February 10, 2020
On Feb. 4, images
of a rare oriental darter struggling to free its beak from a piece of plastic
went viral. The incident was reported from Palwal in Haryana which, according
to the news report, has lost more than half of its wetlands in 30 years
(1970s-2000) due to land-use change like agricultural expansion. In June 2018,
in a similar incident, in a wetland just outside Delhi, a black-necked stork
had its beak sealed with a plastic ring around it. Its photo had gone viral.
The bird was later rescued after extensive efforts by forest authorities.
Such incidents where birds are
impacted by trash and plastic waste could be reduced as part of a new plan to
conserve birds and control dumping of waste into areas like wetlands that are
bird habitats.
With the focus on tigers and
elephants, conservation and protection of birds take a backseat in India. Now,
a 10-year
plan proposed
by the Indian government hopes to help in the conservation of birds and their
habitats in India.
The draft—visionary perspective
plan (2020-2030) for the conservation of avian diversity, their ecosystems,
habitats and landscapes in the country—was put in the public domain by the
ministry of environment, forest and climate change on Feb. 3, seeking comments
from all stakeholders.
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