Importance of conserving birds in Bhutan

Although, it is a century of rapid change in society, development in science and technology and in everyday life. It seemed that we became awfully miser and selfish towards safeguarding our forest from mining unreasonably high. At the cost of luxury, we became exceedingly ambitious and selfish of unrealistic commitments by mining our environment inaccurately. These changes should not come at the cost of conceding our immediate environment –beyond repair for which there are millions of life.  

Indeed, human beings are the main cause who is seriously posing a threat to our environment day in and day out. Over the recent years, intensifying and expanding reckless horizon of agricultural work, unlawful farm road construction and cunning hydroelectricity expansion has further slackened bird's natural habitat, nesting place and food. Climate change, with impacts already obvious is yet another serious threat building up around recently.

The number and the variety of birds migration has declined over the years. Several bird species continue to migrate and visit relatively unreasonable altitude is perhaps another outlandish failure from Royal Government of Bhutan, indicating serious change in our ecosystem.  Previously, most migratory birds used to spread uniformly across reasonable altitudes. However, recently we have started to see more bird species visiting the uncommon places. At the same time few bird species, which have declined terribly to an alarmingly low have shown poor human character. In the west, they have already started to feel this brunt of losing more such bird species than ever over few years of time, indicating serious disturbances in nature and urbanization. According to bird records and database maintained by UWICE, several migratory birds –black necked crane, hoopoe, bee-eaters, swifts, cuckoos and white-bellied heron have not visited theirs normal habitats indicating very staid imbalance in nature. This drop of bird population are due to - recent global heating, hunting, lack of food, construction of roads, hydro-power hijacking and moody pollution.

Perhaps, it has left our bird enthusiasts and environment lovers –beyond the question, when common migratory birds within District have failed to turn up for nesting, for feeding and breeding. Since, the places have seriously injured with unkind human planning that has left bird lover far away from reaching their bird destination.

According to International Bird Database showed that within few years of time, 2 – 3% of bird species have already crossed red-line boundary. Which means within few years an extinction rate has multiplied in many folds. The world records of bird’s database read, “one in eight bird species is threatened with global extinction exceptionally at high rate to almost 200 bird's species critically endangered. Plus, the Red List Assessment has warned that serious decline in many bird species over the years in the row is a serious concern and needed immediate national and international intervention.”

Honestly, we live in a small compact society and everything is still manageable. All we need is a committed mind to execute the plan more accurately and prudently. Unless we have a tight policy, we can never experience healthy environment and friendly ecosystem.

It is time that we must come together and make a proper decision and act wisely right from the base. Bhutan's forest coverage, ecology and conservation of some critically endangered bird species would result in top human management system in place for all times. In fact, we are already ahead of other advanced countries in knowledge of bird habitats and conservation. Therefore, it is our responsibility to make sure that the birds need to survive and multiply in a pristine and clean undisturbed environment with less threat. Let our individual social duty be their Red Carpet opportunity. It is time we must stand firm and let go some political gluttonous promises unnoticed.   

To let the population of bird decline would be a national shame. Safe wildlife to safe Bhutan's Outstanding Environmental Stewardship Award.