Guwahati: Environmental groups and educational institutions in Dergaon and Hailakandi spearheaded parallel initiatives this week to protect bird habitats and promote avian biodiversity.
They observed Bird Nest Protection Day and organised a creative conservation competition to sensitise students about safeguarding birds and their ecosystems.In Dergaon, Chorai Bandhov (Birds’ Friend), a group of Bongaon Chola Higher Secondary School (BCHSS), observed the second Bird Nest Protection Day in association with Aashray, Dergaon, and Green Revolutionary Admirable Serene Society (GRASS), Bokakhat, at the school premises.
Organisers held the programme with the motto of ensuring food, shelter and safety for birds. The event featured a poster presentation on bird conservation, which Headmaster Girmallika Saikia, Chorai Bandhov director, and assistant teacher Amulya Tamuly moderated. As many as 16 schools from Golaghat district participated.
Environmental activist Apurba Ballav Goswami symbolically placed a bird nest on a tree to underscore the message of habitat protection. Atul Hazarika, president of the School Management and Development Committee, delivered the welcome address and inaugurated the poster presentation by students.
Participants also staged two plays and presented seminar papers on bird conservation.Retired teacher and writer Pabitra Barbara released Suryuday, edited by Sewali Phukan, during the event.Meanwhile, in Hailakandi, the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) of Srikishan Sarda College organised a ‘Feathered Friends Design Competition’ to promote innovative reuse of waste materials for bird welfare.
IQAC coordinator Dr Golab Chandra Nandi hosted the event, where students crafted handmade bird nests, birdhouses and water pots using discarded plastic bottles and other waste materials, reflecting the motto “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.” Principal Dr Ratan Kumar inaugurated the programme.A panel comprising Satananda Bhattacharjee, ecologist Dr Abhijit Mitra, Dr Debashish Guha Thakurata and Dr Yagneswar Deb evaluated the projects.
The organisers will install the eco-friendly models across the college campus as functional shelters for birds. The judges stressed the urgent need to create bird habitats in semi-urban landscapes.The twin initiatives highlight a growing grassroots commitment in Assam to protect avian life through awareness, creativity and community participation.