Should wetlands be drained to deter waterbirds?
Absolutely not. Apart from their extremely high conservation value, wetlands provide vital ecosystem services like flood control, water purification and nutrient recycling, and the livelihoods of many communities depend on them. Draining wetlands is not only environmentally disastrous, but also likely to be counterproductive — for the same reasons that culling would be more likely to spread the Avian Influenza virus than control it. Birds would seek alternative staging places on their migration routes, and wildfowl forced to fly further and endure more crowded conditions along their migration route would become stressed and exhausted, and more prone to infection.
Absolutely not. Apart from their extremely high conservation value, wetlands provide vital ecosystem services like flood control, water purification and nutrient recycling, and the livelihoods of many communities depend on them. Draining wetlands is not only environmentally disastrous, but also likely to be counterproductive for the same reasons that culling would be more likely to spread the H5N1 virus than control it. Birds would seek alternative staging places on their migration routes. Individuals forced to fly further and endure more crowded conditions along their migration route would become stressed and exhausted, and more prone to infection.
