Tags: Environment, Festivals and Fiestas, Zoos and Animal Sanctuaries
By Anna Valmero
DAVAO CITY, DAVAO DEL SUR—Birdwatchers, conservationists, ecotourism advocates and nature lovers from around the world will gather here on September 23 to 26 for the first Asian Bird Festival, in tandem with the 6th Philippine Bird Festival.
“The first-ever Asian birdwatcher’s festival is a celebration of the avian treasures in the region and how birdwatching as a hobby could help protect the environment. For this we expect over 6,000 local and international participants mostly composed of students because we want the event to educate them on the importance of taking care of the environment,” said Mike Lu, president of Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP),
The WBCP has been promoting sustainable environmental conservation through bird festivals (or birdfests) and birdwatching trips for the past five years.
Birdwatching, or the observation of birds in their natural habitats, is vital to raising awareness about the need to conserve the environment and the wildlife living on it, which act as “natural barometers” to signal the health of the environment.
“If an area has no bird anymore, chances are it is not sustainable for living because you have no forests or watersheds, which is also vital for human survival. Taking care of the environment is not the job of the government alone, each one of us has our part because we are all stakeholders of the environment because ultimately, our survival depends on it,” said Lu.
WBCP member Melanie Tan, who will serve as the logistics coordinator during the fair, noted that the launch of the 1st Asian Bird Fair in Davao City was attended by a lot of students and parents, signifying their high interest to learn about the country’s avian treasures.
Aside from the bird festival lectures and workshops at Waterfront Insular Hotel in Davao City, birdwatchers can join trips to Mount Kitanglad, Bukidnon; in Bislig, Surigao del Sur and one expedition to be arranged by PEF to see the Bukidnon woodcock, Mindanao scops owl, Philippine frogmouth, Apo mynah, Mindanao hornbill, and silvery kingfisher, among others.
Lu said the promotion of birdwatching in the country as an ecotourism product will put the Philippines as an emerging and top destination for birders, given that 600 resident and migratory bird species found in the country, of which 200 are endemic and about 56 are endangered.
Mindanao is home to 500 of the 612 bird species found in the country, including the Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), the country’s national bird which has been classified as endangered species by Filipino scientist Dr. Dioscoro Rabor in 1965.
Locally, WBCP is teaming up with the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF), which spearheads the conservation breeding program of the Philippine Eagle in Malagos district, at the foothills of Mount Apo, said Tatit Quiblat, communications officer of PEF, in a statement.
The PEF is responsible for producing eagle icon Pag-asa in 1992, Kabayan in 2004 and 20 other Philippine Eagles, including the 23rd eaglet that hatched on March under PEF’s breeding program.
The Asian birdfest was a result of discussions on November 22, 2009 during the 9th Thailand Birdwatching Fair in Samutprakarn. WBCP, together with the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand, Chinese Wild Bird Federation, Malaysian Nature Society, Nature Society of Singapore, Wild Bird Club of the Philippines and the Wild Bird Society of Taipei agreed to become founding organizers to establish an annual Asian Bird Fair.
Upon agreement with five other bird clubs in Asia, the annual Asian Birdfair is aimed to encourage collaboration and exchange of best practices among Asian bird clubs; highlight bird festivals, bird fairs and bird races in the region; and promote the host cities or countries eco-adventure activities, wild bird conservation and cultural heritage, said Lu.
Last year, WBCP held the 5th Philippine Bird Festival in Balanga City, Bataan.
Photos courtesy of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, Melanie Tan and the Philippine Eagle Foundation
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