10 May 2017: World Migratory Bird Day

World Migratory Bird Day is celebrated on 10 May each year to raise 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.

The Secretariat of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) initiated World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) in 2006 in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) of Wild Animals. The idea arose in America in 1993 whent the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology celebrated International Migratory Bird Day. In 2005, the AEWA Secretariat initiated the Migratory Waterbird Days which were held in Africa, Europe, and parts of Asia. It was decided to broaden the scope into a commemorative day that celebrates all migrating birds on a global scale, which started from 2006.

The very first World Migratory Bird Day was launched on the weekend of 8-9 April 2006 on Ms. Kuki Gallmann’s famous wildlife reserve ‘Ole Ari Nyiro’ in Laikipia, Kenya. The central event at the launch was called WINGS. 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 takes place.

For the 2017 theme "Their Future is our Future - A healthy planet for migratory birds and people", World Migratory Bird Day will highlight the topic of "Sustainable Development for Wildlife and People." The 2017 theme is linked to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals that focus on the interdependence of people and nature.

Ferney Manrique Aragon, a Colombian United Nations Online Volunteer based in China, designed the poster for the 2017 World Migratory Bird Day. The design includes origami and futuristic elements, integrating First Nations peoples in Australia, Central American Kuna, and Native American art forms. The diagonal flying movement of the bird shows the different stages of species migration.

Their Future is Our Future

The reason why migratory birds need protection is because migration is a perilous journey and exposes the animals to a wide range of threats. As migratory birds depend on a range of sites throughout their journey along their flyway, the loss of wintering and stopover sites could have a dramatic impact on the animals' chances of survival.

There are many different migration patterns. The majority of birds migrate from northern breeding areas to southern wintering grounds. However, some birds breed in southern parts of Africa and migrate to northern wintering grounds, or along lines of latitude to enjoy the milder coastal climates in winter. Other birds reside in lowlands during the winter months and move to higher altitudes for the summer.

Flying long distances involves crossing many borders between countries with differing environmental policies, legislation, and conservation measures. International cooperation among governments, NGOs and other stakeholders is required along the entire flyway of a species in order that knowledge can be shared and conservation efforts coordinated.

www.worldmigratorybirdday.org

If you would like to look at other projects by Ferney Manrique Aragon, visit www.trapecista.org or follow him on Instagram (@manchuriandarkos) and Twitter (@manchuriandarko).

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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