World Migratory Bird Day 2017 Website Launched!

 

Bonn, 2 March 2017 – The 2017 World Migratory Bird Day website is now live, the registration of events is open!

For more than ten years now, World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) has raised awareness about the need for conservation of migratory birds and their habitats, about the threats they face, their ecological importance, and about the need for international cooperation to conserve them. Every year people across the planet take action and organize public events such as bird festivals, education programmes, exhibitions and bird-watching excursions to celebrate WMBD. The main day for the international celebrations is 10 May, but activities can also be undertaken at any time of the year when the regional peak of migrations is best.

All the activities organized for WMBD are united by a common theme, which this year is "Their Future is our Future – A Healthy Planet for Migratory Birds and People".  The 2017 theme is linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and highlights the interdependence of people and nature, and more specifically people and migratory birds, as they share the same planet and the same limited resources. Human activity can have a negative impact on birds’ migration, while humankind relies on birds as they deliver environmental services that are invaluable. The 2017 campaign will aim at raising awareness of the need for sustainable management of our natural resources, demonstrating that bird conservation is also crucial for the future of humankind.

This year the presentation of the theme on the website follows a new concept: we have selected a series of seven birds that are representative of different species groups and migrate over different flyways. They are waterbirds, landbirds or raptors, they fly over different parts of the world – and they all face various threats during their life cycle. This year’s campaign concentrates on two major threats to migratory birds: habitat loss and overharvesting, which are affecting birds all around the world. These seven flagship species of migratory birds will help you better understand what these threats are, what is at stake, and what we can do.

World Migratory Bird Day relies on a strong partnership: key organizations engaged in the conservation of migratory birds take action internationally and coordinate their activities around the annual theme of the campaign. The 2017 theme for WMBD is therefore in line with the priorities and activities of its key partners: BirdLife International (BLI), the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP), Wetlands International, the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) and UN Environment (UNEP).

The campaign itself is coordinated by the Secretariats of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UNEP/CMS) and the Agreement on the Conservation of African Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (UNEP/AEWA). Related to the WMBD theme, “Their Future is Our Future – Sustainable Development for Wildlife & People” is the slogan chosen for a key upcoming international conference under CMS – the 12th Conference of the Parties (CMS COP12) which will take place in Manila from 23 to 28 October this year.

The World Migratory Bird Day campaign is made possible through the generous contributions from the German Ministry of Environment (BMUB), the CMS Raptors MoU and the Government of Finland.

Last updated on 02 March 2017

Type: 
News
Threats: 
Unsustainable hunting and trapping
Habitat loss and degradation
Climate Change
Species group: 
Birds