GRASSROOTS CONSERVATION IN THE DIGITAL AGE: A CASE STUDY ON COMMUNITY-BASED HOUSE SPARROW REVIVAL

The declining population of House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) in urban India signals an urgent ecological concern that calls for immediate grassroots action and public awareness.These small passerines,once a common sight in Indian homes, are now vanishing due to urbanization, loss of nesting habitats, pollution, and changing lifestyles.While largescale governmental interventions often focus on threatened megafauna, the role of community involvement in conserving more familiar and ecologically essential species like sparrows has not been extensively documented.This study explores a grassroots conservation initiative in select urban and semi-urban regions of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, where local residents took the lead in reviving sparrow populations. Through structured interviews, observational studies,and the analysis of digital campaign data,this research identifies key low-cost interventions such as nest box installation, feeding stations, urban greening, and school-based awareness programs. Furthermore, it investigates the strategic use of digital platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram in fostering participation, spreading ecological knowledge, and sustaining momentum. The results demonstrate a significant increase in both sparrow activity and community engagement.The success of these interventions highlights the power of collective local action when amplified by technology. The study concludes that community-led conservation,supported by digital tools, represents a scalable and sustainable model for biodiversity preservation in rapidly urbanizing societies.The findings offer actionable insights for policymakers, educators, and ecologists aiming to integrate grassroots environmental stewardship into broader conservation frameworks.