Tourism Secretary Sarmad Hafeez opened the first of its kind 2022 Bird Festival here today.
The Bird Festival is being organized by the J&K Tourism Department in collaboration with the Sanctuary Nature Foundation.
Addressing the large gathering of nature lovers and bird enthusiasts, Sarmad Hafeez said the department’s partnership with the Sanctuary Nature Foundation will not only help promote tourism here, but also highlight those aspects of the tourism sector that have not yet been developed. explored
The Secretary of Tourism further highlighted that the Kashmir valley is rich in Biodiversity and this festival will certainly play a key role in traversing this incredible Biodiversity and making it one of the favorite destinations for bird lovers and nature enthusiasts.
Sarmad Hafeez, addressing bird lovers in particular, asked them to make the most of this festival and assured them that the department will give them all possible assistance at each and every point as they explore the rich flora of the Kashmir Valley. .
The opening ceremony of the six-day Bird Festival was attended by a large number of nature enthusiasts and bird lovers from all over the country as well as Jammu and Kashmir.
As part of the inaugural function, a photo gallery exhibition, a painting session, the signing of the MoU and the unveiling of the logo were held at the Pahalgam Convention Center. Students from various schools in Pahalgam participated in the artwork and painting. They also enjoyed learning about the different species of birds.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry of Tourism and the Fundación Santuario de la Naturaleza. The bird festival logo was also unveiled in the presence of SNF team members, local school students, local stakeholders and various other aligned departments.
Later, aside from the inaugural function, the Secretary of Tourism also held a brief interaction with the media.
During the interaction, the Secretary of Tourism reported on the importance of this party. He also gave brief highlights of this six-day festival.
As part of the festival, a photo exhibition was held earlier this week at the Tourist Reception Center by the Department of Tourism with more than 300 school students in attendance. The exhibition featured rare and common bird species from Jammu and Kashmir.
Some of the birds that were represented at the exhibition included the tawny owl, ibisbill, Kashmir flycatcher, barn owl and Kalij pheasant. The students were curious and eager to learn about the birds, along with their Kashmiri names. A quiz contest was also organized, in which about 50 students participated.
The J&K Bird Festival, 2022 is the first of its kind to link local biodiversity with citizens by organizing activities such as bird run, nature photography, capacity building, painting, photo galleries and workshops.