ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 24 Feb) – All is set for the holding of the first local bird festival to be hosted by the Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology (ZSCMST) on Friday, Feb. 27.
Dr. Milabel Nazario, ZSCMST president, said Tuesday the festival will include lectures and symposium, film showing and photo exhibits that will be held at the main campus and bird watching to be conducted at the school’s wetlands.
Nazario said the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP) has recorded that there are at least 49 bird species, mostly migratory, that can be found at the 24-hectare wetlands of the ZSCMST.
The school’s wetlands, which is also ZSCMST’s aqua-culture site, has been documented as the first breeding ground of the Great Egret in the country.
Nazario said the festival is aimed to attract tourists, especially bird enthusiasts, to come to this city.
She said the festival also aims to sustain awareness on the value of environmental protection for tourism aside from promoting bird watching.
Prof. Roderick Trio, first bird festival committee chair for events and activities, said all of the amenities like the bird watching platform are already in place.
Trio said members of the WBCP and bird watchers from some European countries have confirmed attendance to the first local bird festival.
It will be recalled that this city hosted last year the 9th Philippine Bird Festival wherein a dozen of European bird watchers attended the event.
The first local bird festival is anchored on the theme “Dia de Aves: Discubrir Naturaleza en Ciudad” (Day of the Birds: Discover the Nature within the City).
The bird festival is in partnership with the WBCP, Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and local government.