Tata Steel organises nest distribution programme at Noamundi for sparrow conservation

Noamundi, December 21, 2017: As part of Biodiversity Management Plan, the Ore Mines & Quarries (OMQ) at Tata Steel today organized the nest distribution programme at Noamundi on December 20, 2017.

Artificial nests were distributed to 25 volunteers who came forward for sparrow conservation. Artificial nest boxes are used for enhancement of house sparrows population. All the nest boxes used for conservation of birds are prepared based on scientific design and field data. It is felt that distribution of artificial wooden sparrow nest boxes among all the stakeholders will not only popularize the idea but will draw attention towards conservation of the species.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Sanjiv Paul, Vice President (Safety, Health & Sustainability), Tata Steel said: “We have taken several environmental initiatives for the conservation, preservation and restoration of biodiversity in our areas of operation. I am happy to see the involvement of employees in restoration of biodiversity in mining areas. I am sure that the programmes like this will encourage more people to volunteer for conservation of sparrows.”

With the help of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), OMQ Division has taken up an ambitious project of Niche Nesting at reclaimed mined out Pit Hill 1&2 of Noamundi Iron Mine. Around 130 nests of various sizes were installed at the site to attract local birds for nesting and to increase the local biodiversity linked to those birds. As an extension to the project, sparrow conservation has now been initiated to create awareness on enhancing biodiversity of house sparrows whose numbers have seen a fluctuating trend in the recent past. The common house sparrow is one of the most ubiquitous birds around and is one of the more familiar winged companions of human beings. The house sparrow is an ambassador to the common bird species. The hope is that the conservation of the house sparrow and its habitat will in turn help save much of the common biodiversity, which shares the habitat of the house sparrows.