Why Do We Watch Bird?

•  Where to go?

Lashihai Lake is located in Lashihai Plateau to the west of Lijiang County , capital city of Lijiang Prefecture in Yunnan Province . With an elevation of 2,500 meters above sea level, the lake and wetland around is an ideal habitat for aquatic birds of about 57 kinds of species during every winter. The areas around the lake and wetland were designated as a plateau's wetland nature reserve in 1998, the first of its kind in Yunnan Province . Since then, bird species have gradually increased and their numbers, according to local record in 2001, were almost up to 100,000. Thus the lake is considered as a bird watching attraction for tourists far and near. There are mountains around next to the Nature Reserve. The highest one is Yulong Snow Mountain to the north of the lake, with an elevation of 5,596 meters, which is rich and unique for its high alpine flora. The bird watching activity took place for three days, starting from 12 through 14 February, 2003 in the Nature Reserve.

•  A granted classroom?

Our society concerns very much on morality education for school pupils. Children are being encouraged to walk out of campus during holidays to learn nature and protect its environment. Bird watching activity conducted in Lashihai Plateau's Wetland Nature Reserve is one of the pilots that PSDAP implements. It had provided 31 Kunming pupils between Grade 2 and Grade 7 an opportunity to stay with their village counterparts in the village for three days. They had talk with each other and ate, slept together. They took notes, photos and drew pictures about the wetlands and birds they saw. Great progress has been made for children for their articles and photos reveal their delicate understandings of wildlife protection and nature reserve.

•  A harvest

Usually, Chinese children are taught “Shu li chang yuan mu biao” (meaning to set up a long-term goal) in schools. But this in-school morality education somehow is vague in vision. As a matter of fact, children face issues like environment and wildlife protection, poverty alleviation positively this time. Activity like that seems help them changing character and thinking imperceptibly with sustainable development concept. They criticized the ignorance of people who polluted the wetlands. They argued that the birds are good friends of human beings and therefore they should return them a clean home.

The pupils' voice may not be that loud, but from that one can feel the strength of it.