80 Intl Participants To Partake Art & Photography Exhibition Under National Workshop On Conservation Of Raptors

Almost 80 participants from around the globe were registered by the ministry of climate change (MoCC) to partake in the Art and Photography exhibition under "Pakistan National Strategic Workshop on Conservation of Raptors in Pakistan and Safeguarding Falconry".

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Jan, 2020 ):Almost 80 participants from around the globe were registered by the ministry of climate change (MoCC) to partake in the Art and Photography exhibition under "Pakistan National Strategic Workshop on Conservation of Raptors in Pakistan and Safeguarding Falconry".

Talking to APP, a ministry official said that participants from the United Kingdom, Poland, Europe, Japan and US including local applicants had submitted their nominations as the MOCC had planned an Art and Photography Competition as part of its three day National Strategic Workshop from January 21-22, 2020 here titled "Conservation of Raptors in Pakistan and Safeguarding of Falconry: A Heritage Sport" whereas the third day event would be held in Attock on January 23, 2020.

The participants including artists, photographers, crafts-persons, including youth, children, and women were encouraged to participate through their work related to falconry, birds of prey, and game birds. The work may include painting, miniatures, sculptures with the theme of conservation and falconry, he added.

"MoCC wanted to introduce a sustainable programme on the pattern of Markhor trophy hunting that helped conserve the rapidly depleting species. It would also help to reduce illegal poaching and hunting of falcons and migratory species at the migration spots inside the country," he added.

He informed that falcons' smuggling was a serious issue in Pakistan as 3,000 to 4,000 birds were trapped per year at the migration routes which were smuggled off shore.

"Falcons have high economic value in the international market," he added.

Pakistan, he said was signatory to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) Raptors memorandum of understanding (MOU), the Ministry intends to develop National Raptor Conservation Strategy, as per CMS guidelines.

The proposed strategy would be defining the issues and threats along with collection and analysis of raptors population data to achieve conservation goals and through a successful national action plan.

Moreover, a open to public exhibition would also be held in Attock to create awareness on falconry culture and its conservation.

The main purpose, he said of the workshop was to create awareness about importance, status and conservation of Raptors in Pakistan. It also intends to develop engagement and collaboration with stakeholders for advocacy and lobbying for appropriate legislation of falconry culture and use of falconry techniques for conservation in the country, devise future conservation and cultural solutions and policy for sustainable use of the birds of prey. However, the formulation of 'National Multi Species Action Plan' under the Raptor MoU guidelines of Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) was among the core objectives of the workshop.