The Johor National Park’s Migratory Birds @ Tanjung Piai programme, which monitors bird migration from September to April each year, is said to have the potential to draw tourists to the area.
Suhairi Hashim, director of Tourism Johor, stated that generally speaking, bird migration takes place when the country of origin is extremely cold, encouraging the birds to move to countries with warmer climates in search of safety and food sources.
“Migratory Birds @ Tanjung Piai is related to the movement of migratory birds from the Northern Hemisphere such as China, Russia, Japan and Korea, and during the journey, the birds will stop at several locations in the country, including Tanjung Piai.
“This programme should be promoted, and it should not be a problem to be included in the Johor tourism calendar as an annual event, because there are definitely fans of birdwatching, thus attracting more tourists to the Johor National Park,” he told reporters after officiating the Migratory Birds @ Tanjung Piai.
According to Suhairi, the programme can raise public awareness of the need for environmental protection in order to maintain the sustainability of the mangrove swamp forest and prevent a decline in the number of migratory birds visiting Tanjung Piai.
“Previously there were around 70 species of migratory birds, but now there are only 17 or 18 species, and this decline is due to global issues and food sources. We hope that with efforts to protect the mangrove swamp forest, we can increase the number of migratory bird species,” he said.
