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PROJECT : EAST HIMALAYA
BIRDING PROGRAMME
(Project undertaken by :
Association for Conservation & Tourism)
India: Birding North Bengal &
Sikkim (6 - 24 November 2003)
Second phase
The first phase of the project has been undertaken by the members of the
advisory board and experts supported by Help Tourism, and it has been
established that the Kanchenjunga region could be developed into an
International Birding Destination. There are three important birding
villages which have been earmarked and we need to do a series of workshops
in these villages to develop awareness about the birds found there and to
train local birding guides. Garumara National Park in Dooars,the foothills,
Lava and Rishyap in the Kalimpong subdivision of Darjeeling Hills and
Pelling and Pemayangtse in West Sikkim. Combined workshops of seven days
each has to be organized in these villages followed by a fifteen days guide
training program for every village. Experts from different parts of the
country and abroad with experience in bird watching tours have to be invited
to share their knowledge with the villages. Training manuals and awareness
materials have to be prepared in local language. Later more villages in the
region will have to be roped in where community tourism has initiated and
proper bird surveys have been done. The process has to continue till all
important birding villages have been covered.
Third Phase
In the third and final phase of the project it is necessary to prepare
campaign materials to lure bird watchers from all over the world. Without
bird watching tourists, the rich bird diversity of the region will have very
less value to the local community and will hardly fetch any co-operation for
conservation of this biodiversity hotspot.Initially, there is a need to
launch a detailed website and at the same time publish a tourist friendly
bird guide highlighting the community tourism initiatives and the rich bird
diversity of the Kanchenjunga region. Next there is a need to market the
birding tours of this region at the right places to attract birdwatchers to
this region. The August 2004 International Bird Fair at Rutland, UK is an
immediate launching ground. The co-ordinator of the project who is a bird
watching expert along with the vice president of the association who is
knowledgeable about the region and the community tourism initiatives have to
attend such fairs and expos.The National Birdwatching Event combining local
and national support for international bird conservation. Rutland On Line
Ltd Birding Tour Operators have to be invited to this region on
familiarization tour and an yearly birding festival has to be organized with
the support of national and international level nature & conservation NGOs
have to be organized.
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