director, TIES, this year’s survey could
identify only 240 house sparrows, the lowest ever since the commencement
of the annual surveys three years ago. What was more disturbing was the
fact that there has been a consistent fall in the sparrow population.
The 2012 survey could spot 740 sparrows nesting in 10 identifiable areas
in the town, while it came down to 580 last year.
Fall in nesting sites
Meanwhile,
the nesting areas too have come down to just six from the 10 in 2012.
The drastically changing skyline of the town has also forced the
sparrows to shift their dwellings from place to place during this
period, Dr. Kurian said. The major nesting places of the house sparrows
during the 2012 survey were the old vegetable market, Padinjarekkara
lane and rice market areas.
Matter of concern
However,
during the past three years they have deserted the rice market, may be
an indication of the impact of chemicals used in paddy cultivation or
rice processing, he said. With the old vegetable market was demolished,
they had to move out of the area.
The colony of house
sparrows nesting below the bridge at Nagambadom too had to shift from
there on account of the maintenance work taken up in 2013. This year’s
survey found that the healthy colonies of the house sparrows were those
at the Challiyil Lane in the market, New Municipal Complex and Supplyco
Lane in the town.
Colonies have also been identified
at the YMCA campus area, Biriyanikkada lane and Pappadakkada lane in the
market. According to Dr Kurian, the main reason for the development of
healthy colonies in certain pockets was the interest taken by a few
individual traders who were avid conservationists.
However,
the modern concrete structures that come up in place of the old
buildings provide little space for house sparrows to develop their
colonies.
Chemicals in foodstuffs
The
high incidence of chemicals in food articles and the total disregard
for house sparrows, once considered a mark of prosperity of the area,
too have contributed to the phenomenon, he said and added that
conservation would bring the house sparrows back to the town.
Ipe
Mathew, Abraham Samuel, A.P. Thomas and others spoke. Anil Kumar, one
of the traders in the market, who is engaged in house sparrow
conservation efforts, was honoured on the occasion.
