Meet India's Sparrow Man Conservationist Mohammed Dilawar

Mohammed Dilawar, a name that has become synonymous with sparrow conservation, has done some phenomenal work in this field. He started sparrow conservation 10 years ago while he was teaching in a college, and the most common hurdle that he experienced in doing this kind was convincing people that it is a necessity. When he started on field, people didn't think that sparrows were of any conservation value, he says.

"I grew up in Nashik where flocks of vultures and sparrows were a common sight but their numbers were declining," says Dilawar. "Research reports released about 15 years ago indicated that the vultures were catastrophically declining and were close to extinction. This alarmed me, and I became determined to ensure that the sparrow doesn't meet the same fate as vultures."

Since then, there's been no looking back for Dilawar. He started conservation work by conducting awareness drives and encouraging people to set up bird houses. After a decade, he set up Nature Forever Society (NFS), an NGO that has been doing commendable work. The NFS team initiated intense research to collect data on sparrows. Their research highlighted two major reasons for their declining numbers — habitat loss and food scarcity.

He elucidates, "Rapid urbanisation has lead to more buildings and newer and different kind of architecture in cities and small towns. Older buildings have cavity in their structures which is used by sparrows to nest and since newer buildings are matchbox-shaped, they don't leave any such space for the sparrows to nest in."

To understand the causes of the food scarcity for the birds, a keen observation in change in our lifestyle should be made. Till about a few decades ago, women folk would clean grains on balconies and on verandahs, where they would discard poor-quality grains. These grains were a major food source for these birds. The second major food source for these sparrows were the stray grains that spilled on the way while transporting grains in gunny bags and the ones that were also kept partially opened at local banya stores. But since foodgrains now come in packages or are kept in glass-fronted stores, these birds are left in the lurch. This is the scenario not only in the urban, but also in rural areas.

But there's a silver lining here. In order to conserve these little winged beings, Dilawar has rolled out several initiatives that may in the long run help the overall population of the birds. Apart from creating awareness, NFS has also introduced 'adopt a bird nest box' and 'hang a bird feeder' among various other initiatives. These initiatives stand out because it immediately gives the sparrows a long-term sustainable habitat and easy access to food.

What is also interesting is that these nest boxes are made from 100 per cent recycled wood. "These boxes are couriered across the country in eco-friendly packaging. In fact, even the paint colours used on these boxes are made from natural colours and are harmless to the birds," adds Dilawar.

The idea behind the conservation activities is to keep things simple to enable the common man to get involved. Hence, NFS propagates hanging bird feeders and nest boxes in the balcony/backyard and keeping a bowl of water in the balcony during summers.

Understanding the necessity to get national and international attention to receive support for conservation for sparrows, NFS lobbied for March 20 to be declared as World Sparrow Day. "Very few people may know this — After 2010, when India observed the first World Sparrow Day, the idea has caught on in 50 countries! Something that started in a few parts of India has now become a people's movement globally," says Dilawar.