World Sparrow Day: Conservation of the House Sparrow is a cause that is ongoing.
The House Sparrow was among the most commonly found among human habitat. The bird is supposed to have evolved with humans and known to have lived among human beings in close contact with us, instead of in forests. However, the population of the house sparrow has seen a sharp decline in almost every city in the last two decades, according to WWF India or World Wide Fund for Nature.
The World Sparrow Day was proposed to create awareness and conservation of the House Sparrow. In 2012, then Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit launched a campaign called "Rise of Sparrows" aimed at
conservation of the House Sparrow among other birds. The House Sparrow was also declared as the 'state bird' by the then Delhi Government in the hope that by naming the House Sparrow the 'state bird', it would help in its conservation.
World Sparrow Day, according to Nature Forever Society, an organisation that works for conservation of the House Sparrows, has a broader vision to provide a platform where people who are working on the conservation of the House Sparrow and other common birds can network, collaborate and exchange conservation ideas which will lead to better science and improved results. The organisation also conducted a number of awareness campaigns through the month to spread the message of the conservation of the House Sparrow.
In 2015, personalities like Akhilesh Yadav, the then chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and actor Amitabh Bachchan had joined the cause in creating awareness about the House Sparrow.
Six years after the Delhi government declared the House Sparrow the 'state bird', the World Sparrow Day could be a reminder of how the House Sparrow lived among us and that the need for conservation of the House Sparrow is ongoing.