World Migratory Bird Day 2023 is here, focusing on the theme "Water: Sustaining Bird Life." On October 14th, people and organizations all over the world will come together to raise awareness and take action. Water is essential to the survival of migratory birds. From breeding to resting, and refueling during migration and wintering, migratory birds rely on lakes, rivers, ponds, coastal wetlands, and even moisture found in seeds, flowers, and mist. But water is under threat. Climate change, pollution, and increasing human demand for water are endangering vital ecosystems and the availability of clean water – for birds and people alike.

Water and its importance to migratory birds – and the increasing threats to both water quality and quantity -  is the focus of this year’s World Migratory Bird Day, a global campaign that aims to raise awareness of migratory birds and the need for international cooperation to conserve them. Activities to mark the campaign will be held globally on two peak days in May and October under the theme “Water: Sustaining Bird Life”.

Dim the Lights for Birds at Night

The Eighth Session of the Meeting of the Parties to the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA MOP8) opened in Budapest, Hungary, today.  AEWA MOP8 will be an important policymaking forum ahead of a series of biodiversity-related meetings in the coming months, culminating with the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP 15) hosted by Canada under the presidency of China at the end of the year.  The AEWA Meeting was originally scheduled to take place in October 2021 alongside the One With Nature World of Hunting and Nature Exhibition in Budapest, but had to be postponed.