Befriend birds, save earth

With modest beginnings a year ago as an effort by a number of youths from Khalisha Belpukur village in Nilphamari's Saidpur upazila to protect wild birds, the voluntary organisation 'Setu Bondhon', with its slogan “Let's become the friends of birds and save this beautiful earth”, has since attracted widespread community support. In recognition of the success of the endeavour, Setu Bondhon has recently received the government's Bird Protection Award 2016.

“We launched our initiative with only ten members,” says Setu Bondhon's pioneer, college student Alamgir Hossain, “Now we have 110 members including students and farmers.”

It was Alamgir who first became concerned about the plight of wild birds having no suitable nesting sites, with the more suitable, older trees readily chopped for profit and foreign tree species planted to replace them that do not attract local species.

“Many bird species have disappeared,” note Setu Bondhon founding members Rashedul, Sirajul and Rifat, “though they are vital to the ecosystem and play an important role in agriculture by eating harmful insects.”

With 600 pitchers attached to trees as potential nesting sites for birds last year, the organisation has managed around 2,000 more pitchers this year, expanding activities to include three additional villages. It has helped that their activities have proven popular.

“I have set up twenty pitchers on my trees at my own expense,” says farmer Abdul Gofur, 55, of Belpukur. “As a result pest attacks on my crops have decreased significantly without the use of any pesticide.”

“Our students have become too curious to know about bird species,” says the headmaster of Khalisha High School, Fazlar Rahman. “They want to know about their characteristics and habitat. They're asking many questions to their teachers.”

To raise awareness, Setu Bondhon members have held up to seventy house yard meetings, distributed leaflets and hung signboards.

In recognition of their success, the forest and environment ministry chose Setu Bondhon for this year's community organisation bird protection award, which was presented in mid-November at a ceremony held at the divisional Shilpakala Academy premises in Rajshahi. Divisional commissioner Abdul Mannan presided over the ceremony.

In his speech presenting the award, chief forest conservator Younus Ali highly praised Setu Bondhon's efforts, calling them young heroes of Nilphamari for their wildlife protection efforts.

In the meantime many birds have chosen to settle in the terracotta nests, to raise their families.

They are of course blissfully unaware of the kindness shown to them thanks to the innovative youths of Setu Bondhon.