ENVIS Centre, Ministry of Environment & Forest, Govt. of India

Printed Date: Friday, March 29, 2024

Latest News

Archive

APPEAL OF THE DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT FOR WORLD SPARROW DAY, MARCH 20, 2019

        World Sparrow Day is celebrated on March 20th, 2019. World Sparrow Day is a day designated to raise awareness of the House Sparrow and other common birds to urban environments, and of threats to their populations. It is an international initiative by the Nature Forever Society of India in collaboration with the Eco-Sys Action Foundation (France) and numerous other national and international organizations across the world.
                                               
            The idea was to earmark a day for the House Sparrow to convey the message of conservation of the House Sparrow and other common birds and also mark a day of celebration to appreciate the beauty of the common biodiversity which is taken so much for granted. The first World Sparrow Day was celebrated in 2010 in different parts of the world.
 
            The House Sparrow is strongly associated with human habitations, and can live in urban or rural settings, though found in widely varied habitats and climates; it typically avoids extensive woodlands, grasslands, and deserts away from human development. Because of its numbers, ubiquity and association with human settlements, the sparrow is culturally prominent.
 
            Sparrows are now rapidly declining. The major infrastructural changes are one of the main reasons for the decline, along with the infrastructure; the lifestyle of people has also changed. Earlier, the sparrows would commonly get grains to survive on it. But as people shifted to high rises, replacing the tree cover in the cities, the sparrows too shifted, but sadly towards extinction. Human activities and expansion are a major reason; the birds have shifted out from the cities. Sparrows have been included in the IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.
 
            Sparrows are probably the most commonly seen bird everywhere, but the situation isn't so anymore. Therefore, on this day, I urge every people to conserve the birds and it is marked to raise awareness about these birds. Let’s do our best to bring back our best backyard friend.
 
 
                                                                                                                                                   Director of Environment