KUCHING: The 7th edition of the International Hornbill Conference (IHC) held here over the last three days, drew to a close on Thursday.
The 7th IHC at which 36 papers and 13 poster presentations were delivered, saw the participation of some 200 delegates from 14 countries.
On hand to officiate the simple closing ceremony was Wong Ting Chung, Chief Executive Officer of Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC).
In his closing speech, Wong reaffirmed the Sarawak Government’s serious commitment to the cause of hornbill conservation.
He also took note of the key recommendations of the conference, two of which he felt would need to be taken up in Sarawak for implementation.
The first pertains to the need to conduct research on the population distribution, breeding status, nesting behavior and other baseline information on hornbills in the State.
The second recommendation identified the key stakeholders whose active participation in conservation planning and activities are critical to the success of any hornbill conservation programme.
These stakeholders include the local communities as well as both private and public sector organizations.
The 7th IHC concluded with the official handing over of host flag from Wong to Dr. Nawang Norbu, Director of Ugyen Wangchuk Institute for Conservation and Environment Research (UWICER) on behalf of the Bhutan delegation.
The 8th edition of the IHC would be held in Bhutan in 2021.
