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HomeLatest NewsMigratory bird watchers unable to visit Gulf of Martaban since 2021

Migratory bird watchers unable to visit Gulf of Martaban since 2021

Environmental conservation groups and bird lovers in Myanmar told DVB that the number of people visiting Mon State to birdwatch at the Gulf of Martaban in the Andaman Sea have declined due to the political instability and strict inspections at military road checkpoints since the Feb. 1, 2021 military coup,  

“We used to go out with groups by taking cameras and bird watching gear such as binoculars and lenses. But we will lose those expensive items if they are seized during the inspections. Also the military imposed restrictions like not allowing two men riding a motorcycle together, which is the only way for us to travel around those areas,” said a bird watcher from Yangon on the condition of anonymity. 

Migratory birds visit wetlands and inland regions of southern Myanmar from November to January. The Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association (BANCA), an environmental group founded in 2002, told DVB that between 150,000 to 200,000 species of water and migratory birds migrate annually through the Gulf of Martaban. 

“We are not able to travel there because you need to file a lot of paperwork and there are too many restrictions. Traveling to the sea is not safe at this time, so we can only afford to educate local people about the birds,” said Mingalar Lay, the program officer at BANCA. 

The migratory birds consume paddy rice, snails, fish, shrimp, small crabs and seaweed before leaving Myanmar in March during its winter season, according to BANCA. It started its work to protect migratory birds in the Gulf of Martaban in 2008 and began its conservation activities in 2010. 

The Gulf of Martaban was recognized as one of Myanmar’s four Ramsar Sites on May 10, 2017 due to its unique biodiversity and that it is home to the critically-endangered spoon-billed sandpiper, a migrating wading bird. A Ramsar Site is a wetland that has been designated as important for the world under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 1971.

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