Nay Pyi Taw, Aug 21 (IANS): Myanmar authorities on Monday called for the preservation of the country's largest fresh water Indawgyi lake in Kachin state in order to promote ecotourism.

Indawgyi Lake, which is also the third largest fresh water lake in Southeast Asia, is home to more than 160 bird species including globally threatened rare water birds, reports Xinhua news agnecy.

According to the Indawgyi Wildlife Sanctuary, more than 450 bird species, including 20,000 migratory birds, call the lake home between October and April and 20 of those are considered rare or endangered.

Indawgyi lake was an Asean heritage park due to its ecological importance and was designated as a Ramsar Site in early 2016 due to its unique bird population and wetlands.

The Unesco has designated the lake as a Man and Biosphere Reserve (MAB) among the non-governmental organisation's global network of 669 reserves in June at its headquarters in Paris.