Bird conservation gets wings in State

An MoU signed between the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) is set to give a fillip to the conservation of migratory birds which are found in large numbers along the coastal wetlands of the State.

BNHS is the country’s premier bird conservation society with an overreaching mission to conserve migratory birds with special emphasis on Central Asian Flyway. The MoU includes bird monitoring, management of habitats and training of forest personnel.

Chief Wildlife Warden and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, D. Nalini Mohan and Director, BNHS, signed an MoU on the sidelines of Conference of Parties (CoP) on Migratory Species (CMS) held at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.

“The Forest Department has been working with premier institutes like Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore in conservation of birds at Pulicat in Nellore district and Telineelapuram in Srikakulum district. Our personnel will be trained in technology transfer like ringing of birds, which is globally recognised,” said Mr.Nalini Kumar.

The MoU will boost conservation of migratory birds, which over many years, have made the wetlands across the 950 km coastline of the state as their nesting places. Spot-billed pelicans, White Ibis, Open-billed storks, Night herons, Little coromont are some of the migratory birds that are present in Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary, Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary, Nellore, Uppalapadu in Guntur, to name a few wetlands.

Some of the unique conservation measures followed by the A.P. Forest Department have come in for praise at the CoP-CMS meet held recently. Union Minister for Forest, Environment, Prakash Javadekar, said that the art of peaceful co-existence and conservation measures at Kolleru is a role model for the rest of the country.

Some of the bird sanctuaries like Pulicat Lake have become popular ecotourism spots. The Flamingo Festival held in the first week of January at Nellore draws lakhs of tourists and bird lovers.