Porbandar district collector Ashok Sharma on Saturday said that the administration wants the coastal district to become a major attraction for birdwatchers and to have a school of ornithology of its own.
He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of Bird Count Porbandar Wetlands, 2023, a bird census organised by the Bird Conservation Society of Gujarat (BCSG) in collaboration with the Gujarat Forest Department.
“As directed by PM Narendra Modi, every district is in the process of drafting a vision for 2047. Similarly, we are also drafting a vision document for Porbandar district. A major sector of the focus is tourism in general and eco-tourism in particular. Given the network of wetlands and diversity of birds it supports, Porbandar we envision this district becoming a major attraction for birdwatchers. To support this activity, we also plan on a school of ornithology,” stated Sharma.
The draft vision document has to be submitted to the Central government by August 15 this year also proposes to develop the district’s wetlands and get them international recognition as a Ramsar Site.
“Porbandar is a comparatively small district in terms of geographical area but has a 100-kilometre-long coastline. These wetlands support a vast species of migratory and native birds,” he added. Interestingly, Porbandar is known as the “flamingo town” thanks to large flocks of flamingos seen in the region.
Sharma also called for greater participation of local communities for conservation of these wetlands and to engage children in this activity.
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