The Conservation Education Officer of the Ghana Wildlife Society, Ms Vivian Larbi has urged the youth to imbibe the habit of bird watching to help them improve their mental health.
According to her bird watching apart from the fun it offered also helped individuals deal with health challenges such as loneliness and depression.
Ms Larbi gave the advice during a bird watch, count, and scavenger hunt activity organised for some selected school children, their teachers and parents at the Legon Botenical Garden as part of the Spring Alive Project (SAP).
The exercise was to educate young people about nature and promote easy identification of migratory birds, birds and specific plants, and involved school children between the ages of 10-16 years drawn from 50 wildlife clubs made up of Glory Hill and Mercy school.
She explained that the SAP, was a collaborative arrangement between the Ghana Wildlife Society and Birdlife International and is on the theme: “Sensitization on Migratory Birds Conservation through Environmental Education.”
Ms Larbi said the project served as an opportunity to educate the students on ways to protect migratory birds, the plight faced by migratory birds and actions to take to minimize the threats and encouraged them to take conservation actions for nature and the environment.
She noted that the wildlife club members and participants were taken through migratory birds’ identification, habitat identification, the seven spring birds and ways to protect them.
“Among some migratory birds that were spotted were the Yellow billed and Black Kites. A quiz was conducted between the two schools, where two members from each school were selected as representatives,” she emphasised.
The contest ended with Peter K. Dumfour, a pupil of Glory Hill International School, emerging the winner. Awards, refreshments, brochures, and books were shared at the end of the activity.
The By Times Reporter
