World Migratory Bird Day Event 2020 - Myanmar (BANCA)

Signboard installation in Mi lout village ©BANCA

Event title:
World Migratory Bird Day 2020 Event by BANCA in Myanmar

Organizer:
Biodiversity And Nature Conservation Association (BANCA)

Participants:

About 20 participants involved in outside activity of installing Ramsar awareness signboards in four villages of MonState and two villages of Bago Region

Outcome:

Public awareness has been raised by installing interpretive signs at key shore bird location, at the Ramsar extension area of Gulf of Mottama.
Celebrating the event via social media, the people could understand about the objectives of World Migratory Bird Day, importance of migratory birds and their habitats, migratory flyways, flyways network sites in Myanmar, importance of wetlands values and designation of Ramsar Ramsar sites in Myanmar.
By installing Ramsar awareness signboards of Gulf of Mottama, the local people and visitors who visit the Gulf of Mottama could understand the area wide conservation as Ramsar site and information about the importance of Ramsar site. Explanation of event’s activities with distributing of pamphlets to local people would be effective for enhancing to local people for the objectives of project.

Summary:

BANCA celebrated the Event of World Migratory Bird days 2020 by highlighting the site conservation for the conservation of migratory shore birds species at the Gulf of Mottama (Fouth Ramsar Site). There were two ways by dedicating the awareness raising of globally threatened species of Spoon-billed Sandpiper and other migratory shore bird species in social media and installing site conservation awareness signboard.

In the first way, BANCA celebrated World Migratory Bird Day 2020 Event via social media; Facebook. The objectives of WMBD 2020 Theme, Flyways, Flyway Network Sites in Myanmar, and importance of wetlands for migratory birds and designated Ramsar Sites in Myanmar were shared through BANCA’s Facebook Page to over 13,000 followers by using hashtags: #WMBD2020 #BANCAMyanmar #EAAFP.

Gulf of Mottama is the most dynamic estuary and one of the largest mudflat areas in the world. This site supports up to 150,000 migratory waterbirds in non-breeding season including the critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Calidris pygmeus) hosting more than half of the remaining global population. To safeguard of the ecosystem services of this site, the area of 42500 hectares in Bilin and Kyeikhto Townships of Mon State was designated as fourth Ramsar Site Myanmar in 2017. BANCA has been carried out the CEPA program and empowered local villagers who depended on hunting activities in these areas to make alternative livelihood and also formed them as local conservation groups (LCGs). BANCA has been closely working with Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation and local people for protecting this site and extending the areas of Gulf of Mottama Ramsar Site. After extensive consultations with different stakeholders, this site boundaries has extended to 161,030 hectares in Thaton and Paung Townships of Mon State and Kawa and Thanatpin Townships of Bago Region on February, 2020.

Secondary, a total of (6) Gulf of Mottama Ramsar awareness signboards were installed per guideline of Ramsar Convention to know the importance of wetlands conservation for migratory shore birds species and their values in six coastal villages along the Gulf: Kyeik Hto, Bilin, Thaton and Paung Townships in Mon State and Kawa and Thanatpin Townships in Mon State.

BANCA also distributed awareness pamphlets on the importance of protecting migratory birds and their habitats with the objective of this year theme of World Migratory Bird Day 2020 and protective masks with the printing design of World Migratory Bird Day to protect COVID-19 pandemic to villagers and also the members of local conservation groups. These could be promoted knowledge about the importance of protecting migratory birds and their wetland habitats along the Gulf of Mottama. The coronavirus outbreak had an impact on project implementation for installing signboards as Myanmar Government had notified to prevent this outbreak. The objectives of the event with detailed agenda have already informed to relevant Government agencies, village headers and villagers to ensure the smooth of project activities.

For more photographs, visit our Flickr album.

Ramsar awareness signboards in six coastal villages of Gulf of Mottama Ramsar Site (installed from 12th to 14th May)

No.	Village Name	Village Tract	Township	State/Region	Date
1	Ahlut	Khin tan	Paung	Mon State	12th May, 2020
2	Aung Kan Thar	Zeik ka ye	Thaton	Mon State	12th May, 2020
3	Mi lout	Mi lout	Kawa	Bago Region	13th May, 2020
4	Sittaung kyauk seik	Kyauk Seik	Kyeik hto	Mon State	13th May, 2020
5	Koe Tae Su	Win Ka	Bilin	Mon State	14th May, 2020
6	Phayar lay wine	Thanat tan	Thanat Pin	Bago Region	14th May, 2020