The Central Government will soon develop the Doyang lake area in Nagaland as an eco-tourism spot for bird-watchers across the world.
Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar said this while inspecting the rare view of millions of Amur Falcons roosting at Doyang in Nagaland on Sunday morning. With his visit, the Union Minister also becomes the first Union Minister to visit Doyang lake in Nagaland.
“Today the world has recognised Pangti village in Nagaland as the world’s Amur Falcon capital, as more than one million birds can be seen in just 30 minutes. It is a very rare and exciting sight”, Javadekar said, adding that the place will be developed so that the bird-watchers and tourists from across the world can have a rare sight of Amur Falcons, which come to roost every year at Doyang during their flight from Mongolia to South Africa.
The Minister said the Centre and State would jointly take measures to promote infrastructure and eco-tourism in the entire Amur Falcon area. “This is community conservation, which must be applauded,” he said.
Two of the three Amur falcons tagged with satellite tracking chips last year returned to Doyang in Nagaland. The two falcons — named Naga and Pangti — tagged in 2013 have already done two rounds from Mongolia to South Africa via Nagaland and have again returned to Nagaland this year.
“The conservation of Amur falcon is a great success story for India, as it has happened with peoples’ participation. People, who were earlier killing the bird (Amur falcons), are now working for its conservation, thanks to proper motivation, training and mindset changes effected by various wildlife conservation bodies, activists and the Church,” he said while expressing satisfaction over the conservation efforts. The Minister hoped that with proper conservation methods, the birds will be attracted in larger numbers.
Weighing just 150 grams, Amur falcons, cover 5,600 kms, flying non-stop in five days from Mongolia, to arrive in Nagaland. They are also the longest travelling raptors in the world and come to Doyang every year in millions.
