• News
  • Their daily rice...

Their daily rice...

Rice paddies are vital ecosystems, supporting diverse wildlife from primates and herons to freshwater prawns. Monkeys, driven from their habitats, seek food in rice fields, leading to conflict with farmers. Herons and other birds thrive in these wetlands, controlling pests, but face threats from habitat loss and contamination. Prawns also contribute to the ecosystem, aiding pest control and nutrient recycling.
Their daily rice...
.
● All primates love rice – from Sumatra to Sri Lanka, monkeys are often found around rice paddies , being omnivores that eat fruits, vegetables, some grains and seeds. Langurs also frequent rice fields, seeking sustenance and water. This irks farmers, becoming a human-animal conflict — few consider how humans, by relentlessly cutting down forest habitat , have forced monkeys into a world which is far from welcoming.●The glorious heron — which can grow upto 4 feet tall — is often found nestling near lush rice wetlands. These fishrich swamps are a great draw for birds ranging from ducks to egrets, plovers and cranes . These birds do humans a favour by consuming several pests that can spoil crops — today, many of these winged species face habitat loss as rice fields experience varying water levels, chemical contamination and ruinous exposure to saline seas.●While you might not automatically link the two, freshwater prawn , like Macrobrachium rosenbergii , are often found in rice paddies, at times, deliberately placed there. The crustacean finds nutrition among the weeds and insects . Putting it in fields means farmers can earn more and reduce chemical inputs, prawns controlling pests and helping nutrient recycling naturally Research: National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, BBC, Encyclopaedia Britannica.
End of Article
Follow Us On Social Media