This event will combine photography with a desire to conserve the coastal environment for the welfare and protection of flamingos.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in
This month on, the coastline of Mumbai is going to play host to flamingos. The pink beauties visit the city just as the weather dips in the last months of the year. However, rising pollution in our seas and the fact that these beautiful birds are being increasingly poached each year, has lessened their numbers somewhat.
But shutterbugs in the city are going to do their bit to conserve the ecology for flamingos and have some photographic fun doing so – they are going to arm themselves with their cameras and head to Maharashtra Nature Park for a 24-hour live photo-marathon that will go a long way in helping to conserve flamingos and the ecology that sustains them. It’s simple: the photo-marathon is a 24-hour race that tests your photography skills and creativity, as also your passion for nature. Every participating photographer gets a span of 24 hours to ‘shoot and submit’ their work.
The ‘Friends of Flamingos’ is a year-long initiative conceived by Fotothon, which is a unique 24-hour live photography challenge held annually in Mumbai and which is supported by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). The two-day campaign will flag off on Saturday, November 16, 2013 at 10 am.
Paresh Pimpale, Director for Fotothon said, “Through Fotothon, we aim to encourage photographers to use their cameras for conservation. This year, we are using Fotothon to spread awareness about these beautiful birds that arrive in huge numbers in Mumbai but due to extensive pollution and also poaching, they have become vulnerable here.”
Pimpale added that through the campaign, FOF will have series of lectures, photowalks, and photo exhibition at several locations of Mumbai so that people understand how fortunate the city is to play host to flamingos every year. The campaign will start from tomorrow. Said Avinash Kubal, deputy director, MNP and Honorary Chief Patron for Fotothon, “Photographers love flamingos as they get beautiful images, and hence we want them to also stand for conserving these birds. We will have a signature petition of hundreds of photographers from Mumbai to save the mudflats from pollution and dumping.”Kubal added that the conservation of these pink beauties includes conserving their habitat, which is our coastal ecology. “Saving the sea coasts from pollution is therefore a prime need. Mumbaikars therefore need to monitor effluents so that they do not enter into our coastal waters. Also, we must see that we protect their habitat areas from encroachment and also from noise pollution, as these birds are extremely sensitive towards any man-made or man-induced noises”.
Fotothon is supported by Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, Maharashtra Nature Park Society, Royal Photographic Society (RPS) UK, and Photographic Society of India. For details, call 9224765619/ 9967620103.
(Pictures courtesy fotothonian.blogspot.com, www.fantom-xp.com)
