The Eighth Meeting of the Parties (MOP8) to the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) held under the theme “Strengthening Flyway Conservation in a Changing World” concluded today in Budapest, Hungary with the adoption of 16 resolutions and new guidelines aiming to improve the conservation status of 255 migratory waterbirds listed under the UN-backed treaty. Species covered by AEWA include iconic species such as the White Stork, Red-breasted Goose and the Black Crowned Crane.

Light pollution and its impact on migratory birds is the focus of World Migratory Bird Day 2022, a global campaign that aims to raise awareness of migratory birds and the need for international cooperation to conserve them. Activities to mark the day will be held globally under the theme “Dim the Lights for Birds at Night”.

On Saturday, 8 May people all over the world will be celebrating World Migratory Bird Day, a global campaign which aims to raise awareness of migratory birds and the need for international cooperation to conserve them. This year’s theme “Sing, Fly, Soar – Like A Bird!” focuses on the phenomena of “bird song” and “bird flight” as a way to inspire and connect people of all ages around the globe in their shared desire to protect and celebrate migratory birds. The day also serves as a reminder that migratory birds are in serious decline, and need international action to ensure their survival.

For the past 25 years, millions of migratory waterbirds that link Africa, Europe and parts of Asia have benefitted from the collective work being carried out by countries and other actors under the framework of the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA). Signed on 16 June 1995 in The Hague, the Netherlands, the intergovernmental treaty dedicated to conserving migratory waterbirds across African and Eurasia has a geographical range that stretches across 119 countries. With currently 80 Contracting Parties, including 38 from Africa and 42 from Eurasia including the European Union, AEWA is the largest legally binding instrument concluded under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).