Bird Invasion: major concern in civil aviation
In almost every aspect of life, environmental management is a primary concern. The air transport sector and the CCAA in particular thus pay special attention on these issues, since air transport bas increasingly become the preferred means of transportation between différent parts of the globe.
The harmonious integration of an airport within the environment is an ideal objective which can be attained through a rational planification of the airport, the control of all forms of pollution and a planification of the utilisation of the environment in the neighbourhood of the airport. In effect, the CCAA on its part is addressing this issue so as to take out of it the elements required for its sustainable development in a bid to protect its airport environment. It is truc that the aviation industry is currently facing an environmental problem. Environmental parameters like bird invasion also have an impact on the civil aviation industry. It is worth noting that bird hazards remains a sensitive aspect to which the role of the CCAA appears to be primordial as exemplified in sections 9, 14 and 29 of the Decree N° 2003/2029/PM of 4th September 2005 on the prevention of bird hazards in airports, with emphasis on the domain of intervention of the CCAA, which is supposed to anticipate actions geared towards reinforcing airport safety.
Birds are found at airports for a variety of reasons. They are usually attracted by:
Airport vegetation which serve as food for a certain specie of birds. As grass is the common vegetation around the airport, vegetation management bas an important influence on food available to birds. Birds may also enter airport lands in order to feed on mice, moles, earth warms, insects, spiders as well as on berries, seeds or agricultural crops.
Airport land is often leased out for agricultural activities. Cultivation of airport lands also, (no matter the crop type), attract birds.
Refuse dumps that are close to the airport attract birds. It is advisable that dump sites be no closer than lOkm from airport zones. However, dumps which take only refuse such as building waste, with nothing to attract birds, does not constitute a hazard.
Surface water is attractive to birds and as such should appear as little as possible on airport zones.
Birds often seek shelter on airport property usually in hangars and in the nooks of other buildings. They also use the open spaces in airport property for safety. This gives them a clear view of their surroundings in ail directions.
Trees provide food, protection and nesting sites for birds and serve as look-out perches for predatory birds. Trees should be cut back to at least 150m from the runway or taxiway centre line. Thus, the prevalent species of tree or type of forest determine the kind of birds that are attracted to an airport.
Above all, it is difficult to remove all birds from airports. Every reasonable effort to do so may be crucial because any bird is a potential hazard.
However the bird population can be reduced by biological and biotechnical means, especially by habitat management on the airport. Thus, the presence of birds at the airport is an impending environmental hazard which is very detrimental to flight safety.
It is also difficult to establish which bird specie is a hazard to aircraft. However, one can count the number of species which are prescrit and prevalent. Birds species inhabiting the open landscape are a greater hazard to aircraft than species living mostly in woodland areas. Any bird, irrespective of the size bas the potential to cause major damage to an aircraft. The larger the bird, the greater the damage expected from a single strike. There is also a greater likelihood of a strike if there are a great number of birds of the saine specie. Birds that fly ai high altitudes are also a threat since their point of arrival or departure may be near the airport site. Therefore, birds which represent a greater threat to aircraft are large birds and flocking birds.
Birds have inadvertently become a serions threat to aircraft safety as strikes are more frequent and result in more serions impact. Thus, the control of birds around the airport should also be taken into consideration. Birds infested areas must be a cause for concern since it is a source of potential danger. Because of the risk or impact of birds to aircrafts, adequate measures have to be taken to overcome potential bird hazards. To prevent bird strike, the following plan of action is recommended:
Precise study of bird species and their inhabitats around each airport;
Carry out an environmental airport audit;
An inventory/survey of means to fight their existence.
In a bid to achieve the above, it will be necessary for the CCAA to adopt a strategy by putting in place sma11 organised services such as:
Creation of a commission to fight against pests;
Coordination of authorities or operators around the airport zone;
Sensitization and involvement of authorities of the local resident population.
Above all, to prevent bird strike, planned projects must be carefully reviewed to ensure that they are not attractive to birds during and after construction. Also, the determination of crop types and land-use practices are important for projects involving the leasing of airport lands for agricultural purposes. Crops and land uses attractive to birds should not be approved.
In a changing world order highly characterised by technological innovation, notably as concerns aviation environmental protection, it is worth while for the CCAA to seek technical assistance from other developed and well experienced authorities , in a bid to enable lier implement ICAO standards and recommended practices as well as its associated procedures in environmental protection.
NDUNGO Olive
