I have a sociological explanation for the lack of birders in Australia.
The first part of it is that Australia is a very urbanised society,
not many people live outside urban areas and it's seen somehow as
unpatriotic to question land-use and to raise conservation issues
("green cost jobs" &c). (Other people have commented on this).
My theory, however, goes on to say that in Britain birdwatching
started in the early C20 as a middle-class movement alongside similar
welfare movements such as the RSPCA. The middle-classes wanted to
distinguish themselves from the gun-toting upper-classes, and yet
still have the trapping of upper-class interest in 'the land'. So they
became binocular-toting conservationists and bird-watchers.
In the United States the middle-class wanted to distinguish themselves
from the gun-toting working-classes, and so became binocular-toting
conservationists and bird-watchers.
In Australia there wasn't such a gun-culture to oppose (and travel to
and from bird-watching locations is more difficult), and so
bird-watching has not developed to such an extent.
--
John Leonard
Canberra
Australia
www.jleonard.net
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