Thrust on conservation and awareness offers hope for return of the sparrows

MYSURU

There is still hope for the return of the diminutive sparrow or ‘’gubacchi’’ which has all but disappeared from the urban landscape.

The sporadic conservation efforts to bring back the sparrows are bearing fruit though in a limited manner.

In Mysuru, Jeev Daya Jain Charitable (JDJC) Trust and People For Animals (PFA) conducted an awareness programme on Sunday ahead of the World Sparrow Day which is held on March 20.

The objective was to create public awareness and create conditions conducive for the return of the sparrows at individual or household levels and make a difference. Kokila Jain of JDJC, who is also an advisor to the PFA, said sparrows have an important ecological role and have co-existed with humans since time immemorial and it was only in the last few decades that they were pushed back.

However, wherever interventions were made in the original habitat where the sparrows used to thrive earlier, they have returned for which there is perceptible evidence, said Ms. Jain. Small things like ensuring their safety and provision of food and water resulted in a significant improvement in the sparrow population at the Devaraja Market, she added.

Encouraged by the results, the JDJC and PFA distributed bird feeders and also conducted a workshop on how to make a bird feeder. This will enable more and more people to get involved and help in the return of the sparrows, Ms. Kokila Jain added

Deputy Mayor G. Roopa said awareness holds the key for ensuring the return and the conservation of sparrows whose population have declined due to pollution and urbanisation.