Aly Hyder Ali is on a quest to make cities more bird-friendly

As part of a series highlighting the work of young people in addressing the climate crisis, writer Patricia Lane interviews Aly Hyder Ali, who is trying to make cities friendlier places for birds.

Aly Hyder Ali

There are three billion fewer birds now in North America than there were 50 years ago. Aly Hyder Ali, 28, is helping reverse that trend.

Tell us about your work.

Birds face threats from cats, thoughtless urban and building design, reduced natural spaces, climate change, and pesticides. Saving birds starts with local action. As the urban nature organizer for Nature Canada, I support people in cities and communities to increase bird safety. Our work includes providing educational materials so people can get to know the birds in their own backyard, supporting safety for cats and birds, and helping communities assess their own bird friendliness and make improvement plans. We celebrate progress with our Bird Friendly City designation, which so far has been awarded to four cities in Canada.

What are some examples of actions that Canadians can take to protect birds?

Children can participate in science projects getting to know their local birds and what they need to thrive. Community science projects can count and identify species and publish results. Cities can reduce pesticide, plastic, and light pollution and educate their residents about window-collision prevention and the dangers of cats roaming at large. When municipalities develop climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, they can specifically account for bird protection and increase habitat protection.

What obstacles do you face?

Bird-watchers are often the most knowledgeable, but they are sometimes reluctant to advocate for change. Part of my work is to encourage them to share what they know. One of my own passions is enabling new Canadians to become interested and involved. If they can see their voices are valued, they are more likely to speak up.

How did you come to this work?

I was born in Karachi, Pakistan, so there was concrete everywhere in my early childhood. But somehow my parents fostered an appreciation of nature in me. My maternal grandparents' garden was my haven. When I was eight years old, they took me to Lahore to see the ruins of the Mughal emperors. I was struck by how they prioritized green space in their urban design. As the child of Ismaili Muslims, I was raised to be aware that we had to stand up for minorities, and my parents taught me nature is not there for us to conquer, but a place where we can live peacefully.

I began post-secondary education in the Algonquin College business program, but I knew after the first semester that I needed to be outside and transferred to a much more nature-based program at Fleming College. I concentrated on getting the education I needed to work in conservation. Now I have a great job, using all my skills, where I learn every day and get to meet people who share my values.

What worries you?

We might be too late. There has been so much biodiversity loss already and there is so much injustice to racialized and marginalized people. But we are expecting our first baby in mid-August, and I am determined that I will do everything in my power to make a better world. I sense a waking up across this country now. People are standing up.

Do you have advice for other young people?

Listen to your own voice. I found my path when I stopped worrying so much about what others expected of me.

What would you like to say to older people?

I would say what I say to myself when I meet a teenager. It is OK for me not to know everything. How can I support the younger ones? Older people who listen to youth make a big difference.