Migratory Bird Numbers Collapsing (26 - 86% By Region) Along West Coast Of Malaysia - Straits-Times

[hatrack]

KUALA GULA (Perak): The west coast of Peninsular Malaysia is fast losing its lustre as the food haven for over 200 migratory bird species. The birds use the coastal strip as their global flyway during the migration period between August and April. Bird traffic to the area has plummeted so badly over the last 20 years that the nation's environmentalists, especially bird conservationists, have begun to worry.

And the worry is real, as the number of migratory birds visiting the mudflats of the country's mangrove swamps located along the west coast, such as the Matang mangrove forest in Perak, has shown a drop of more than 80 per cent. According to Wetlands International's latest publication, The Status of Coastal Waterbirds and Wetlands in Southeast Asia: Results of Waterbird Surveys (2004-2006), the overall decline of migratory birds has shown a large drop between 1983 and 1986 and 2004 and 2006.

The most significant decline over the 20-year period occurred on the coast of Perak at 86 per cent. The west coast of Johor and the coast of Selangor also showed a 40 per cent and a 26 per cent decline respectively.

The survey was conducted by Wetlands International (Malaysia) and the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS). MNS' head of conservation department and senior conservation officer Yeap Chin Aik said the exact cause of the decline at the bird sanctuaries, especially the Matang mangrove forest, was unclear at this point. "However, probable causes were coastal activities that have impacted the west coast such as conversion/destruction of mangroves and mudflats, port development, aquaculture and housing.

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http://www.nst.com.my/Wednesday/National/2121993/Article/index_html