Biodiversity underpins our
lives, but it is rapidly being eroded. Birds which are part of
biodiversity help us understand the natural world. Over the millennia, and across all cultures, birds
have given human beings inspiration, imagery and companionship. Nowadays, bird watching is a major economic
force in many places. Birds are an important source of food for many
communities, and the ecological services that birds provide to us are crucial
and irreplaceable.
Birds Embody Key Values in Human Cultures (Ancient
and Modern)
Some of our most enduring
cultural symbols are birds; they reflect many qualities that human beings admire
in them. Cranes, Parrots, Kingfishers, Doves, Sparrows, and others have played
a role in shaping the ideas and values of human societies. Birds of prey have
been particularly revered, for their speed, agility and hierarchical dominance.
Ancient gods such as’’ Horus’’ the Egyptian god of creation were often
manifested as birds of prey, while Eagles continue to be national symbols of
strength and power to the present day for some countries like Zambia. Beautiful
birds too, such as the Resplendent Quetzal in Central America, have commanded
awe and respect, and feathers have provided their wearers with status and
splendour down the ages. Today, birds are repeatedly used as logos (Jesus
Christ as divine wisdom), mascots (symbol of good luck) and images that express
vital qualities with which we wish to associate ourselves.
Put Life into the Arts
Given their activities, diurnal
habits, colours and songs, it is hardly surprising that birds feature so
strongly in the world’s painting, poetry and music industries. Italian painters
of the Renaissance used the Goldfinch as a religious symbol. Birds have played
a range of roles, symbolising amongst other things the lost innocence of Eden
and the great passions that nature locks inside us all. Poets have treated
birds in similar fashion, from the earliest surviving manuscripts in Chinese,
Persian and Latin down to the present life activities. Further, in music,
composers down the centuries have drawn inspiration from birdsongs. This is
because some composers have a belief that birds sing with the voice of God.
Bring Material Benefits by the
Millions in Number
A detailed history of the human exploitation of
birds is yet to be written, and the contribution birds have made to human
development remains largely unacknowledged. However, the debt we owe them is
immense. It is estimated that on any one day there are atleast some 25 billion
chickens alive on earth. Domesticated geese, Ducks, Guinea fowl, Turkeys and
Quail all make important contributions to human diets. In the past and still
today, wild birds and their eggs have also supplied huge amounts of food to human
communities. Sometimes this exploitation has been strictly regulated, but
mostly it is not, resulting in the extinction of some species. Sea and water
bird colonies supplied immense volumes of feathers for the fashion and bedding
industries. Seabird guano for fertiliser became so valuable to national
economies that it drove major colonial expansions in the nineteenth century. A
review of modern day usage reveals the huge extent to which we continue to use
wild birds for our own ends today.
Supply vital ecological and
social services
Among the vertebrates it is birds
that provide the greatest restraint on insect populations, though the role of
bats is also crucial. Many birds such as Pigeons, Hornbills and others are important as dispersers of seeds, others
like Hummingbirds and Sunbirds are key pollinators of plants, Vultures help in
disposal of corpses, while delivery of messages is done by the Pigeons. In the
wild, the twin occupations of bird watching and sport hunting are pursued by
millions worldwide, generating a major source of income in many areas.
Major Drivers of Science and
Human Self-knowledge
Birds have played a key role in many important
developments in the life sciences. Darwin’s groundbreaking idea, evolution
through natural selection, was inspired by Galápagos finches and shaped by the
contemplation of pigeon varieties. More immediately, the use of birds as
environmental monitors has many significant applications bearing on human
welfare. These range from documenting the reality of climate change and
tracking the deteriorating status of planetary biodiversity to determining the
presence and influence of pollutants in particular to aquatic and agricultural
ecosystems.
Share
with us your experiences, comments and recommendations. Send emails to wildlifemgtsociety@gmail.com OR
moyotrust88@yahoo.com
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