By Tina Santos
Inquirer
Last updated 11:51 pm (Mla time) 08/28/2006
Published on Page A18 of the August 29, 2006 issue of the Philippine
Daily Inquirer
In a bid to raise awareness about the various winged species in the
country, enthusiasts and environment advocates will be staging the
2nd Bird Festival next month.
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| Opening
ceremonies of the 1st Philippine Bird Festival last year |
This time, the focus of the festival, which has the theme "Endemik:
Dito lang sa Pinas," will be on conserving the country's endemic
bird species, promoting bird watching as a hobby and the responsible
appreciation of nature, Wild Bird Club of the Philippines president
Michael Lu said.
“Through the festival, we want to educate the children, the
next generation of Filipinos, about the environment, especially about
Philippine birds,” he told Inquirer.
“There will be photo and art exhibits, films and lectures about
birdwatching, and many other activities for the kids and students,
like face-painting, shadow puppetry and storytelling,” Lu said.
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| WBCP
booth during the 1st Philippine Bird Festival in November
2005 |
He added that the two-day event, which will be held on Sept. 22 and
23, likewise hopes to promote public interest in conservation and
encourage the creation of more urban parks and green spaces.
“Birds are as important as any other species,” he said.
“They symbolize peace, hope and life. More importantly, they
are a reflection of how man treats his environment.”
“But sadly here, we don’t care about birds. Ask any Filipino
at random to name at least 10 birds and they can definitely not mention
anything beyond the maya and the pipit,” Lu said.
The Philippines is home to more than 570 species of birds, 180 of
which can only be found in the country, including the Philippine Pygmy
Woodpecker and the White-Eared Brown Dove which are present in a number
of parks and wooded areas in the heart of Metro Manila.
“These are the things we don’t know we’re missing,”
Lu said. “Nature has an entirely different way of entertaining
us.”
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