Protecting our birds: everyone’s task.

Let’s celebrate today the diversity and beauty of birds and make this a place where we coexist respectfully with our winged tenants, so that they can fly freely and continue to adorn our skies.

Every January 10th, nature and environment lovers and defenders join their voices to celebrate World Bird Day, a day of appreciation of these beings with whom we share a home on Earth and an opportune occasion to promote the implementation of actions and policies related to their protection and preservation.

From the small hummingbird that flutters among flowers in search of nectar, to the eagle that soars majestically in the sky, these enchanting animals remind us of the magnificence of life in all its forms and scenarios and the substantial role they play in the biodiversity of our planet, ensuring the robustness and functionality of the ecosystems that benefit from their presence.

However, in recent decades we have witnessed an alarming decline in their populations. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, more than 1,400 bird species are in danger of extinction and in this context, habitat loss, climate change, pollution, poaching and illegal trafficking top the list of factors causing this decline.

This initiative, promoted by BirdLife International, is an incentive to train and raise public awareness about birds, their lifestyles and the need to promote their safeguarding, disseminate the threats and conservation measures relevant to their survival and promote, as promoted by the European Union, the creation of Special Protection Areas for their protection.

In this area, reforestation projects have allowed the recovery of critical habitats and stricter laws against indiscriminate hunting, which are also helping to stabilize at-risk populations. Similarly, advances in monitoring technologies have allowed scientists to better track and understand the migratory patterns and ecological needs of various species, and with the creation of nature reserves and the materialization of educational programs and birdwatching enthusiast projects, it is a fact that every action, no matter how small, counts.

It is crucial that we recognize our responsibility, because much remains to be done to protect those to whom we owe the pollination, seed dispersal and pest control and other processes of utmost importance for the welfare of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems of our big house and, in this scenario, awareness and education of society are essential to motivate communities to join this noble cause.

Let us celebrate today the diversity and beauty of birds, let us commit ourselves to be their guardians and act for their protection, and let us make this a place where we coexist respectfully with our winged tenants, so that they may fly freely and continue to adorn our sky.

Written by Yadiel Barbón Salgado.