National Geographic to film Chilika`s ecosystem restoration

Bhubaneswar: The famous Chilika lake of Orissa is all set to become the subject of a docu-film by National Geographic channel documenting its restoration and sustainable management of ecosystems.

A five-member team of the channel has arrived at the lagoon to film the lake`s successful restoration process, Ajit Patnaik, chief executive of the Chilika Development Authority (CDA) said here today. Chilika is the only site from Asia chosen for the prestigious project sponsored by Star Alliance for production of a documentary which would be screened in aircrafts during flight, Patnaik said. The team comprising Reiko Nakamura, secretary general Ramsar Centre, Japan and Ritesh Kumar from Wetland International, South Asia would stay at Satapada and Barkul for a week to capture footage, he said. An alliance of 28 leading airlines in the world, Star Alliance is considered as the global leader in airlines network in terms of daily flights, destinations and countries flown to and amount of member airlines. "If you are flying out of the country, you are likely to watch Chilika on the aircraft screen," Patnaik said. Chilika lake, a Ramsar site, is a spectacular example of revival of the wetlands, restoration of biodiversity, enhancement of fishery resources, livelihood of local communities, biodiversity conservation and community-based ecotourism and alternative livelihood strategies. Besides the diverse eco-life and migratory birds, the rare Irrawaddy Dolphins in the lake attracts thousands of tourists each year. PTI