Working in the field of environmental conservation after pursuing my degree in environmental science, I would see my friends taking up different fields in science and wonder what I was getting into. My sole purpose was to make a difference, to create change, to save nature—but are we really making any difference?
After working in this field for two years, I often wonder if we’re changing anything or just standing still. Is there any progress? We’ve led many bird walks, nature trails, lectures, beach clean-ups, and conferences. Are we really getting through to the people who join our activities?
Then I noticed a change when my banker friend sent me a video of Glossy Ibis birds he saw on his way to work. He was excited—this same friend who used to say, “For us, birds are either small or big.” This made me think more, and I remembered other small wins: my architect and IT friends getting excited about seeing bioluminescence at night and wanting to know more about it; a child getting thrilled about seeing wading birds during a wetland bird trail; a college student telling me that cormorants look like “the Shah Rukh Khan of birds” (which I then explained); and schoolkids asking questions about local wetlands after a talk on World Wetlands Day. Even my family has changed with me, and there are so many small incidents I could list.
These moments show me we are making a difference. Our message is spreading through society, even if slowly—yes, it is happening.
So, dear environmentalists, birdwatchers, and conservationists, if anyone tells you that nobody cares about nature or that your work doesn’t matter, know that it truly does. Keep going; you’re doing great work. Still, I think we need to work harder on our awareness programmes and make them more interesting. I’ve seen good approaches from AERO, GBCN, WWF, and Mrugaya, which have been working hard on environmental and wildlife awareness and creating engaging materials for everyone. Their work needs support and can inspire other departments and projects with similar goals.
