Birds as Indicators of Active Restoration in the Western Ghats

Abstract

The birds present in an area help in the up-grading the normal biodiversity. They portray the regular environmental factors of that particular area. They have always been considered as natural indicators of environmental change. They help in seed scattering, which aids in the germination of new trees that assist us with looking into the botanical variety of a specific region. Assuming we change the infertile grounds into forested regions by establishing trees, the birds are the initial ones to arrive at and occupy the area. The animals, especially the birds, are threatened by the changing environmental conditions. Moreover, they are the initial ones to get impacted. The birds select their habitats depending on their size, how they build their homes, and food propensities. Due to land use by humans, the habitat occupied by birds is subjected to fragmentation. The bird populations start getting isolated. In these isolated populations, many genetic changes take place that changes the wild gene pool into something different. This review paper deals with how effective birds are as indicators of restoration and the need to conserve the biodiversity of the Western Ghats.