Delhi-based environmentalist Rakesh Khatri, Founder of the NGO Eco Roots, teaches children to make artificial nests for birds.
Deforestation and urbanisation often render birds homeless. As a solution for this, an environmentalist is teaching children to make artificial nests.
Delhi-based environmentalist Rakesh Khatri is the founder of an NGO called Eco Roots and he believes that artificial nests can help birds sustain themselves in cities.
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The NGO conducts workshops for children and experts teach participants how to build artificial nests for sparrows and other birds.
“The nests are made of eco-friendly material such as coconut fibre, jute thread, and bamboo sticks, and have so far attracted quite a number of birds seeking nesting space,” says Khatri.
A former businessman, Rakesh started working towards the cause of environment conservation over two decades ago after he realised how concrete jungles growing on the banks of Yamuna were affecting the environment.
“Almost all the trees on its banks had been cut for housing and other purposes. As a result, the habitat of house sparrow was lost and there was a danger of its extinction in Delhi area at that time,” he told The Times of India.
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Rakesh learned to make artificial nests and started placing them on balconies and roofs of the houses on both sides of the river. To his delight, birds started living in them and even laid eggs. The environmentalist, along with his wife, soon learned how to make nests for 40 different species of birds. His NGO was presented with an awarded for sparrow conservation by the House of Commons in London in 2013.
“Common man doesn’t realize the importance of conservation of species for sustainable development,” Khatri told TOI. He was speaking on the sidelines of the National Council for Science & Technology Communication (NCSTC) meeting held in Indore.
Under the aegis of NCSTC, the environmentalist is also running a water conservation campaign, which uses theatre to motivate people for the cause.
To know more about Eco Roots, visit their Facebook page here.
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