Leh: The Union Territory of Ladakh has hosted its first-ever bird
festival for ensuring preservation of the fragile ecosystem and
promoting the diverse biodiversity of the region, officials said on
Friday. Ladakh houses nearly 350 species of birds identified by
various experts from time-to-time. The festival was organised on
Thursday as part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations by the
department of wildlife protection in Ladakh in collaboration with the
Secure Himalaya project, they said. While addressing a gathering here,
Chief Executive Councillor Tashi Gyalson, who was also the chief
guest, extended his gratitude to the department of wildlife protection
for conducting the festival.
He stressed the need for encouraging avifauna as part of the Indian
culture. Highlighting the importance of the festival, Gyalson stated
that it should be a reminder for all of us to work collectively in
preserving the fragile ecosystem and educate ourselves and promote the
diverse biodiversity of Ladakh.
Member of Parliament, Ladakh, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal congratulated
and said it was the moral responsibility of all Ladakhis to protect
the birds in the region, and assured that he would contribute to this
field as much as possible. As part of the festival, a photo exhibition
was held on birds found in Ladakh. The animated storybook ‘Tashi the
Explorer’ was also launched on the occasion. The inaugural session was
followed by a panel discussion on emerging threats to avifauna in
Ladakh, and the role of citizen science in bird monitoring and another
discussion on birds in the culture and history of Ladakh was also
held, the officials said.
