World Migratory Bird Day, 11-12 May 2013

World Migratory Bird Day

World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) raises awareness about the threats to migratory birds and the need for their protection.

Working Together to Conserve Migratory Birds

This year’s theme also highlights the importance of networking and connecting globally amongst governments, conservation organizations and dedicated people to conserve migratory birds. Joint action in the form of international cooperation is needed, since conservation efforts in one country can be completely jeopardized by the loss of a single site in another area or country. World Migratory Bird Day aims to encourage the international community that shares migratory birds – governments, conservation organizations and dedicated people alike – to further work together to conserve migratory birds.

[ Read more about this year’s WMBD theme ] 

A RANGE OF THREATS

According to BirdLife International’s “State of the World’s Birds” a range of threats drives declines in bird populations. The threats to birds are many and varied: agriculture, logging and invasive species are the most severe, respectively affecting 1,065 (87%), 668 (55%) and 625 (51%) globally threatened species, making change of land use by far the greatest factor leading to species’ falling numbers. These threats create stresses on bird populations in a range of ways, the commonest being habitat destruction and degradation, which affect 1,146 (93%) threatened species.

Source: BirdLife International “State of the World’s Birds” (Ppages 4 and 8)

Declining bird numbers is not a new phenomenon, as the “State of the World’s Birds” shows that in total 153 bird species are believed to have gone extinct since 1500. Avian extinctions are continuing, with 18 species lost in the last quarter of the twentieth century and three more known or suspected to have gone extinct since 2000. The rate of extinctions on continents appears to be increasing, principally as a result of extensive and expanding habitat destruction.

[ Read more about the State of the World’s Birds (SOWB) ]
[ Read the SOWB Case Study: A range of threats drives declines in bird populations ]