Decreasing migratory birds

The migratory birds have started arriving to the water bodies, beels, haors and major rivers in our country, especially in northern districts, from the Himalayan and Siberian regions at the beginning of this winter season. They eat insects and rodents which saves farmers money they would otherwise spend on pesticides and crop protection measures. By acting as natural controls, birds help regulate pests by reducing populations of potentially harmful insects such as caterpillars, weevils, cutworms, beetles and flies. Migratory birds perform an important role in ecological regulating services. They also have a vital role in seed dispersion and flower pollination. For example, grassland birds rely on grasses as their nesting habitat and help maintain grassland ecosystems, which are in turn considered highly valuable. By dispersing grassland seeds, these birds act as gardeners of these ecosystems.
During the winter a million of waterfowl gather in haors of northeast Bangladesh and storage guano which would help improve our soil fertility and be used as fish feed. Bird watching is a highly popular recreational activity and greatly contributes to the growing global eco-tourism, a billion dollar industry, which again makes migratory birds financially important for human beings.
However the concern is that the number of migratory birds continues to decline following adverse climate change impacts such as rise in the global temperature. The guest birds had been arriving in the country in a huge number even a decade ago. The average temperature has continued to rise in the Himalayan, Siberian, Nepal, Xinxian and Mongolian regions in recent years making those places almost habitable for birds even during the winters. As a result, the number of arriving migratory birds continues decreasing with possibilities of further decline in the future unless proper steps are taken by the global communities to stem the extent of degrading climate.
The guest birds are living now on small fishes, insects, small snails and watery plants after arriving from the colder regions. Reduction of water bodies and depletion of many species of sweet water fishes from the marshes are other causes for decline in the number of guest birds. The adverse climate change impacts have threatened bio-diversity, agriculture, ecology and environment, reducing the number of many species of fishes, insects, birds and some animals causing grave concern to the food of these birds. The duration of stay of the migratory birds shortens in the water bodies as those dry up much earlier than before.
Human beings are the greatest threat to migratory birds; man-made objects and structures such as buildings, power lines and wind turbines, are often barriers to their movement and make their journeys much more dangerous. Many migratory bird species are threatened by hunting and poaching in many parts of the world. Many human activities, including excessive land use, pollution as well as impacts of climate change now gravely threaten migratory bird populations. The loss of habitats due to pollution or exploitation caused by encroachment for settlement, agriculture, grazing etc. is the main threat the migrating birds face.
We should consider the consequences of our actions for migratory birds. Thinking about the importance of migratory birds for our culture, economy and environment we should feel that we have many genuine reasons to protect them. The authorities concerned must be strict in applying the prevailing laws to totally stop indiscriminate poaching and selling of the migratory birds to make their flight and stay safer here.
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