The trouble with glass buildings

According to scientists, greater improvements could be accomplished by promoting bird-safety criteria for use in China's construction sector.

In October, scholars from China and the United Kingdom published an article in the journal Science, calling for the expansion of green certifications for buildings to include features that mitigate bird collisions.

"Reducing the risk of bird collisions should be a key element of any city's sustainability vision, as it's one of the causes of biodiversity loss that is completely avoidable," said Terry Townshend, a British environmentalist who has been watching birds in Beijing for a decade and founded the Birding Beijing group for fellow enthusiasts.

For those concerned with the issue, the main question is how to raise awareness of the problem.

Li said the first step should be to gather enough data. So far, more than 130 individuals and 33 birding societies have reported bird collisions to her survey.

Data collected by volunteers－or citizen scientists－has several advantages over that gathered by professional researchers, including the amount of data and the speed of acquisition. Li noted that employing a network of volunteers has the added benefit of spreading knowledge about the topic.

Biodiversity protection in cities may require the joint efforts of wildlife workers, urban planners, architects and the general public, she said.

Xinhua