Conservation Activists Explain Bird Strike Risk Press Strategy "

Illustration - A commercial aircraft belonging to one of the airlines passed over a number of pigeons at the public street lighting pole (PJU) in Gisik Cemandi Village, Sedati Sidoarjo District, East Java. PHOTO ANTARA

JAKARTA - Conservation activist from the Indonesian Bird agency Achmad Ridha Junaid said a mitigation strategy was needed to reduce the risk of bird strike or collision between aircraft and birds suspected of causing plane crashes in South Korea.

"Although the bid strike cannot be completely eliminated, systematic mitigation strategies can significantly reduce the risk. Airport managers play a major role in managing the environment to make it safer for flights and not attractive to birds," said Achmad Ridha Junaid in a statement received in Jakarta, Saturday.

He explained that the main strategy of bird strike mitigation can be done through good bird habitat management.

Ideally, he explained, airports are not built on land that is the habitat of birds and if they have been built, the area inside and around the airport can be managed by reducing the source of birds pulling, such as food, water, or certain vegetation.

To prevent the arrival of birds, the manager can maintain the cleanliness of the airport area and the height of the grass which is the main habitat for birds at the airport.

"In addition, the use of bird removal tools is also needed. Tools such as the sound of predators, lasers, or birds of prey are trained to keep birds away from the runway area," said Achmad.

The approach needs to be strengthened, he explained, with periodic monitoring and surveys of bird populations and information on local bird activity patterns being used to determine the time and location of the highest risk. Technological roles with radar and real-time detection systems are also needed to allow airports to detect the presence of birds in the airspace.

Collaboration with biologists is also needed to understand the specific behavior of bird species around airports so that mitigation strategies can be adjusted.

He gave an example of a collaboration between the manager of Soekarno Hatta International Airport and the Indonesian Bird in a study of the risk of a bird strike by identifying the blends of rice fields (Ardeola speciosa) and buffalo quantuls (Bubulcus ibis) as the two most risky species against the bird strike.

Padang and bush habitat management is carried out because this area is the main attraction for the two species.

In addition, airlines are advised to be proactive in dealing with the risk of wildlife, such as delaying takeoff or landing if they see birds on the runway.

"Bird strike is a reminder that humans and birds share the same space. As inhabitants of the earth, birds have an irreplaceable ecological role, including in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem. Therefore, mitigating the bird strike is not only a matter of aviation safety, but also involves efforts to ensure the sustainability of birds and their habitats," he said.

Previously, the Jeju Air plane crash in South Korea on December 29, 2024, killed 179 people with the initial suspicion caused by a bird strike, which caused the landing gear to fail and caused the plane to crash into the airport's concrete wall.