Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday inaugurated the 3-day 4th National Chilika Birds Festival.
Speaking on the occasion, Naveen said Chilika, Asia’s largest brackish water lake, is a pilgrimage for over a million winged visitors of varied species. The event promises to add another dimension to Odisha as a soaring birding hub, he added.
The festival, jointly organised by Department of Tourism, Department of Forest, Environment and Climate Change and Chilika Development Authority, kicked off with a captivating photo exhibition. The exhibition showcased the pictures of renowned photographers including Shakti Nanda, Umakanta Biswal, Dhritiman Mukherjee and others.
The festival, which will continue upto January 29, witnessed participation of 52 selected birders from across the country.
Tourism Minister Aswini Kumar Patra said, “While the elusive wildlife in our forests evades our sights, Odisha can claim to be a birding hub, thanks to the efforts in wetland and bird conservation and special initiatives like the National Chilika Birds Festival. This year’s census has revealed a total count of 11.37 lakh birds of over 187 species.”
OTDC Chairman Lenin Mohanty appreciated Odisha Tourism for its handling of the tourism ecosystem through promotion and publicity. “Mangalajodi in Chilika is a trailblazing example of community-led conservation, establishing itself as an unmatched birding destination. From initiatives like removing encroachments to recent extensive census activities and promotional campaigns like the National Chilika Bird Festival, our collective goal is to position Odisha as the most sought-after birding hub in the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.
Additional Chief Secretary Surendra Kumar offered a perspective on the strategic commonalities between eco-conservation and tourism and reminisced on the history of the Chilika Bird Festival. The festival will have parallel events like the Bird Walks at Nandankanan and Ekamra Kanan and Lecture Walk, he said.
Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav, Director Tourism and Manoj Nair, Director Nandankanan & Chief Executive, Chilika Development Authority also spoke.
The State of India’s Birds poster and video were launched at the inaugural ceremony. The video encapsulated the scientific report that assesses the birds of India. This periodic assessment examines the geographic distribution, abundance trends, and conservation status of the majority of bird species commonly found in India. Around 13,000 bird watchers have contributed to the report.
The participants and delegates will undertake birding tours to Mangalajodi-Nalabana in next two days as part of the festival.
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