Study of bird diversity in Lalang Chalet & Campsite for ecotourism in Kelantan

Abstract

The potential of ecotourism in bird watching activities at Lalang Chalet & Campsite, Jeli, Kelantan is high due to its high diversity. This study aims to determine the species, level of abundance, and diversity of birds found in Lalang Chalet & Campsite. Also, this information is essential for building bird watching tracks. The bird observation method used was the point count in the morning and evening with three-hour periods. The observation track was divided into three lines according to the distribution of the birds, the entrance track (4.1 km), the recreational area track (1.4 km), and the hiking trail track (7.5 km). Three repetitions - about 31 species of 17 bird families, were found throughout the study. The highest abundance was Treron olax (E: Little Green Pigeon) in the recreational area and the hiking trail. The diversity index shows the highest diversity is on the hiking trail (H' = 2.848), followed by the entrance (H' = 2.841) and in the recreational area (H' = 1.856). A total of 20 species were recorded on the entrance and hiking trails track, and 7 species of birds were recorded on the recreational area track. Various aspects of ecotourism growth can be obtained from bird-watching program: (1) promoting bird conservation among the community through bird watching competition (bird race), (2) conservation and ecotourism training to the community, and (3) improving the infrastructure and capabilities of non-governmental organization (NGO); Malaysian Nature Society (MNS-Kelantan) on ecotourism management.