Bird watchers and ornithologists have expressed concern over the decline in the arrival of migratory birds over the past five decades to wetlands in the delta region and other parts of the State.
Speaking at a three-day programme on the occasion of the World Wetland Day 2021 at Point Calimere Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary, Nagapattinam district, organised by Tamil Nadu Forest Department and Biodiversity Conservation Foundation- India, S.Balachandran, Deputy Director, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), deplored drop in arrival of migratory birds. It had gone done by about 70% in the last five decades. It was a high time to carry out a comprehensive study to figure out the reasons. Their arrival could be gradually increased by implementing various strategies. First, the threats faced by these birds should be checked.
S. Ramasubramanian, Chief Conservator of Forests, Tiruchi, inaugurated the programme through video conference. S. Kalanithi, District Forest Officer, Nagapattinam district, delivered the keynote address.
V. Sai Saraswathi of Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, spoke on “Importance of Wetlands and their Ecosystem Services with respect to water”. She gave a detailed insight into the Ramsar Convention treaty and the criteria of announcing a wetland as Ramsar site and explained various ecosystem services provided by inland and coastal wetlands.
A. Kumaraguru, Conservation scientist and Honorary Wildlife Warden, Tamil Nadu Forest Department, presented a lecture about lack of a baseline database in the State on documenting various species found across protected areas. He said that field-level forest personnel should get updated on various scientific approaches used for documenting wildlife and highlighted in transferring the knowledge to the younger generation.
V. Kumaresan, Forest Range Officer, Vedaranyam and S. Satheesh Kumar, Forester, spoke.
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