Subject: pest bird species
Date: Jan 14 11:19:17 1999
From: Dale Goble - gobled at uidaho.edu



On Wed, 13 Jan 1999, Michele Herzberg wrote:

> Surely we need to look _honestly_ at the problem of pest bird species using
> a large field of view, giving due consideration to the root causes of the
> problems and how we help to perpetuate them. Sparrows, starlings,
> squirrels, rats and cats etc. etc. are "successful" species (like us...)
> doing what comes naturally where human activity nurtures their
> proliferation.
>
> I'm also from England, and throughout Europe and on this continent I've
> noted the harsh effects of human activity on wildlife, the associated
> blooming of pest birds/animals/plants, followed by ill-planned and usually
> ineffective scrambles to try to rectify or "manage" the resulting mess.
>
> It's good when we collectively accept responsibility for the role we all
> play in creating and exacerbating the problems, and, although it's _far_
> from simple, work to find positive ideas and solutions that address the
> underlying causes, as opposed to complaining and taking potshots at the
> "symptoms."


I agree with much of what is said -- though I doubt that the author
would agree with the use of lethal measures to reduce some species. It
seems to me that the use of lethal measures to control populations of
intrusive species is an _honest_ approach: we are one source of the
problem and thus it is up to us to take steps to remedy the problem.
Althugh killing starlings may not be the only step to be taken, it is one
reasonable response.

Dale Goble
Moscow