Background Information |
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Migratory birds have the perfect morphology and physiology to fly fast and over long distances. However, they often experience an exhausting journey during which they go to their limits. The Red Knot e.g., a 24 cm long wader with a weight of around 220 g, breeds in Siberia and overwinters on the African West coast, some of its species even going down to South Africa. During its migration it loses nearly half of its body weight. Migratory birds therefore rarely fly to their destination non-stop but break their journey frequently to rest and feed, or to sit out a spell of bad weather. How migrating birds exactly find their flyways is not fully understood. Newest experiments indicate that they are orientating along the magnetic earth field with special light receptors in their eyes.
The symbolic meaning of birds and their journeys
In dreams birds embody fantasy, ideas and cogitations. The image of a flying bird is immediately connected with lightness and freedom and the hence derived sentence “to be free as a bird”. Many people associate flocks of migrating birds in the typical V-like alignment with the change of season, but also with perfection, beauty and harmony. Until the 18th century people believed that swallows sink in mires at the beginning of autumn and appear again as amphibians in the following spring. And still today some parents mark their houses with painted storks to indicate that a new baby is born. In almost all cultures, for centuries flocks of birds have announced the arrival of spring, and the yearly rebirth of nature associated with it. The social acceptance of birds as messengers of life was accompanied by the knowledge that migration had indeed an important role to play in ecosystem functioning, as providers of services and food supply.
Why migratory birds need to be protected
At the same time, flying over long distances means crossing many international borders and entering different political areas with their own environmental politics, legislation and conservation measures. It is clear that international cooperation between governments, NGOs and other stakeholders is needed along the whole flyway of a species in order to share knowledge and to coordinate conservation efforts. Without cooperation all measures taken to tackle the threats for migratory birds in country A could be in vain if e.g. unsustainable taking is accepted in country B. The necessary legal framework and coordinative instruments for such international cooperation is provided by international agreements such as CMS and AEWA. It is hoped that the WMBD with its global outreach will be an effective tool for the international community to raise awareness on the threats for migrating birds and their ecological importance, especially among the general public.
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