Rwanda: Millions of Birds Are Killed By Man-Made Barriers

May 21, 2009

Focus Media (Kigali)

Timothy Kisambira

15 May 2009

Last Saturday, the world migratory bird day was celebrated, to draw attention to the fate of millions of birds who every winter escape the cold of the north for milder climes in the south. Yet, as this year's theme "Barrier to migration" shows, their journey is made increasingly difficult due to structures such as wind turbines, communication masts, tall buildings and power lines.

In Rwanda, a function took place at Kigali-Nyarutarama artificial lake, which attracts many bird species. Yet according to Irakiza Runyambo, a research assistant at the Association for Nature Conservation in Rwanda, their number is declining due to people encroaching on the lake and birds dying along the journey after collisions with man-made structures.

"People here don't still value birds," Runyambo said, "and therefore they keep on killing them."

He remarked that people started encroaching on the lake there were many birds coming from Europe and Asia. Moreover, he said that although migratory birds had always faced natural obstacles such as expanding deserts, seas or mountain ranges, they are increasingly confronted with man made barriers resulting in the deaths of many millions of birds worldwide every year.

"These structures do not only disturb the migratory movement of birds, but many bids also collide with them and die as a result," Runyambo explained.

Hundreds of thousands migratory birds, including many that are protected under international wildlife treaties such as the African-Eurasian migratory Water bird Agreement (AEWA) are killed by man-made barriers. Yet according to the executive secretary of AEWA, Bert Lenten, technical measures can be put in place for reducing those deaths but most of the time they are ignored.

"My strong hope is that the world migratory bird day will help raise awareness of these barriers and that action will be taken to reduce their impact," Lenten said.

The youth seem already won over. Eleven-year old Sylvia Umutoni said that she loved birds, and that she was very excited because she had just spotted an orange and black bird, called the common moorhen, which she had never seen before. Yet even more than the colors, she loves their song.

"When I hear these beautiful songs, I always think they must be glorifying God," Umutoni said.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200905190219.html