Dr Sahar Malik
FROM Central Asian countries and Siberia every year in winters, when temperature falls beyond certain limits, millions of birds migrate toward other parts of the world in search of food and shelter. By using Indus Flyway route many of these migratory birds travel 4500km and show their abundance in some areas of Pakistan. According to rough estimates it is observed that one million migratory birds visit Pakistan every year.
Majorly species of Houbara busterds, Gees, Cranes, Wader, Teals, Pintals and Pelicans visit Pakistan every year. In Pakistan, these birds occupy important sites like Tanda Dam Kohat, Mangla Dam (AJK), Haleji Lack and Keenjhar Lake Thatta, Badeen, Nanger parker and Coastal areas of Karachi. These migratory birds stay in Pakistan from November to February and then fly back to their homes. But Climate change in the last few decades adversely affected these historic migratory practices. In Pakistan the number of migratory birds has decreased from 1.7 million in 1992 to less than one million in recent times. Migratory birds have changed their routes from Pakistan.
Climate change is also altering the timing of reproductive cycles of fishes and plants in Pakistan. As a result when these migratory birds arrived in Pakistan, fishes are too small and plants have not produced seeds yet. So there is a shortage of food, which is not a welcoming sign for these birds. Haleji Lake in Thatta district of Sindh, is a fresh water lake that hosts number of migratory birds. Previously 200 species of migratory birds were arriving in Haleji lake but in recent years only 70 species are seen. Reason behind this decrease in migratory birds is climate change and less moon soon rains. Anthropogenic activities like pollution of water bodies and deforestation around these water reservoirs worsen the conditions for migratory birds.
Many migratory bird including cranes and eagles use these areas for their breading. Due to chemical pollutants in water the eggs of these birds are damaging and results in decrease in overall population of these birds. As a result of these changing many birds species has been extinct and most of them are near to extinct. If we do not take measures to stop or reverse the climate changes, many birds species will extinct soon. Protection of these innocent birds is necessary, not only for these birds, but for ourselves. Government should adopt a long-term policy to save these migratory birds.
—Haleema Zeenat is co-author.
