World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is an awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats. It aims to draw attention to the threats faced by migratory birds, their ecological importance, and the need for international cooperation to conserve them.
Background
Originally, the idea of designating a day for migratory birds arose in the United States in 1993, when the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology initiated celebrations of the ‘International Migratory Bird Day\’ (IMBD), which encourages bird festivals and education programmes across the Americas. Although this day was and continues to be successfully celebrated in the western hemisphere, something similar was missing for the rest of the world.
History
World Migratory Bird Day was initiated in 2006 by the Secretariat of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). On the occasion of its 10th anniversary in 2005, the AEWA Secretariat initiated the Migratory Waterbird Days (MWD) which were held in Africa, Europe and parts of Asia. As this event was well received in the African-Eurasian region, it was decided to broaden the scope into a commemorative day that celebrates all migrating birds on a global scale. The very first World Migratory Bird Day was launched by AEWA and CMS on the weekend of 8-9 April 2006 on Ms Kuki Gall Mann\’s famous wildlife reserve ‘Ole Ari Nyiro’ in Laikipia, Kenya. The central event at the launch – called WINGS – was inspired by the phenomenon of bird migration and was attended by a number of international personalities from the worlds of art, business and conservation.
Since then, WMBD has been celebrated annually and has been growing in popularity each year. The global campaign continues to be organized centrally from Bonn, Germany by the CMS and AEWA Secretariats. Every year more countries, organizations and people are joining the campaign. On 26 October 2017 in the margins of the CMS COP12 in Manila, Environment for the Americas (EFTA), the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), announced an innovative partnership to increase awareness of the plight of migratory birds around the world. The new partnership formally unites two of the world\’s largest bird education campaigns, International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) and World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) in a bid to strengthen global recognition and appreciation of migratory birds and highlight the urgent need for their conservation. Starting in 2018, the new joint campaign adopts the single name of \”World Migratory Bird Day\” and major events to celebrate the day will be organized twice a year, on the second Saturday in May and in October.
World Migratory Bird Day is an Annual Global Celebration
World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats. It has a global outreach and is an effective tool to help raise global awareness of the threats faced by migratory birds, their ecological importance, and the need for international cooperation to conserve them. Every year people around the world take action and organize public events such as bird festivals, education programmes, exhibitions and bird-watching excursions to celebrate WMBD. All these activities can also be undertaken at any time on the year because that countries or regions observing the peak of migrations at different times, but the main days for the international celebrations on the second Saturday in May and in October.
Significance of World Migratory Bird Day
The flyways and routes used by migratory birds connect different habitats. Often, these flight paths cross inhospitable terrains, such as deserts and open seas. Suitable habitats are crucial for the survival of these birds. The ecological connectivity of these sites is important to the survival of migratory birds, but this it is being threatened by habitat loss and degradation. The degradation of a critical stop-over site for migratory birds can have a devastating effect on these migratory birds. Other threats like poisoning, collisions with man-made objects and climate change are also having a negative impact on migratory birds all around the world. World Migratory Bird Day 2020 will hence help raise awareness on the importance of ecological connectivity for migratory birds.
World Migratory Bird Day 2020
On Saturday, 9 May 2020, people around the world will celebrate World Migratory Bird Day. This is a global campaign dedicated to raising awareness of migratory birds and the need for international cooperation to conserve them. This year the theme of World Migratory Bird Day is “Birds Connect Our World” and was chosen to highlight the importance of conserving and restoring the ecological connectivity and integrity of ecosystems that are essential for the survival and well-being of migratory birds. Every year, people around the world take a stand for these life-forms and organize public events such as bird festivals, education programmes, and bird-watching events to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day. Unfortunately, activities planned for May will almost certainly need to be postponed or modified due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which is affecting the entire world.
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