Each year on the second weekend in May, dedicated people and organizations plan World Migratory Bird Day events to celebrate migrating birds and to raise awareness about the need to protect them. Since World Migratory Bird Day began in 2006, events have reached 104 countries and we hope this year even more people and countries will join the global celebration.

On their epic journeys spanning thousands of kilometres, migratory birds connect continents, cultures and people along their migration routes. World Migratory Bird Day 2012 and this year’s theme Migratory birds and people - together through time highlight the vital relationship between birds and people.

Considering the cultural, social, historic, economic and spiritual connections we have with birds, it becomes clear that migratory birds and people are inseparably connected in many different ways and on many different levels. At the same time, many human activities including excessive land use and unsustainable hunting, as well as the impacts of climate change, fishing by-catch and pollution gravely threaten migratory bird populations around the world.

This year’s poster portrays the 2012 World Migratory Bird Day Theme Migratory birds and people – together through time, highlighting the many connections and historic links between migratory birds and people in a truly global way. Humanity’s fascination with migratory birds is evident in the symbolism throughout history in many ancient cultural legends. For example, in Egypt the ancient falcon-headed god Horus and in Peru the Nazca line monuments are testaments to migratory birds’ strong influences on past cultures. Also, many groups and cultures continue to rely economically on migratory birds for their livelihoods, for example through subsistence and the growing global ecotourism and bird-watching industry.

The phenomenon of bird migration is crucial to the web of life, as migrating birds act as indicators of biodiversity, ecosystem health and climate change. Migratory birds also provide essential ecological benefits and services, such as pollination, to the ecosystems we rely on to survive.
We are pleased to offer this year’s poster in English, French, Spanish and German and free poster packages can be ordered by organizers to support and help promote their events. You can register your events and order posters on the new 2012 World Migratory Bird Day Website at:

www.worldmigratorybirdday.org

Support migratory birds through an event!

Join the celebration of a great natural wonder on World Migratory Bird Day! We invite everyone to join us to celebrate, protect and raise awareness of migratory birds on 12-13 May 2012 by organizing bird-watching events, educational programmes, lectures, art exhibitions, competitions and other public events. However you decide to participate, your contribution will help make a difference!

We encourage all event organizers to register their events on the WMBD website so we can add them to the WMBD Event Map at:

www.worldmigratorybirdday.org

You can also keep in touch with the growing World Migratory Bird Day community and get updates on the campaign on Facebook and Twitter:

Further information:

World Migratory Bird Day was initiated in 2006 and is an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the protection of migratory birds and their habitats. World Migratory Bird Day is organized by the Secretariats of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) – two international wildlife treaties administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – and a growing number of partners.