Events of CSEC
Patna. January 8. On the occasion of National Bird Day, the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) of the Government of India sponsored a competition in the three categories of photography, sculpture-making, and drawing for school-going children today. It did so through its climate change-fighting EIACP unit, which is hosted by the Centre for Studies on Environment and Climate (CSEC) at the Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI) in Patna.
The event commenced with an interactive session by Drs. Mousumi Gupta and Sunil Gupta of EIACP-ADRI. Birds provide us with early warning signs of the impending consequences of the climate change crisis. We cannot afford to ignore such help in our fight against climate change. Therein lies the dire need to address the heightened threats faced by these winged sentinels by helping them adapt to a warming world. An optimistic development is the surging interest in birding and bird photography. Ornithology has become popular. This could help address the wide knowledge gaps that exist with respect to the deleterious effect of climate change on birds. One way out would be to establish a network of bird-ranging stations for their monitoring. The event drew attention to the tragic incidents of birds getting entangled and then strangled in flight by abrasive glass-coated Manja kite strings. This is a matter of utmost concern as birds help in controlling pests, pollination, and seed dispersal. Therefore, a public awareness campaign along with enforcement of bird-protective laws is the need of the hour.
Patna’s Kalamgaar Foundation also staged a play and presentation on bird conservation during the course of the event. Gulshan Patel, Mausam Bahaar, and Ms. Pooja Kumari of EIACP-ADRI played a key part in organizing this event. The venue of the competition was the Kilkari Bihar Bal Bhawan. Prizes were distributed to the winners. 105 participants took part in the event.