I have been reluctant to post about banding, because it seems to be a
subject about which people have either black or white opinions, and not
being a fanatic either way I have, when I have made a posting or two, tried
to present my views obliquely.
However I couldn't help but notice a strong similarity with the case of bird
and egg collecting earlier this century (as discussed by Libby Robin in her
recent 'The Flight of the Emu'). In this case the debate was between those
who stood by bird and egg collecting as a largely unregulated practice and
those who opposed it as cruel and unnecessary. The supporters of bird and
egg collecting argued that those who opposed it were:
1. sentimental
2. unscientific
3. unwilling to recognise the value of the information gained by these
practices
They also maintained that bird and egg collecting should be allowed to
continue indefinitely as a continuous source of ornithological information.
And yet 70-80 years later we find that bird and egg collecting is a very
highly regulated activity, and only a few ornithologists are permitted to
practise them, in a very few circumstances.
I suspect that this is what will happen with bird banding; we will recognise
the genuine information that has been gained from it, and move on, and that
in future the hobbyist element will be completely removed from banding. I
hope so, anyway.
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John Leonard (Dr)
http://users.bigpond.com/john.leonard
PO Box 243, Woden, ACT 2606, Australia
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