{"id":10992,"date":"2021-01-08T12:58:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-08T12:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eodishasamachar.com\/en\/?p=10992"},"modified":"2021-01-08T12:58:00","modified_gmt":"2021-01-08T12:58:00","slug":"3rd-national-chilika-bird-festival-takes-flight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eodishasamachar.com\/en\/2021\/01\/08\/3rd-national-chilika-bird-festival-takes-flight\/","title":{"rendered":"3rd National Chilika Bird Festival takes flight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tourism and Forest & Environment Departments also renew their understanding for collaborative development of ecotourism.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Bhubaneswar, Friday, 08 January 2021( Odisha Samachar )-:<\/strong>The 3rd<\/sup> National Chilika Bird Festival was today inaugurated by Shri. Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister, Odisha, who eloquently described the destination as \u201ca pilgrimage for over a million winged visitors of varied species, which undertake flights to the mighty but calm Chilika Lake \u2013 Asia\u2019s largest brackish water lake.\u201d Shri. Patnaik applauded the efforts of Odisha Tourism and Ecotour Odisha for having organised the event \u201cwhich promises to add another feather in Odisha\u2019s hat \u2013 a soaring birding hub\u201d.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0The three-day programme witnessed the participation of 55 selected birders representing nine states \u2013 Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and West Bengal, besides Odisha.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Offering a gist of the focused conservation campaign by the government, Chief Secretary Shri. SK Mohapatra, IAS said, \u201cChilika\u2019sMangalajodi is a pioneering work in community-led conservation. It is an unparalleled birding destination. From protective actions like removing encroachments to the massive census exercise conducted a few days back, and promotional campaigns such as the Chilika Bird Festival \u2013 we jointly aspire to make Odisha \u2013 Chilika along with other niche destinations such as Satkosia, Bhitarkanika and Hirakud \u2013 the most sought after birding hub of Asia-Pacific region.<\/p>\n

\"\"I take great pride in conveying that this year\u2019s census has revealed a total count of 11.42 lakh birds across over 190 species<\/strong>. I also convey our sincere gratitude to the census teams for the phenomenal work.\u201d On the government\u2019s roadmap to expand ecotourism, Shri. Mohapatra informed of the plan to expand Ecotour Odisha\u2019s successful community-managed hospitality to over 100 camps in the coming years.<\/p>\n

OTDC Chairperson Smt. Shreemayee Mishra applauded Odisha Tourism for its stellar handling of the tourism ecosystem during the COVID-19 pandemic through protocol-compliant festivals and unmatched promotion and publicity. \u201cThe transformation of Puri and Lingaraj Temple precincts under the leadership of our Chief Minister have set the direction for all of us \u2013 to unitedly make Odisha\u2019s tourism and hospitality sector the most sought after.\u201d<\/p>\n

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PCCF and Chief Wildlife Warden, Odisha, Dr. HS Upadhyay, IFS said, \u201cAs we speak of safety, Chilika is also one of the safest havens for the endangered Irrawaddy Dolphins, which are flourishing here.\u201d Dr. Upadhyay offered a scientific insight into the natural processes which preserve the salinity of the lagoon, a central factor for the flourishing biodiversity.\u201cMore than 600 community members, mainly tribals are engaged in this vast social enterprise\u201d, he added to emphasise the community orientation of the conservation efforts, a factor which balances ecological and social sustainability.<\/p>\n

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Additional Chief Secretary, Forest & Environment, Smt. Mona Sharma, IAS offered a perspective on the strategic commonalities between eco-conservation and tourismand reminisced on the history of the Chilika Bird Festival. She beckoned the guest participants to play the vital role of ecotourism ambassadors of Odisha.<\/p>\n

In a concurrent development, the Tourism and Forest & Environment Departments of Govt. of Odisha renewed their Understanding, first signed in March 2017. The objective is to tap and promote the state\u2019s ecotourism potential \u2013 thus creating alternative employment opportunities for local community. The key aspects of the understanding are:<\/p>\n