A recent study has warned that ten bird sanctuaries and
biodiversity areas across
India are under severe threat of being destroyed due to
unsustainable developmental practices. Among these sanctuaries, two are located in the state of
Maharashtra. The report, named "
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas: A Global Network for Conserving Nature and Benefiting People", was developed by the
Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) in association with
BirdLife International. A spokesperson for the BNHS pointed out that one part of the report titled "
IBAs in Danger" listed ten major bird areas in danger of being lost forever unless urgent restorative measurements would be launched to protect them. Some of these sites in danger include the village of
Basai in
Gurgaon district, the Flamingo City of
Gujarat's Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary, the
Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary in
Solapur,
Mumbai's Mahul-
Sewri Creek, Ranebennur Wildlife Sanctuary in
Karnataka's Haveri district, the island of Tillangchong in the
Nicobar Archipelago, and four in
Madhya Pradesh including
Sailana Kharmor Sanctuary in
Ratlam. Presented at the
World Parks Congress in
Sydney, the report indicated that the ten threatened IBAs contain
habitats like
forests,
grasslands, and
coastal and inland wetlands which are in the greatest danger of losing their important biodiversity. In addition, there are several other IBAs under pressure from different types of unsustainable practices. Apart from attracting and caring for different
species of birds, most of these IBAs give
ecosystem benefits such as
natural pest control if properly managed,
tourism potential, and
water supply for
drinking and
irrigation. The report also listed some of the biggest causes behind the loss of biodiversity and habitat in IBAs, which included destruction or turmoils because of
infrastructure developments,
extensive grazing of
livestock outside the limits of historic rural lands, and wrong anti-people
conservation policies. Other issues include random
agricultural expansion,
poaching,
industrial and sewage pollution, and accelerated
urbanization. Furthermore, 356 of the 12,000 IBAs in 122 countries are in similar danger even though half of them are lawfully protected.
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| Great Indian bustard |
It is extremely disturbing to see that some of India's IBAs are under a tremendous threat of human-made threats and unsustainable development. These areas not only provide accommodation for birds, but also provide ecosystem benefits such as tourism potential, natural pest control and water supply for drinking and irrigation. If these areas continue to be affected by unsustainable human practices, then people living in the
countryside would not receive ample water to conduct irrigation. In other words, the threats these IBAs are facing will not just destroy them but also impact the livelihood of farmers and other people living in the countryside. Furthermore, these IBAs would lose their potential as tourist attractions. This would tremendously affect the
economy and
socioeconomic growth of India and other countries where bird sanctuaries and biodiversity areas are facing similar situations. This is why it is extremely essential to undertake urgent restorative measures to ensure that IBAs and biodiversity areas in India and other countries will survive. Some species of birds like the
great Indian bustard is
critically endangered and one of its key strongholds, the Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary, is under a great deal of threat from unsustainable development practices. This sanctuary is one of several sanctuaries in India being used to help this magnificent bird rebound from the brink of extinction. If the Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary becomes destroyed, it would have an ominous impact on the conservation and recovery efforts being implemented save the bird. Therefore, the Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary and all other bird sanctuaries across India and other countries listed as being in tremendous danger of unsustainable development should be heavily protected by any means necessary.
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