Environmentalists, birdwatchers, and people’s representatives have joined hands to protect blue-cheeked bee-eaters nesting at Thottappally in Alappuzha.
To prevent people from going near the nests, a temporary fence using sticks was erected around the nesting ground on Saturday.
Earlier, environmentalists and birdwatchers expressed serious concerns over the ongoing “indiscriminate” mineral sand-mining at the Thottappally estuary, which is close to where the migratory birds have created nests, and demanded action to protect the place.
Blue-cheeked bee-eaters started nesting at Thottappally in 2020. Their presence was first spotted by S. Vidhu. Later, environmentalists and birdwatchers chanced upon 35 nests and 70 birds. This year, however, less than 10 birds have come to Thottappally.
Apart from being a nesting ground for migratory birds, the Thottappally coast has long been one of the prime locations for egg-laying Olive Ridley turtles, which are legally protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
According to Green Roots Nature Conservation Forum, a conservation group based at Thottappally, ongoing mining activities might have prevented blue-cheeked bee-eaters from nesting in large numbers at Thottappally this time around.
The mineral sand-mining in the area was first started at the Thottappally harbour in the last decade. In 2020, the government extended mining to the nearby Thottappally estuary. According to the officials, the sand is being removed from the estuary to ensure smooth flow of floodwaters from Kuttanad into the sea. The local people who are not against dredging of the estuary and removal of sand in a limited way, however, are opposed to the transportation of the mineral-rich sand. They allege the government is engaged in large-scale mineral sand-mining in the name of flood mitigation.
“The mining activities are posing a major threat to the nesting of turtles and spelling doom for the ecology of the area,” says Saji Jayamohan, secretary, Green Roots Nature Conservation Forum.
