World Migratory Bird Day 16/05/2019 – Posted in: Daily News – Tags: birds, conventions, migratory birds, wildlife
WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY (WMBD)
For: Preliminary & Mains
Topics covered: WMBD, 2019 theme, CMS
News Flash
In 2019, World Migratory Bird Day is celebrated on May 11 and October 12.
World Migratory Bird Day is celebrated on the second Saturday in May in Canada and the US (May 11 in 2019), and the second Saturday in October in Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean (October 12 in 2019).
| Migration refers to the movement of birds from the Northern side towards the South during the change of seasons. Their flight depends on the weather, wind, habitat and availability of food. Birds move to regions with warmer climates during a specific time of the year. While for some birds, migration may extend to some months, for others it may be beyond continents and oceans. |
WMBD
- World Migratory Bird Day is celebrated to raise awareness to conserve migratory birds and their habitat.
- World Migratory Bird Day 2019 tries to bring people’s attention to the negative effects on seabirds caused by plastic pollution.
- One-third of global plastic production is non-recyclable and at least eight million tonnes of plastic flows unabated into our oceans and water bodies each year. It is ending up in the stomachs of birds, fish, whales, and in our soil and water.
2019 Theme: ‘Protect Birds: Be the Solution to Plastic Pollution!’
Balloons Are Killing Seabirds! Plastic Pollution Waste Pose Biggest Threat As Birds Eat Them Mistaking For Food.
Aim
- The theme aims to show how plastic pollution affects the ecosystem resulting in serious problems to migratory species around the world.
- The day tries to highlight the number of seabirds dying due to the effects of plastic every year. Between 1960 and 1980, the number of birds that ingested plastic has grown from 5% to 8%.
World Migratory Bird Day
It was initiated in 2006 in an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the requirement for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats.
| Chandigarh wildlife wing has created a new shallow water body at the Sukhna wildlife Sanctuary to mark the world Migratory Bird Day.
The Sukhna Lake Sanctuary, as per the latest record issued by the department, has registered 32 species of migratory birds this year. The species include Common Pochard, Rudy Shelduck, Purple Heron, Grey Heron, Spot Billed Duck, Cormorants, Pied Kingfisher, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Black Winged Stilts, Red-napped Ibis, Common Moorhen, Large Egret, Intermediate Egret, Pond Heron, Cattle Egret, Comb Duck, White Breasted Water Hen, Wagtails, Common Teal, Bar-Headed Geese, Wire-Tailed Swallow, Streak-Throated Swallow, Streaked Weaver, Green Shank, Common Snipe, Common Redshank, Temminck’s Stint and Little stint. |
Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)
The Convention on Migratory Species (UNEP/CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention, aims to conserve terrestrial, aquatic and avian migratory species throughout their range.
- CMS is an environmental treaty under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme.
- CMS provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats.
- CMS brings together the States through which migratory animals pass, the Range States, and lays the legal foundation for internationally coordinated conservation measures throughout a migratory range.
- Migratory species threatened with extinction are listed on Appendix I of the Convention.
- CMS Parties strive towards strictly protecting these animals, conserving or restoring the places where they live, mitigating obstacles to migration and controlling other factors that might endanger them.
- Migratory species that need or would significantly benefit from international co-operation are listed in Appendix II of the Convention.
- For this reason, the Convention encourages the Range States to conclude global or regional agreements.
- In this respect, CMS acts as a framework Convention.
- The agreements may range from legally binding treaties (called Agreements) to less formal instruments, such as Memoranda of Understanding, and can be adapted to the requirements of particular regions.
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