Udhampur (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], April 16 (HBTV): In a commendable effort to protect sparrows, 18-year-old Amrit Suryavanshi has launched the 'Save Birds Mission' on his farm in Lehnu, located in Tikri village of Udhampur district, Jammu and Kashmir.

As part of this initiative, Amrit has set up over 150 bird nests to provide a safe habitat for sparrows and other birds.

World Sparrow Day is observed annually on March 20. Coinciding with this day, the Dawoodi Bohra community also reaffirmed its commitment to environmental conservation with the relaunch of its Save Our Sparrows (SOS) campaign, aimed at addressing the alarming decline in sparrow populations.

This nationwide campaign, which began on March 6 and culminated on March 20, aimed to spread awareness about the need to protect sparrows—small yet ecologically significant birds.

The SOS campaign has achieved considerable impact, with volunteers distributing nearly 50,000 bird feeders across India. These feeders have been installed in schools, parks, households, and community centres, providing sparrows with accessible food sources, especially in urban areas where natural habitats are rapidly diminishing due to urbanisation and environmental degradation.

In Mumbai and nearby regions alone, more than 6,500 bird feeders were distributed among members of the community.

To strengthen the initiative, the Dawoodi Bohra community has also developed dedicated software to track the distribution of bird feeders. Each feeder is geotagged and assigned a unique ID, enabling the creation of a heat map to identify regions with lower sparrow populations and assess the effectiveness of the feeders in increasing their numbers.

The project is led by the Burhani Foundation in collaboration with Project RISE, the philanthropic arm of the Dawoodi Bohra community. It encourages individuals, particularly children, to connect with nature and understand the significance of ecological balance.

The SOS initiative has received a positive response, with many community members installing the bird feeders at their homes and educational institutions. While the target was to distribute 50,000 bird feeders by World Sparrow Day last month, the campaign is intended to continue throughout the year to ensure a lasting impact.(ANI)