In a country of more than one billion people, protecting critically endangered species isn’t always a top priority when it comes to making a living and growing enough food.

    In the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, though, a court has halted construction of a major water canal to save one of the world’s rarest birds.

    Only about 50 Jerdon’s coursers (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus) are believed to be left in the wild and are found in scrub-jungle habitat in the Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary, which the Andhra Pradesh government created to protect the remaining birds.

     The Teluga Ganga Canal, being built to bring water to Chennai, India’s fourth-largest city, will now be diverted around the sanctuary, rather than running straight through as originally planned. The Supreme Court halted construction because of the threat to the birds and local authorities will compensate local villagers for the loss of extra land.

   Dr Panchapakesan Jeganathan, a scientist at the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), said: “This bird is more threatened than the tiger and very few people have ever seen it.

   “People thought the Jerdon’s courser was a block to progress but are now benefiting from the canal’s realignment because their compensation is generous and the only land they are losing is difficult to farm,” he said.

    Officials have agreed in principle to buy 3,000 acres of scrub forest between the new canal route and the sanctuary. The state’s forest department will manage that land to protect and enlarge the bird’s habitat.

      The BNHS and Britain’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which both pressed the Supreme Court to order a halt to the canal, have also been involved in survey work to determine the bird’s true range. 

    “It is crucial we find other sites hosting Jerdon’s coursers and encourage both politicians and the people living nearby to support that work,” said Ian Barber, RSPB’s Asia officer.

    With many species being driven towards extinction by human activities, perhaps the world needs to see more examples such as this Indian bird?

   (Picture credit: Simon Wootton, RSPB)

Kenyan blogger Juliana Rotich is the editor of Green Global Voices, which monitors citizen media in the developing world, and will be a regular contributor to these pages. ReutersThomson is not responsible for the content — the views are the author’s alone. We welcome her first blog:

Environmental bloggers and activists around the world are increasingly using web 2.0 tools to bring attention to issues ranging from deforestation, conservation and global warming. These are some of the innovative projects I have linked to recently as environment editor on Global Voices Online.

Blogs and video

The global network of Wildlife Direct blogs are a strong example of how to use multimedia in defense of endangered species. Their chairman, Richard Leakey, a conservationist, frequently records video clips from across Africa on his blog

The views of the younger generation on Wild Life Direct are exemplified by the postings on the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya blog. This mobile education unit visits schools in Kenya, recording videos of their conversations with children about the need for conservation and appreciation of the natural environment.

The Gorilla Protection blog uses the internet to provide environmental news from war torn Democratic Republic of Congo. They provide constant updates and photos from the rangers in Virunga National Park, who risk their lives daily to protect mountain gorillas from extinction.

Flickr

On photo-sharing website flickr, an environment photos group pools together images from over 960 members, creating a global visual treasure trove of pictures of flowers, animals, windmills and more.

The flickr photos of the organization Foko-Madagascar show the organization’s efforts plant trees and encourage a sustainable way of life in rural Madagascar.

Data mashups

Some of the most creative environmental activism online happens through “mashups”, where different sets of data are crossed to illustrate an environmental trend. Floodmaps, for instance, graphically illustrate on a Google world map what will happen if sea levels rise.

On Terrapass, travelers can easily calculate their CO2 emissions from airplane travel. The site gives advice on how to bring down your carbon footprint and balance it by purchasing “carbon offsets”.

Another mashup is Explore our Planet. It layers data from satellites over Google Maps to display information about the planet, such as annual CO2 emissions by region/country and tropical storms.

Mobile phones

There are many more examples of how activists are taking their issues to the internet frontlines. The mobile phone landscape is also growing fast. See for instance this experimental initiative by Ken Banks, the founder of Kiwanja.net and Frontline SMS. Ken developed a free downloadable game called Silver Backers. The game educates players about Gorilla conservation, and invites them to join and support the cause.