Myanmar’s Inlay Lake Wildlife Sanctuary hosted 10,359 migratory and resident birds of 106 species in November and more birds will enter the lake as a stopover in winter.
The migratory birds have been constantly flocking to Inlay Lake Wildlife Sanctuary since October. The numbers of winged visitors to Inlay Lake were estimated at 2,985 migratory birds of 30 species and 2,094 resident birds of 82 species in November 2019, 5,961 migratory birds (31 species) and, 4,547 resident birds (58 species) in November 2020 and 5,248 migratory birds (45 species) and 5,111 resident birds (61 species) in November 2021.
Of them, 1,061 birds (27 species) in November 2019, 2,875 birds (21 speceis ) in 2020 and 1,884 (25 species) in 2021 are shorebirds.
Inlay Lake Wildlife Sanctuary is home to migratory birds from the North Pole during winter to escape from the extreme weather. The number of Ibis and other migratory birds increased 3,000 more than the bird population recorded in the year-ago period this month.
According to Inlay Lake Conservation Project (2019-2020 to 2027-2028) and 10-year Inlay Lake Ramsar Site project from 2020-2021, maintaining the diversity of the ecosystem, preventing hunting, coordination with the Irrigation Department to keep the lake clean and green, restoration of the habitats and establishing the protection areas for the birds are being implemented.
In a bid to conserve the biodiversity in the Inlay Lake and ecosystem in the wetland area, Inlay Lake Wildlife Sanctuary was set up on 30 January 1985. It was declared as ASEAN Heritage Park in 2003 on account of its importance to maintaining biodiversity in the sanctuary. It was listed as Inlay Lake Biosphere Reserve on 9 June 2015 as it illustrated residents living and working in harmony with nature.
Inlay Lake is strategically situated in the Shan plateau of Myanmar. This beautiful highland lake was also established as Inlay Lake Ramsar Site. The lake has become an East Asian-Australian Flyway site on 2 February 2020 as it is a habitat of the migratory birds from the North Pole.
Inlay Lake Wildlife Sanctuary expanded across 158,720 acres during its establishment and it is 131,884 acres wide at the moment.
Every year, migratory birds flock to the freshwater lake, where there is abundant food, away from colder regions with frozen lakes and a short food supply that make it difficult for them to survive. — Nyein Thu (MNA)/GNLM
