By Quaid Najmi

Nashik (Maharashtra), Sep 2 (IANS) Hoping to promote bird-watching and nature awareness, city-based NGO Nature Forever Society (NFS) has asked people to donate items like binoculars, telescopes, fieldscopes, tripods, GPS systems and guide books which will then be given to eco-organisations facing a resource crunch.

"In India, bird-watching activities or an effective mass-based bird protection movement is hindered by the lack of such basic equipment, which is very expensive, and other information resources," NFS chief Mohammed Dilawar told IANS.

NGO Nature Forever Society (NFS) chief Mohammed Dilawar which has asked people to donate binoculars, telescopes, fieldscopes, tripods, GPS systems and guide books to be given to eco-organisations.

The donated items would be given to people and organisations facing a resource crunch to enable them carry out environmental awareness programmes, said Dilawar, who was named the Time magazine's Hero of Environment in 2008.

Optical equipment and guide books play an important role in conservation education projects.

While binoculars are available for Rs.2,500-Rs.100,000, telescopes and fieldscopes are priced between Rs.25,000 and Rs.200,000-plus, while guidebooks are in the range of Rs.1,000.

The optical equipment is heavily used and wears out very fast, making it practically unusable after one full field trip.

Dilawar, an internationally-acclaimed ornithologist and an expert on the common house sparrows, pointed out that small NGOs are doing well with little or no funding, and it is very difficult for them to purchase such expensive equipment or information resources.

He said the initiative, 'Second Hand Donation Binoculars Scheme', launched more than three years ago, was intended to help such organisations, schools, colleges and committed individuals to take up nature conservation.

Unfortunately, since then, NFS has received fewer than two dozen optical instruments, against the requirement of several hundred each month or thousands per annum, especially for places like Orissa and northeastern states.

"Now, we are renewing the appeal. During festival time, corporate houses do a lot of gifting and charities; we urge them to do something for the environment," Dilawar added.

After receiving the donated optical equipment and guide books, they are subjected to checks, cleaned and repaired and stored safely.

These are then lent or donated to individuals and organisations for specific field study projects across India, of which a detailed record is maintained.

Naturalist and exotic bird breeder Nigam Pandya said that good binoculars and field reference materials are a must for field trips.

"I have seen some educational bird-watching tours sharing a single binocular among 10 or even 20 students. By the time two-three of them manage to catch a glimpse of the bird, it flies off. The other members are forced to rely on the second-hand knowledge which can be very frustrating," Pandya said.

After the Time magazine recognition, Dilawar worked on celebrating the World House Sparrow Day (March 20), which was done on a mega-scale, getting a recognition in the Guinness World Records.

A total of 52,000 nesting boxes/feeders were distributed around the world in collaboration with a Dawoodi Bohra community charitable initiative.

Passionate about protecting house sparrows, he said these have served to draw attention to the plight of this once commonly seen but ignored bird species.

Dilawar said it was extremely heartening to hear people calling up and saying they were seeing more and more sparrows in their vicinity.

In Mumbai, where sparrows had virtually disappeared just two-three years ago, they are on a comeback trail and he attributes this to the nesting boxes and feeders installed by the people.

Sparrows have been on the decline worldwide due to non-availability of foodgrain due to the packed-food culture, lack of nesting places in urban areas and indiscriminate use of pesticides in rural areas, among others.

"Nature is amazing. We have not even scratched the surface in regard to our knowledge about it, but we have torn, ripped and blown away entire ecosystems of our planet. It's time we seriously start protecting it," Dilawar said to fellow environmentalists recently.

People and organisations interested in the 'Second Hand Donation Binoculars Scheme' can contact NFS at www.natureforever.org and e-mail info@natureforever.org.