A day for sparrows

BANGALORE: City-based green home builder Biodiversity Conservation India Ltd (BCIL) is organising an International Conference on sparrows at St. Joseph’s College on March 20, the International day for Sparrows. Sandalwood actress Ramya is expected to take part in the event.Speaking at a press meet today, Dinesh C S of the Biodiversity Conservation India Group, said, “The number of sparrows, which were abundant in Bangalore and its surrounding areas, has been decreasing over the last few years. Its typical nesting spaces like shrubs and bushes no longer exist in abundance.” He said, “Rapid urbanisation, excessive use of pesticides and no proper place for nesting has contributed to the decline of sparrows. Also, man-made threats such as rising numbers of mobile phone towers, pollution, noise and electric wires have made the sparrow’s survival all the more difficult and challenging.”Chandrasekhar Hariharan, executive chairman BCIL, Zed Habitats, said, “The main purpose of this conference is to ensure that people take an active initiative to promote urban diversity and not limit such actions to concerned environmentalists.”He also spoke about the importance of sparrow as an indicator of bio-diversity. “The sparrows are critical indicators of the air quality in city as well as the eco system. However the ‘Gubbi Guddu’ effort has started showing great results with more than hundred sparrows using the nests that were distributed last year.”