The 7th Dongting Lake International Bird-Viewing Festival was unveiled in Yueyang at 8:00 p.m. on December 7.
The opening ceremony brought together experts and officials from the international organizations like the Worldwide Found for Nature (WWF) and the Ramsar Convention and from over10 countries, 30 bird-watching societies from home and abroad as well as representatives from more than 30 national nature reserves in China.
The East Dongting Lake Wetland is among China's first batch of wetlands that joined in the Ramsar Convention. As it attracts hundreds of thousands of birds in over 300 varieties for overwintering and breeding every year, it is acclaimed as a "Paradise of Birds".
"I hope the bird-viewing festival in Yueyang can help people deepen their understanding of aquatic bird and wetland so as to provide a better future for these creatures." said Peter Bridgewater, former secretary general of the Ramsar Convention.
During the event, 60 foreign and domestic experts will have a seminar on the international cranes protection and their sustainable development in Yueyang. Meanwhile, these bird- watching societies will contend for 12 awards. Above 100 painting works on the ecology and humane environment around the lake created by the masters of Chinese painting will also be exhibited.
Translator: Wang Bilian
Source: Hunan Official Web Portal