The centre, for which officials are working on a project report, is to come up in the Agama Reserve Forest in the Tindivanam Forest Division, and will also have a visitor area, a bird interpretation centre, bird models and an avian treatment centre. officials said
The centre, for which officials are working on a project report, is to come up in the Agama Reserve Forest in the Tindivanam Forest Division, and will also have a visitor area, a bird interpretation centre, bird models and an avian treatment centre. officials said
Villupuram Forest Division is working on a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for setting up a state-of-the-art Bird Conservation Center in Agraram Reserve Forest near Kaliveli Bird Sanctuary under Tindivanam Forest Division.
Official sources said the government had sanctioned ₹1 crore under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) scheme for setting up the centre.
An initial project proposal was submitted to the forest department after which the division was directed to work on a complete project with more components. A request for proposal was called, and the division is now working on a larger project.
According to District Forest Officer Sumesh Soman, two eminent consultants have been selected to prepare the DPR. The proposed Ornithological Conservation Center will be set up in the Agram Reserve Forest located near the Kaliveli Bird Sanctuary near Markanam. The proposed center will consist of a visitor area and an administrative area.
“The visitors’ area will include an augmented reality projected tunnel-shaped entrance wall and a bird interpretation center influenced by AR technology. The facility will also be equipped with bird models based on their habitat and environment in the Kaliveli Bird Sanctuary.”
major wetlands
Situated close to Marakkanam on the East Coast Road, Kaliveli Lake, spread over a catchment area of 670 sq km, is one of the major wetlands on the Coromandel Coast after Pulicat Lake.
The lake is connected to the Bay of Bengal by the Uppukalli creek and the Edianthittu estuary and is visited by migratory birds for nesting on the Central Asian Flyway. The southern part of the wetland has been a reserve land since 2001.
According to a 2004 assessment by the Indian Bird Conservation Network and BirdLife International, Kaliveli supports over 20,000 birds every year. The lake is a pasture for long-distance migrants from the cold subarctic regions of Central Asia and Siberia, including black-tailed godwits, Eurasian curlew, white stork, ruff and dunlin.
Mr Soman said that the center will help in creating awareness on the importance of migratory birds, their development and conservation. The facility will also include physical models or projections of birds’ beaks, feet, and nests of different types of birds and the migratory fly routes of different species of birds, including digital depictions of their country of origin and staging of flight routes.
Nature Trails for Enthusiasts
The Forest Division also plans to set up a library complex within the center with reference books and pamphlets on migratory bird species to help students and the public develop a better understanding of nature.
Nature trails are also planned for school children and nature enthusiasts on unique topics such as mudflats, mangrove areas, wetlands, tropical dry evergreen forest areas and invasive species.
The facility will also include an avian treatment center with an observation area. The plan is to treat the birds based on the nature of their injury and the risks involved and facilitate their safe release to their habitats.