N. Raghuraman’s Column – Saving ‘Fueling Stations’ Will Also Save Food for Humans

N. Raghuraman Management Guru

Most of us cannot walk more than 5 km at a time. Still, we look at those who run the 42 km marathon with awe. But they also cannot run without the fueling stations built every 5 kilometers, although no rules compel them to stay there. Organizers create these stations because runners lose a lot of water and sodium through sweat. They need 60-90 grams of carbohydrates (gels, sports drinks or fruits) every hour, so that they do not completely lose energy.

Fluid stations prevent cardiovascular strain and overheating, while electrolyte drinks help retain water and prevent severe cramping. Now can anyone imagine traveling more than 30 thousand kilometers every year? Arctic terns do this. Technically they don’t walk, they fly. He is known as ‘Champion of Migration’. These birds weigh a little more than 100 grams, yet they migrate from the North to the South Pole every year. Arctic terns make a round trip of 90 thousand km annually.

However they also stop for fishing and rest. The record for the longest non-stop flight is held by the Bar-tailed Godwit bird (Limosa lapponica), which in October 2022 covered a distance of 13560 km from Alaska to Tasmania in 11 days without landing. How do they do this? Migratory birds do not get tired like humans, because they have developed extraordinary fuel systems. Their weight increases by 50–100% before flight. They burn fat instead of carbohydrates, which provides more than double the energy per gram.

To keep the weight down, non-essential organs are shortened and to fly easily they take the help of rising hot air currents. Still they need fueling stations, which nature has provided in abundance. When they stop for re-fuelling, they do great things for the betterment of the human species. They act as agricultural protection agents and reduce the use of chemical pesticides by eating millions of insects every day.

By eating crop-eating beetles and caterpillars, they save farmers from potential losses worth lakhs of rupees. I was reminded of his service to humanity when I read that the Gujarat Forest Department was installing high-powered solar floodlights in the Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary stretching from Ahmedabad to Surendranagar district. This step taken with the intention of banning hunting has increased the concern of conservationists and ornithologists. They fear that artificial lights will affect the behavior of birds and migratory species will move away from there.

Experts claim that this will disturb their feeding patterns, increase stress, cause problems in identifying directions and reduce the quality of their habitats. Forest officials think the lights will help keep an eye on illegal activities, but the glare of the lights on the water will disturb birds, conservationists say. Many species may leave the century and never return. Instead of lighting the wetlands, the authorities should increase the staff and night patrolling.

Songbirds also migrate in flocks at night to avoid predators, so this light can confuse them too. Bird migration is not just a biological wonder, but also an important part of the global cycle of eco-system renewal. Without it, global biodiversity will be destroyed. Consider the songbird with tiger stripes, which weighs no more than 13 grams but travels 8000 km.

In return it gets to eat something even ardent nature lovers dislike – insects, which would otherwise eat our crops. Birds are in crisis around the world. Insect numbers are also declining from the Amazon Basin to the Arctic Tundra. This has left very few places for these birds to find rest, food and nesting sites.

The point is that if If we want to secure food supply for the growing human population, we need to save and create more fueling stations (i.e. forests and wetlands) for migratory birds so that they can eat insects and keep our ecosystem (food) safe.

Make Dainik Bhaskar your favorite source on Google ➔