BirdsConTour for a cleaner
bird habitat
2013
In 1960 researchers in New Zealand found plastic in the stomachs
of dead prions for the first time. By mid-1980 research showed that more than
90% of petrels and shearwaters off southern Africa contained plastic. The
accumulation of plastic in their stomachs reduces the effective stomach volume.
This influences the amount of food they have to consume. But also the toxins
and other compounds cause a problem.
Most litter, especially plastic, in coastal waters comes
from the main land. Because of the light weight and low density of most
plastics, water and wind carries them far from their source area, mainly from
land. What makes it even worse is that biological decay happens very slowly.
An entangled and dead
Sociable Weaver
Ropes being incorporated in the nest can cause
problems
It’s not just seabirds that face problems. Entanglement is
another big threat. Birds often get caught in litter, causing needless
suffering leading to slow death. Discarded fishing line, bags, ropes and bands,
basically anything with a loop, can cause problems. A lot of birds incorporate
litter in their nests, often entangling their chicks or even themselves.
If we continue pumping litter into the environment, we
support the death of many more birds and other wildlife. It is also important
to know that by far the majority of marine litter derives from land-based
sources.
Uncontrolled release of waste into the environment
(littering) is a big problem and education, recycling, reducing and re-using
will help solve the problem but will take some time.
Under these conditions, BirdsConTour takes the step of
collecting uncontrolled litter wherever and whenever possible to prevent wastes
from entering the life cycle of birds.
On the 11th of May 2013 the initiative “BirdsConTour for a cleaner bird habitat” was officially launched. To celebrate this happening, Stefan Rust, founder of BirdsConTour, bird conservation and tourism, together with members of a tour group, chose to clean the big Sociable Weaver nest in Okaukuejo rest camp in the Etosha National Park from ropes. Several birds already got entangled in the litter, which they found lying all over in the camp and incorporated in their nests. This nest is most probably Namibia’s most prominent nest. Many visitors have photographed it and spend some time observing the nest building activities of these busy little Sociable Weavers.
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