14 DAY TRIAL // Dedicated environmentalists urge people to take immediate stand against plans to build a radar installation and a diesel power generation station on the island of Narcondam in the Andaman Sea.
What worries them is that this island is the only place in the world where a very rare bird species, known as the Narcondam Hornbill, can be found.
What is even more troubling is that, according to recent reports, only 300 such birds still live here nowadays.
Therefore, the Narcondam Hornbill successfully passes the endangered species test.
Seeing how for the time being the Narcondam island is virtually uninhabited – except for a small police outpost – it is safe to assume that the animals here are not used to having people around.
This means that the aforementioned project, filed for approval by the Indian Coast Guard, has every chance of significantly impacting on the wellbeing and stability of the ecosystems here.
More so as trees will probably have to be cut down to make room for the new “settlements” and to build linking roads.
Conservation India also explains that the island has only one drinking water source, so any efforts to accommodate humans in this part of the globe would result in too much pressure being put on Narcondam's natural equilibrium.
While representatives of the Indian Coast Guard wait for the Minister of State for Environment and Forests to make a decision, conservationist push for public support in order to fight back this initiative.
The good news is that, although said Minister has the final say in this matter, the project was already blocked by the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife.
Based on this precedent, perhaps the Narcondam Hornbill will not see its natural habitat destroyed by humans anytime soon, especially if green-heads around the world join the conservationists' efforts and express their disagreement.