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What is World Migratory Bird Day? PDF Print E-mail

 Photo: Sergey Dereliev (UNEP/AEWA)

World Migratory Bird Day was initiated in 2006 and is a global awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the protection of migratory birds and their habitats. On the second weekend in May, people around the world will take action and organise public events such as bird festivals, education programmes or bird watching excursions to celebrate WMBD.

Even though World Migratory Bird Day activities take place in many different countries, they are all linked together through this website. Here, people can register their planned events and showcase them to others around the world. The goal is to collectively inspire others to join the celebrations and to get as many people as possible involved in the protection of migratory birds and their habitats across the planet.

Every year WMBD has a different focus; in 2006 it was “Migratory Birds need our support now!” and in 2007 the focus was on the impacts of climate change, drawing attention to “Migratory Birds in a changing climate”.

This year's theme is “Migratory Birds- Ambassadors for Biodiversity!”  and the global celebrations will take place on 10-11 May 2008. Both the theme and the timing of WMBD 2008 coincide with the forthcoming 9th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Biodiversity (CBD) to be held in Bonn, Germany this year. In this context the organisers hope to use WMBD to help spread the idea of migratory birds as messengers for the conservation of biodiversity worldwide.