Nature Valley joins with BNHS to promote conservation of Pelicans

Mumbai, Jan 20 (UNI) Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bar, a brand of General Mills India, has joined hands with Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) to promote the cause of 'Conservation of Pelicans and their habitats.' The first step in this association will be to create awareness about the cause in the up-coming Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, 2007, a release issued here said.

The unique cause has motivated 100 employees of General Mills India to run in the Half Marathon early tomorrow morning. The employees are proud to show their support to the cause through their commitment to complete the Half Marathon tomorrow. The group will be running in creative attire and with banners to make their voice heard among the crowd.

The Bombay Natural History Society has been conserving nature through research, education and ongoing activities for the past 120 years.

One of the recent studies conducted by BNHS concentrated on the state of Pelicans in India. The Spot-billed Pelican is the most threatened of the seven Pelican species in the world. The population of Spot-billed Pelicans has dwindled to approximately 2000-2500 as estimated by Birdlife International in 2001.

Unknown to many, Pelicans help conserve wetlands ecosystems that are the source of life for hundreds of species of flora and fauna.

Shripad Kulkarni, Public Relations Officer at the BNHS, said ''Birds are often portrayed as magnificent beauties of nature, but only a few of us realize their vital role in nature. Pelicans for instance are usually featured as amazing fish hunters of wetlands.

They are also very good indicators of the health of a wetland.'' ''In spite of conservation efforts for Pelicans by the communities, the nesting and foraging grounds of these birds are under a multitude of increasing pressures of over-fishing, and destruction or disturbance to the nesting site.

This could result in further decline or extinction of species,'' he added.

UNI