The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (KTWR), one of the popular wildlife conservation areas in the eastern Nepal is all set to declare its southern part as restricted area for bird hunting. "The management of the wildlife reserve had to take such decision to preserve protected species of birds including swans from the local hunters," said Gangaram Singh, a conservation officer at the reserve.

According to Singh, such announcement will be made during the fourth bird festival being held from 2 February 2004 at the reserve. "After the announcement, the visitors will be prohibited from doing any activity that harms the lifestyle of the birds," he added. Despite such efforts to preserve birds, locals claim that the reserve is not serious enough. According to locals, in number of cases they have registered complaint against the bird hunters, but the reserve has not initiated action against on any of those complaints.

Meanwhile, the fourth bird festival is being organized by the locals in support from private sectors including Aqua Mineral waters and the Nepal Tourism Board, along with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Reserves. "We would utilise this festival as a tool to create awareness among local peoples regarding the conservation of wildlife," said Sadanand Mandal, the co-ordinator of the festival organising committee. The festival would include several programs including food festival, tree plantation, bird counting, trekking, exhibition of local customs and cultural troops.

The program also includes inter-school quiz and art competition among others. Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is Nepal's first wetland enlisted in Ramsar Convention on Wetland that aims to halt the loss of wetlands and to conserve the wetland across the world through wise use and management.

The restricted area covers 8,000 bighas of land that runs from reserve's western border to the Koshi barrage. The area is a dwelling of several indigenous birds and a stopover of scores of species of traveling birds. According to the estimates, there are 469 species of birds in the reserve and of these species around 200 types of birds are found in the said restricted areas. The reserve covers 175 square kilometer area of three districts-Sunsari, Saptari and Udayapyur.

OTHER NEWS

• Everest Underground water in Terai full of arsenic: The underground water in Terai districts has been found rich with arsenic, according to a study carried out in 20 districts of Terai region. The World Health Organization has said water having arsenic more than 0.01 mg per liter to be hazardous to human health, whereas the underground water in Terai has been found having more than 0.05 mg per liter; it was said on the occasion.
  
  
• Immigration works make far-reaching impact on tourists: Senior government officials today asked the immigration officers to do justice to their profession when it comes to giving a good impression to tourists in Nepal. "Frontline immigration staffs are ambassador of the country and their behavior tells visitors how they will be behaved here," said Ananta Raj Pandey, Secretary of Ministry of Homes (MoH).
  
  
• Sustainable tourism underlined to cut poverty: Tourism experts, policy makers, and stakeholders recently stated that tourism not only has emerged as an income source to urban people, but also has been an equal employment opportunity to the people of outlying areas of the country. Speaking at a conference on Sustainable Tourism: Markets, Linkages and Learning organised here recently, the experts laid their emphasis on the development of sustainable tourism for the poverty alleviation.
  
  
• Two Chinese airlines to fly to capital: Two Chinese Airlines Companies - Air China and China Eastern Airlines - are preparing to operate regular flights from three major Chinese cities to Kathmandu from early next year. According to aviation officials, Air China has decided to fly from Chengdu to Kathmandu from March 2004, and China Eastern Airlines is preparing to operate from Beijing and Shanghai to Kathmandu from next year side.
  
  
• Competitive prices, better promos can lure Chinese tourists: At a time when the Nepali tourism entrepreneurs are expecting tourists from regional tourism markets, Chinese tour operators say Nepal can attract a good number of Chinese nationals, but only with better promotion and competitive prices. The Chinese government has approved Nepal as an outbound travel destination for its people, but just a few know about it, says Zhao Hui, Vice General Manager of Outbound Department of the China International Travel Service (CITS) Chinese Citizen Travel Service.