The Langkawi Development Authority (Lada) has listed five sites as the Langkawi Interesting Birding Area (Liba) in conjunction with the 5th Asian Bird Fair (ABF).

Lada’s chief executive officer (CEO) Khalid Ramli said Lada had planned a few initiatives to develop and promote bird-watching as a ‘must do’ activity for tourists visiting Langkawi.

“Even though birds can be seen everywhere in Langkawi, these five areas - Kilim, Pantai Cenang, Datai, Pulau Tuba and Gunung Machichang - are where tourists can find many species of birds in a bigger group,” he told Bernama after the pre-launch of the ABF at Wisma Bernama in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Lada is also planning a contest to propose names for the national bird as a value-added product for the event.

Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) vice-president Henry Goh said the two-day event, from Nov 29, aimed at promoting the protection of birds and their habitats, encourage birdwatching and other ecotourism activities.

Nature enthusiast Irshad Mobarak felt bird-watching was more than a hobby as it also promoted nature conservation and quality of life.

“Bird-watching is just not about the birds, it is about the rainforest and natural habitat that the birds are living in. Protecting birds is protecting the rainforest and protecting the rainforest is actually protecting our quality of life,” he said.

- Bernama