The Ghana Wildlife Society (GWS) has launched the Spring Alive project, an international project aimed at promoting children’s interest in nature and its conservation by increasing their interest in migrant birds. The migrant birds include White Stork, Barn Swallow, Common Swift, Common Cuckoo and Eurasian Bee-eater.

A statement from the GWS to the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday says the project is also taking place in seven other African countries including Botswana, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Activities lined up for the Spring Alive Project include Bird watching, Drawing and Essay Competitions among others. The project launch saw over 100 Wildlife Club members with their Club Leaders bird watching at the Sakomono Ramsar site in Accra.

The students were drawn from Wildlife Clubs of the Mexico 2 Junior High School and Sakomono Junior High School. The Director of Biodiversity Conservation Research and Monitoring Unit of GWS, Dr. Augustus Asamoah said apart from its flood mitigating function, wetlands also served as an important habitat for resident and migrant water birds.

According to Dr. Asamoah, although some efforts were being made to protect such important habits, much needed to be done to secure them and ensure the flow of their beneficial ecosystem services particularly in view of emerging issues such as climate change. The Head of Education Unit, GWS, Joyce Dzikunu, stated that wildlife contributed a lot to Ghana’s growth and development, adding that Ghanaians must protect wildlife and the environment as a whole.

Miss Dzikunu noted that the setting up of Wildlife Clubs in various JHS and SHS was to help inculcate the habit of environmental conservation and wildlife protection in every Ghanaian children.

She expressed gratitude to Birdlife International and Mitsubishi Corporation Fund for Europe and Africa for supporting the project and urged other donors and corporate organization to support the activities of GWS.