Conservation
“Living with Birds” – This is a promise that our entire team believes in fulfilling through their scientific investigations and conservation activities. It is so important that humankind live in a harmonious and mutually beneficial relationship with the avian species to ensure along-term survival of either species.
There are two big sets of issues that could have detrimental impacts on wildlife, including the avian species. The first set of issues are related to nature and the second set are related to human interventions.
Pathogen and parasite infections are major challenges that threaten the avian species regularly, but severity and impact of each outbreak can vary. Common parasites include mites, lice and ticks, whilst examples of well-known pathogens comprise of Salmonella, Psittacosis and Avian Influenza.1 Vaccines, medications and pest control measures have since been developed to help reduce the incidences or severity of outbreaks.
Although the Avian Science Institute is not directly involved in the creation of vaccines, cures or pest control, we are actively working on establishing more stringent guidelines to help partners and others in the industry, particularly with regard to the Avian flu. These guidelines are based on those already released by various regulatory bodies, except with more rigorous checks and stricter protocols.
Climate change also has a big impact on the natural environment and many people may get confused between the terms “weather” and “climate”, so what is the difference?
To put it simply, weather is a temporary condition that we may experience and could be due to seasonal changes. However, climate on the other hand refers to the weather conditions and patterns of a region over extended periods of time of approximately 30 years and more. 2 Climate change is greatly affected by human activities such as burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and overconsumption. 3
The institute and its partners have dedicated a great amount of resources and funding into studying the habitats of certain species of birds and setting up bird sanctuaries. The very first “Save the Birds!” campaign was organized in 1973 and since then there has been a fund set up for bird conservation activities. 4
Apart from the focus on birds, there are also educational activities and sanctuaries that have been established to create an awareness amongst the public about the importance of water and the natural ecosystems that revolve around water. 5
The survival and wellbeing of the planet, its ecosystems and also our future generations depend on the actions we take today. This is what keeps our team up at night as they strive hard to discover ways to ensure sustainability of the environment and the wildlife that we are blessed with.
References:
1 Common Bird Parasites & Diseases. Mass Audubon. https://www.massaudubon.org/learn/nature-wildlife/birds/common-bird-parasites-diseases. Published 2018. Accessed December 19, 2018.
2 NASA Climate Kids: What’s the Difference Between Weather and Climate?. Climatekids.nasa.gov. https://climatekids.nasa.gov/weather-climate/. Published 2018. Accessed December 19, 2018.
3 Climate change causes: A blanket around the Earth. Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. https://climate.nasa.gov/causes. Published 2018. Accessed December 19, 2018.
4 Suntory | Sustainability | CSR Initiatives | To Create Harmony with Nature: Environment | Preserving and Regenerating the Natural Environment | Bird Conservation Activities. Suntory.com. https://www.suntory.com/csr/activity/environment/eco/birds/. Published 2018. Accessed December 19, 2018.
5 Suntory | Sustainability | CSR Initiatives | To Create Harmony with Nature: Environment | Preserving and Regenerating the Natural Environment | Suntory Mizuiku -Education Program for Nature and Water. Suntory.com. https://www.suntory.com/csr/activity/environment/eco/education/. Published 2018. Accessed December 19, 2018.