Written by: Joseph Roy (Zoologist)
Recently I was thinking about the probability of me sitting at my home. The matter and energy formed 13.5 BYA. And the blue planet was formed 4.5 BYA. Sapiens had a ride of 2 lakh years and I am 23 years old. If any of these past events had a slight change, I wouldn’t have been here to write this. This world always fascinates me. I am from one of the most diverse part of the blue planet; ‘The Western Ghats’ which is designated as a world heritage site by UNESCO. I can find the three-year-old me who was always interested in the life around him. In my childhood I had a feather collection with at least 50 feathers with some funny names designated to them. I was always interested in watching natural history documentaries and Sir David Attenborough is my role model and always an Inspiration. After the twelfth class, no one with an above-average mark took Zoology at that time. So, most people around me told me not to follow my dream. But I took the magical decision to join the college for Bachelors in Zoology. And this decision changed my life.
The real magic happens during
the period of post-graduation, during my study period at the University of Kerala,
I was able to work as part of the Kerala Bird Atlas Project, it was a mega project which
was conducted to collect complete data of the avian fauna of Kerala. This project
helped me in gaining field experience and grew my interest in conservation
activities even more. As I was living in a city in those days and I was able to
observe the differences in the behaviours of birds in urban ecosystems. And, I
started to read more on the topic and decided to study the importance of
urban green patches in biodiversity. Habitat fragmentation
is occurring in an unpreceded manner, diversity loss and the rate of background
extinctions are on rising. Proper studies should be conducted about incorporating
biodiversity along with the developments and urbanization we are doing. My Master's project shared a similar topic
which dealt with an urban green patch and its importance in the urban ecosystem
(Avian diversity of Kerala University Campus and its Importance in Urban
Ecosystem.) I was able to make an observation of 93 species of birds which
include a significant number of forest birds too. Also, I was able to
understand that the land area and complexity of the campus ecosystem helped in
keeping the biodiversity intact. I was never expecting such a diversity from
the capital city of my state. Further, I am interested in studying the effects
of fragmentation on species and how they behave in isolation, effects of
isolation in migratory activities and also development of models for Human
wildlife coexistence. Isolation is one of the factors which plays a major role
in evolution. So, habitat fragmentation can lead evolution in a different path.
Currently I am working on a project ‘Effects of rapid Clearing of H.
brasiliensis plantations and its effect on avian diversity’ which I was
inspired by the rapid deforestation events occurring in my locality. This area
has large stretches of plantations; these are cut and replanted every decade. I
was already monitoring the bird diversity of my locality. Once, when a nearby
plantation was cut, I have found that some birds have migrated to the areas
near my house. So, I decided to study the effects of these massive cuttings in
the diversity of this place. This study is half way and need six more months to
complete.
Birds
are not only beautiful. But they act as excellent indicator species. If there
is the presence of a bird it shows the presence of supporting taxa like insects
and plants as well. This caught my
attention and I was once again fascinated. And I chose to study more about them
and use them in my studies.
I have been monitoring birds from a long time
now. I have experience in designing and conducting diversity studies
and knowledge of statistical analysis using PAST software. I have proficiency
in identification of birds by auditory and visual means. I am able to recognize
more than 100 birds by their calls. Also, I have been working with different sampling
techniques and have field experience of more than past four years. I have been
part of more than eight forest surveys and several other non-forest surveys. I
have been an Active birdwatcher and have recorded more than 175 species in (eBird). I was able to develop
experience and skills to work in extreme conditions during these studies and
this will be helpful in future.
Also, I am very much interested into wildlife photography (Gallery) and have created a documentary about the Biodiversity of my Postgraduation Campus. It was a 2-year long procedure, every mornings and evenings I was behind the camera shooting and observing the marvels of nature. Presentation of this documentary gave me an edge in the project viva also. Common man doesn’t find conservation to be important. From my observation, lack of proper awareness is the root cause behind this. In order to promote citizen science activities, I have founded an organisation named WWN (Walk with Nature). WWN basically aims in simplifying science and help everyone understand the concepts of conservation and sustainability. I truly believe that proper research and public outreach programmes can have a positive effect on conservation initiatives. I will work my best to deliver the results of my studies to the common mob and to make a change in their perception towards conservation. I have been participating actively in environment protection activities as well.
