How climate hurts the birds and bees

CLIMATE CONCERN: With the weather turning unpredictable, people need to re-look at the birds and the bees.

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New Delhi: How is climate change affecting the flowering patterns and breeding cycles in India?

“Bharatpur is best heronry in the world. This July 400 open bills storks built nests, paired, mated and in August, because of shortage of rainfall all nests were abandoned,” said Nikhil Devsas from Delhi Bird Club.

This is no freak incident. With the weather increasingly playing spoilsport in many parts of the country, it's the flora and fauna that seem to be bearing the brunt of the errant weather cock.

Last year, mango trees in Andhra Pradesh flowered three months early because of the rising heat.

A few years ago, bees in the Himalayas were impacted by similar erratic flowering patterns, leading to big drop in the honey supply.

Locals have also reported a marked decline in the population of sallows in Srinagar valley.

Infact, rising temperatures in the Capital have even resulted in the near disappearance of some species of birds.

“There has been an 80 per cent drop in numbers of Golden Oreole and Paradise Flycatcher in Delhi because of increasing temperatures. Weather has impacted not just birds, ladybirds, butterflies across the country and soon mammals will be next,” said a filmmaker with Wilderness Films India, Rupin Dang.

This is one species that's perhaps most vulnerable to climate change. With temperature and rainfall built into its lifecycle, any drop in rainfall disrupts its breeding pattern.

“Chennai frogs have all but disappeared from most parts of India. They live in microhabitats and rainfall decrease have wiped out entire species but a lot of it is because of large scale urbanization,” said the Director of Madras Crocodile Bank, Harry Andrews.

That's where the problem lies. With rapid development and urbanization noticeably hurting the ecosystem, there's little homegrown research to link the issue to climate change.

But with the weather gods increasingly turning unpredictable, people need to re-look at the birds and the bees.

(With inputs from Rohini Mohan)