Ganderbal, Feb 13: To raise awareness of bird and wetland preservation and likewise support an interest amongst young about birds and their environment, a 2 day Shallabugh bird celebration started here on Monday.
The Department of Wildlife Protection, (Wetlands Division, Kashmir) and the District Administration Ganderbal in joint cooperation with SKUAST-Kashmir and Kashmir Birdwatch is arranging the 2 days Shallabugh Bird celebration from 13 to 14 of February.
The Inaugural function of the celebration was held at the Conference Hall of Mini Secretariat Ganderbal where Shyambir Singh, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ganderbal was the primary visitor . The Shallabugh wetland was just recently contributed to the list of Ramsar websites by the federal government of India.
A Ramsar website is a wetland website designated to be of worldwide value under the Ramsar Convention, likewise called “The Convention on Wetlands”, an intergovernmental ecological treaty developed in 1971 by UNESCO, which entered force in 1975. It attends to nationwide action and worldwide cooperation relating to the preservation of wetlands.
Notably, Shallabugh wetland in Ganderbal is topped 16.0 square kilometers. The wetland is quick losing its shine and was yearning for attention. Encroachment, unabated contamination in the past and absence of preservation procedures had actually dramatically impacted the eco-system of the wetland.
Lakhs of migratory birds utilized to come to Shallabugh wetland from away locations like Siberia, Central Asia, Northern Europe, Ladakh, China and Central Asia. Over the years the variety of the migratory birds checking out the wetlands reduced dramatically.
While tossing the Shallabugh Fest-2023 open, the DC Ganderbal stressed out upon the requirement that such occasions require to be pursued on a continual basis. He praised the function of the civil societies, regional neighborhoods and the NGOs in the field of wetland preservation and attracted them to take active part in the preservation and remediation procedure of the Shallabugh Wetland Reserve.
In his address the chief visitor revealed his desire to render all the help and assistance in showcasing the special biodiversity of the wetland. He guaranteed the individuals that the very best of the wildlife professional photographers throughout the fest duration will be felicitated by the district administration.
Rashid Yahya Naqash, Regional Wildlife Warden, Kashmir Region, said that the objective to commemorate the Shallabugh bird celebration is to raise awareness of bird and wetland preservation and likewise support an interest in young wildlife lovers to learn and enjoy migratory/resident birds and their environment.
