“Sing, Fly, Soar – Like a Bird!” is the theme of this year’s World Migratory Bird Day, an annual global campaign dedicated to raising awareness of migratory birds and the need for international cooperation to conserve them. This year the campaign will focus on the phenomena of “bird song” and “bird flight” as a way to inspire and connect people of all ages around the world in their shared desire to celebrate migratory birds and to unite in a common, global effort to protect birds and the habitats they need to survive. 

CMS and its Family set the course for developing their contributions to the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework which is expected to provide a "New Deal for Nature" for the entire international community. Two years away from its adoption, the post-2020 framework presents the opportunity to raise the visibility of migratory wildlife and promote its conservation. Last week, the CMS Standing Committee (Bonn, 23-24 October 2018) endorsed the establishment of a Working Group (WG) on the development of CMS Family contributions to the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

On 26-27 April 2016 the First Meeting of Signatories of the High Andean Flamingos MOU took place in Cuzco (Peru). The meeting was attended by representatives of Bolivia, Chile and Peru, which are the three signatories of the MOU, and a number of observers including the Ramsar Convention Secretariat. Experts from France and Spain also came as representatives of the European Union to share their experience in the conservation and management of flamingo species.

the website for the 2016 World Migratory Bird Day is now online and organizers are invited to register their events. The design of this year’s poster (see below) has also been finalized and print copies will be available along with other promotional materials such as postcards and stickers.