Dam raises global concerns over future of Fairy Pitta
News from BirdLife International
Dam raises global concerns over future of Fairy Pitta
29-06-2007
The future of Fairy Pitta -among Asia’s most beautiful and enigmatic birds- is threatened by the construction of a dam that would flood 422 hectares of its forest habitat resulting in the destruction of a large part of the most important breeding area in the region.
The Hushan Dam Project, proposed for Taiwan’s Yunlin County, is the latest in a series of threats to the Huben-Hushan area which is listed as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International on account of Fairy Pitta Pitta nympha and five species found only on Taiwan Island.
150 Fairy Pitta are known to breed in the Huben-Hushan IBA during summer months, making it a site of international importance for the long term survival of this globally threatened species. Fairy Pitta is listed as Vulnerable by BirdLife on account of recent global declines owing mainly to extensive deforestation in its breeding range across other parts of China and Japan......
http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2007/06/hushan_dam_fairy_pitta.html
