The Inle Lake Wildlife Sanctuary was added to the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), according to the government’s announcement on the World Wetlands Day 2020 (2 February).
The Lake’s Wildlife Sanctuary was designated as the sixth flyway network site in Myanmar of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) and its site code is EAAF-147.
U Nyi Nyi Kyaw, Director-General of Forestry Department, expressed delight for designating the Inle Lake Wildlife Sanctuary as an EAA flyway network site, saying that the designation would assist not only the long-term conservation of water birds but also effective utilization of wetlands.
With the designation of the wildlife sanctuary as a flyway network site, the government would cooperate with related organizations to carry out the tasks related to the site.
More flyway network sites will also be designated so that a regional flyway network can be established, the Director-General added.
Mr Doug Watkins, Chief Executive of East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership- EAAFP, said the designation of the wildlife sanctuary as a flyway network site was just an initial stage of long-term administration for the welfares of the Inle Lake Wildlife Sanctuary, water birds and local people. He also stressed the importance of sustainable implementation of the tasks on monitoring, educating, raising awareness, capacity building and sharing information among the East-Asian Australasian Flyway Partnership-EAAFP members.
The EAAFP is ready to collaborate with Myanmar government on the conservation of wetlands located on the flyway of migratory birds, said the EAAFP’s Chief Executive.
The Inle Lake Wildlife Sanctuary was gazetted in 1985. It was also designated as one of the ASEAN Heritage Parks in 2013, an UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2015 and a Ramsar site in 2018.
Along with the Inle Lake Wildlife Sanctuary, Gulf of Mottama, Indawgyi Wildlife Sanctuary, Moeyungyi Wetland Wildlife Sanctuary, Nanthar Island and Mayyu Estauries and Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary are the EAA flyway network sites in Myanmar.—MNA
(Translated by Kyaw Zin Tun)
