Mao and the sparrows would like a word.
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/mao-and-the-sparrows-70a3CxGXTlipwF9YxYHSUQ
Answer
Mao Zedong’s campaign against sparrows in China during the late 1950s had devastating ecological and human consequences:
In 1958, as part of the Great Leap Forward, Mao launched the Four Pests Campaign targeting rats, flies, mosquitoes, and sparrows.
Sparrows were targeted because Mao believed they ate grain seeds, harming crop yields.
The campaign mobilized millions of Chinese citizens to eradicate sparrows through various means, including destroying nests and making loud noises to exhaust the birds.
This resulted in the deaths of hundreds of millions of sparrows across China.
However, the campaign backfired severely. Sparrows also ate insects, and their elimination led to a boom in locust populations.
Without sparrows as natural predators, locusts swarmed across China, devouring crops.
This ecological imbalance, combined with other factors like drought and failed agricultural policies, contributed significantly to the Great Chinese Famine of 1959-1961.
Estimates of the death toll from the famine range from 15 million to as high as 45 or even 78 million people.
In 1960, Mao ended the campaign against sparrows, but it was too late to prevent the ecological disaster and resulting famine.
This episode exemplifies how Mao’s policies, driven by a philosophy of “Man Must Conquer Nature” and disregard for scientific principles, led to catastrophic environmental and human consequences.
The sparrow campaign serves as a stark reminder of the potential for human-induced ecological disasters and the importance of respecting natural ecosystems.