Locals help Bargarh's Govindpur get 'bird village' tag

BHUBANESWAR: Govindpur, a village on the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border, located on the fringes of Debrigarh wildlife sanctuary and Hirakud wetland, earned the 'bird village' tag after its residents took it upon themselves to protect birds, particularly ducks and pochards, from poachers.
Wildlife authorities painted the walls of the houses in Govindpur with pictures of birds after according it the tag.
Divisional forest officer (Hirakud wildlife division) Anshu Pragyan Das said, "We perceive conservation better when we see, understand and realize. That is why we along with the community decided to paint the village with birds. We wrote the English and Odia (local) names of birds on the walls. Now people in all villages in the Hirakud wetland shoreline visit Govindpur and are able to identify every bird migrating to Hirakud. Even a school girl knows from which country pochards have arrived," she said.
"The western side of Hirakud wetland and reservoir is richer in avifauna. It is more picturesque too. We have regulated picnics and are putting in place better picnic amenities at Govindpur and Tamdei, an adjoining village," the officer added. "The wildlife officials have educated schoolchildren about the birds coming to Hirakud. The aim is to let our future generation value conservation in the long run," Das added.
Govindpur is a village of fishermen. They go for fishing into the reservoir that is rich in fishes.
While fishing, the birds are trapped in net and die. The fishermen living close to Chhattisgarh also depend on fishing and obey the conservation rules framed by eco-development committee (EDC), which has been formed to ensure conservation by the involvement of communities.
Jugeswar Naik, president of EDC (Govindpur) said with the help of the forest department, the village amenities have been made better with proper sanitation inside and outside the houses.
"We enjoy good camaraderie with the fishermen from Chhattisgarh too. When birds are caught in the net, we free them.The poachers stay away from the village as they see the commitment of the villagers in protecting the species. The birds are like our family members," said the EDC president .