European Bison are Needed in Spain to Fight Wildfires and Climate Change

A herd of European at a wildlife sanctuary in Czech Republic

The European bison is one of Europe's most iconic animals. Like its American counterpart, it was an important part of life for European people. This can be seen from cave paintings discovered throughout Eurasia. Just as the American bison was pushed close to extinction in the 19th century, the European bison suffered a similar fate in the early 20th century. This led to a series of captive breeding programs to revive its population and reintroduce the species in countries where it had disappeared. The majority of Europe's bison population is situated in Poland and Belarus. However, animals from those two countries have been introduced in other countries as an effort to repopulate the continent's bison numbers. One of those countries is Spain, where two herds were established in the last decade. Initially comprising of 22 animals in 2010, Spain's bison population now numbers just over 150.

A military police officer standing next to flames from a forest fire near Mazagon in southern Spain.

Upon their release in a 20-hectare oak forest in Spain, seven bison cleared the undergrowth. This not only helped open dense parts of the forest to allow light in and grass to grow, but can also prevent forest fires from spreading. Now, conservationists believe that the feeding behavior of European bison can help tackle climate change. This is because in Spain, over the last ten years, wildfires have ravaged roughly 741,000 hectares of forest. Among the factors that are propelling the rise in wildfires are increasing temperatures and decreasing rural populations. Since the 1950s, Spain saw a steady decline in its rural population as people gave up agricultural practice for better opportunities in urban areas. This resulted in many farms being abandoned and fewer flocks of sheep and herds of cattle to keep the scrub in check. In turn, the levels of wildfires increased with the abundance of scrubland. According to Fernando Moran, director of Spain's European Bison Conservation Center, bison can take the place of domestic livestock in controlling the scrub and therefore reverse the trend. He also stressed that politicians in and outside of Spain need to recognize the ability of the bison to recover Europe's ecosystem and change the law so that the animals are allowed to freely roam once again.

Prince Charles viewing bison at a reserve in Poland's Bialowieza Forest.

I cannot agree more than to have European bison reintroduced into Spain to tackle its wildfire issue. There are currently well over 150 bison in the country, but I don't think that would be enough to reverse the trend. I believe that an effective breeding program can help increase the local bison population. Moreover, there are 2,300 bison residing in Poland from where they can be translocated to Spain to increase their numbers to help control the wildfires. Even though the European bison has successfully returned from the brink of extinction, it is not recognized as an endangered species in Spain where it had been extinct for 10,000 years. I strongly urge Spain's politicians to acknowledge the bison as an endangered species and provide state funding for conservation schemes aimed at bringing it back to its former haunts. These animals are essential for the betterment of Spain's ecosystem and they can help reverse the wildfire trend that has long been devastating the environment and people's livelihoods. Similarly, other European countries where the bison has returned need to implement measurements to allow the species to roam freely again and allow it to restore their respective ecosystems.

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Harsh Punishments Should be Administered for Bustard Poaching!

A group of poachers and retired Major Tanveer Hussein Shah (in circle) with carcasses of two great Indian bustards killed in Cholistan Desert.

The great Indian bustard has suffered drastically in its homeland from threats such as poaching and habitat loss in the form of electric power lines resulting in collision-related mortalities. But now, this magnificent yet critically endangered bird has fallen prey in the hands of people in India's next-door neighbor: Pakistan. This comes from a recent shooting of two bustards by a group of poachers led by retired Pakistan Army Major Tanveer Hussein Shah in Cholistan Desert. The group had shot down the birds in a protected area of Cholistan game reserve in southern Punjab earlier this month. In addition to that, they also attacked wildlife officials who tried to stop them from hunting bustards and chinkaras (Indian gazelles). The incident sparked shock and outrage among wildlife activists in India's Rajasthan state. Harsh Vardhan, honorary secretary of the Tourism & Wildlife Society of India (TWSI), castigated the killing while expressing surprise that people in Pakistan continued to kill the bustards. He also indicated that the bustards crossed the border into Pakistan from Rajasthan making them easy target for poachers. The TWSI has sent a letter to the Pakistan High Commission requesting an investigation by the country's government and demanding severe punishment to the poachers. A Pakistani environmentalism group called Save the Wild has sought the mediation of Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in the issue, since the main offender is a retired officer. The group also requested General Bajwa to guarantee the survival of Cholistan's wildlife, so that the great Indian bustard is protected.

View of Rajasthan's Desert National Park, the last stronghold for the great Indian bustard.

I cannot express how shocking and horrendous it is to see how the great Indian bustard has been falling victim in the hands of people in Pakistan. But what really troubles me about this news is the location of where this incident happened. The Cholistan habitat was found to be an ideal place for the bustards since there had never been any presence of cattle in the area based on surveys by India's Project Bustard initiative. Even though India has been conducting captive-breeding of these birds with sixteen chicks now being reared in Desert National Park, the future of the great Indian bustard is still bleak. I strongly believe that stringent protective measurements need to be ensured for the survival of the bustard on both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border. Although found in India, some bustard populations migrate to Pakistan where the species had once disappeared. The amount of hunting pressure in Pakistan is high and there is no greater proof of it than this news. I highly urge the government of Pakistan to undertake strong measurements in protecting the great Indian bustard. This includes administering harsh punishments to military officials, visiting dignitaries, and anybody regardless of social status involved in killing of this bird and other wildlife. I would like to point out that Major Tanveer Hussein Shah and his accomplices attacked wildlife officials who tried to stop them. These men need to be made an example of to send a message to anyone, local or foreign, that killing of great Indian bustard is unacceptable.

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