March 20: World Sparrow Day
The world sparrow day (WSD) is observed every year on March 20 to raise awareness of the house sparrow and other common birds in urban environments and threats to their populations. The rationale for celebrating the Day is to use it as a platform to underscore the need to conserve sparrows as well as the urban biodiversity.
Declining Population
The sparrow, especially the common house sparrow is one of the oldest companions of human beings. But its population is declining for various reasons such as destruction of its habitat, lack of insect food for the young and the increasing microwave pollution from mobile phone towers.
Background
WSD is an international initiative by the Nature Forever Society of India (NFSI) in collaboration with the Eco-Sys Action Foundation (France) and also numerous other national and international organisations across the world. The first WSD was organised in different parts of the world in 2010. In 2012, then Delhi Government had launched campaign called “Rise of Sparrows” aimed at conservation of House Sparrow among other birds. It was also declared as the ‘state bird’ by then Delhi for its conservation.
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Month: Current Affairs - March, 2018