Third Nepal Bird Fair in Lumbini from Jan. 26

By Our Correspondent,Bhairahawa, Jan. 8: The third Nepal Bird Fair is set to be held in Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha.

The event aims to bring together national and international ornithologists, experts, bird watchers and organisations working in bird conservation on a single platform.

The Pokhara Bird Society is the organiser and Green Youth Lumbini co-organiser of the two-day fair.  Lumbini Sanskritik Municipality and the Nepal Tourism Board are the promoters of the fair that kicks off on January 26. It is being held in collaboration with Bird Conservation Nepal, the Lumbini Development Trust and Lumbini Buddhist University, the organisers said at a press conference in Lumbini on Tuesday. 

According to Manashanta Ghimire, coordinator of the Nepal Bird Fair Committee, and chair of the Pokhara Bird Society, the main objective of the event is to generate public awareness about bird species found in Nepal, biodiversity, and the conservation of key habitats such as wetlands and forests.

Ahead of the fair, awareness programmes on birds, their importance, habitats, threats and conservation needs will be conducted in 25 to 30 schools in the Lumbini area on January 21 and 22. In addition, 30 local nature guides from Lumbini will receive bird identification training on January 23 and 24.

Following the opening session, there will be a keynote presentation. The programme will also feature seven thematic bird symposiums, an eBird forum, a Bird Brain forum, an Asian Waterbird Census forum, a Sarus Crane forum and a Vulture forum. All these activities will be held on the Lumbini Buddhist University premises.

This year’s Sarus crane monitoring will be conducted in Lumbini farmland, while a bird race will take place on the Lumbini premises and nearby wetlands and agricultural areas.

During the fair, stalls on birds, their habitats, biodiversity and local products will be set up, along with exhibitions of bird photographs. 

These activities will be held at the Thai Visitor Centre under the Lumbini Development Trust and at the Little Buddha area. A business-to-business programme will also be organised.

The events will be supported by WWF Nepal, JSL Nepal, the National Trust for Nature Conservation, Himalayan Nature and Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge. Partner organisations include the Nepal Ornithologists’ Union, Birds Nepal, Biocos Nepal and Wildcare Nepal.

Bird experts, researchers, conservationists and biodiversity enthusiasts from across Nepal -- from Mechi in the east to Mahakali in the west -- are expected to attend the fair. 

Participants from India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, the Philippines, Singapore and Hong Kong, including conservation organisations and tour leaders, will also take part.

Organisers estimated that around 200 people will make presentations during the fair, while about 30,000 visitors are expected to attend.

Ornithologist Hutton Chaudhary said the programme will help participants learn bird identification and counting skills. Linking bird conservation with tourism, he added, can also contribute to tourism development.

Deepak Shrestha, member secretary of the Lumbini Development Trust, said the Trust would provide full support to ensure the success of the event. 

Kalpana Harijan, Acting Mayor of Lumbini Sanskritik Municipality, expressed confidence that the fair would help promote the wetland areas around Lumbini and contribute to bird conservation.