Poisoned proteas - silencing our birds
Birdlife SA
The concept of harvesting Protea flowers for sale overseas sounds like a
wonderful recipe for conserving our rich biodiversity, whilst creating jobs
and wealth. But perhaps the true price has been hidden, and the cost is
perhaps even greater than some intensive agriculture, because the damage
reaches far beyond the farms. An article in Africa Birds and Birding tells
how Cape Sugarbirds are killed with poisoned blooms to prevent superficial
scarring damage to flowers destined for export. And if the poison is killing
sugarbirds, it will kill sunbirds and any other pollinators such as insects.
Thus a large flower farm poisoning birds will act as a deadly vacuum,
attracting and killing mobile pollinators for kilometres around.
One illegal poison used to kill birds is monocrotophos, which kills
invertebrates and vertebrates very effectively. This was the poison of
choice to kill birds reportedly advised by a consultant recommended by the
Fynbos Research Unit at the Elsenburg College. And the advice was included with
a comment "to keep it quiet". An inspector of the Perishable Products
Control Board claimed that protea producers in the Eastern Cape used poison to
kill birds. How big is this problem? Perhaps thousands of hectares and tens (or
hundreds) of thousands of birds are poisoned every year?
Dr Aldo Berruti, Director of BirdLife South Africa said " We condemn
this
very short-sighted and cynical farming practice, which kills the pollinators
on which the surrounding fynbos depends". BirdLife South Africa, with 8000
members in 28 branches countrywide, is the Partner in South Africa of
BirdLife International, with 2.5 million members in 100 countries. Dr.
Berruti stated that the issue would be placed on the agenda for the World
Conference of BirdLife International to held in Durban in February 2004.
BirdLife South Africa urges the flower industry to immediately tackle the
problem by determining the extent of the practice and putting mitigation
measures into practice.
"We strongly urge the flower industry to clarify where it stands on
these
shocking allegations," said Dr Berruti. "BirdLife South Africa will
pursue
this issue". Anyone with information on the use of poison or other methods
to kill birds is asked to email information to info@birdlife.org.za.
Confidentiality will be guaranteed.
For a link to the full article from Africa Birds and Birding, enter here.
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