Bonn, 10
February 2011 - The conversion of natural
areas into agricultural land, the
construction of buildings, roads
and dams, or deforestation are just some examples for
the human use of land, also known as land use. Land use
and
land management practices have a major impact on natural
resources including water, soil, nutrients, plants and
animals. Migratory bird populations are particularly
sensitive to land use and studies reveal that this is one
of the
major threats they are facing.
As migratory birds depend on a network of sites during
their travel, they are even more threatened by the
impacts of land use than their resident relatives. If,
for example, the wetland on which they depend at their wintering
site is drained, this will threaten the population’s
survival, although the wetland at their breeding site
may be under protection.
Land use changes
and their impact on migratory birds will therefore be
the topic for
WMBD 2011 with the aim of raising awareness on the range
of threats land use changes are having on migratory birds.
With the help of a growing WMBD network of dedicated people
and organizations from various sectors throughout the world,
WMBD 2011 will focus global attention on land use changes
and help to reduce the negative effects these are having
on bird populations and their migration.
We invite all national authorities,
NGOs, clubs and societies, universities, schools and individuals
worldwide to participate
in WMBD 2011. We would like to encourage all stakeholders
to organize activities focusing on migratory birds and
their conservation, such as awareness-raising programmes,
festivals or other related events during the weekend
of 14-15 May 2011 to mark World Migratory Bird Day and
help
highlight this year’s land use theme.
About World Migratory Bird Day
World Migratory Bird Day
(WMBD)
is a global initiative devoted to celebrating migratory
birds and for promoting their conservation worldwide. It
is being organized by the Secretariats of the African-Eurasian
Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) and the Convention on Migratory Species
(CMS) – two
international wildlife treaties administered by the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP). In 2010, the WMBD campaign received support
from the following partners: UNEP,
The International Year of Biodiversity (IYB), BirdLife
International, Wetlands
International, The Partnership for the East
Asian - Australasian Flyway (EAAFP)
and The
World's Rarest Project.
The WMBD campaign is made
possible through part of the voluntary contribution given
to the AEWA Secretariat by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment,
Nature Conservation and Nuclear
Safety.
WMBD materials, including
a new 2011 WMBD poster and designated website are currently
being developed by the WMBD team and will be available
as of February 2011. For questions and feedback, please
contact us at: contact@worldmigratorybirdday.org
For more information please visit:
www.worldmigratorybirdday.org
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