UP eyes Guinness with bird-watching activity

AGRA: With an eye on a world record and an entry into Guinness, Uttar Pradesh government on the eve of state's second International Bird Festival, carried out a bird-watching activity at 452 locations across UP in which over 36,000 people participated and spotted more than 1.9 lakh birds.
The second edition of the UP Bird Festival is being organised at Chambal safari Lodge in Bah, 80 km from Agra, between December 2 and 4.Around 45 international foreign bird-watchers from 26 countries and 100 Indian experts are participating in it.In 2015, the state government entered Limca Book of Records with 21,282 birdwatchers counting 2,39,625 heads of 3,060 birds species.
UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav is expected to participate in the event on Saturday wherein the government will sign MoUs with inter national organisations for conservation and preservation of wildlife in the state. One such MoU will be with Travel Operators for Tigers, an international campaign supporting responsible tourism as a way to save the tiger.
RP Singh, advisor, UP forest department, said Chambal, which was notorious for bandits until a few decades ago, has emerged as a hub of ecotourism in the region. The bird festival has given much-needed exposure to UP's eco-tourism with more birdwatchers and foreign tourists showing interest in visiting this area.
Bikram Grewal, ornithologist, author, birdwatcher and conservationist from Delhi, appreciated the initiative, but said the efforts on the ground to conserve birds and wildlife are still lacking. “MoUs are fine as they can provide you technical expertise, but the onus of saving flora and fauna solely lies on the government.“