World Migratory Bird Day 2022

The world is commemorating World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) 2022, today. WMBD is an annual awareness-raising program that emphasizes the importance of migratory bird conservation and habitat preservation.

It has a global reach and is an effective instrument for raising global awareness about migratory bird issues. The relevance of their ecological importance, as well as the need for international cooperation to conserve them, has been felt all over the world.

Every year, people all around the world participate in WMBD. Bird festivals, teaching programs, exhibitions, and bird-watching excursions are all conducted for the public.

The international celebrations occur on the second Saturday in May and the second Saturday in October. During these days, countries or regions experience a surge in migration.

However, activities can be carried out at any time of the year because different seasons occur at different times. The theme of World Migratory Bird Day 2022 is “Dim the Lights for Birds at Night,” with the slogan “Dim the Lights for Birds at Night.”

The campaign strategy outlines the campaign’s strategic goals and key messages for 2022. The three primary organizing partners of World Migratory Bird Day agreed on this.

They are the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA), the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), and the non-profit organization.

Key messages for WMBD 2022

1. Light pollution is increasing globally. The amount of artificial light on the earth’s surface is increasing by at least 2 percent each year and could be much greater.

2. Each year, light pollution contributes to the death of millions of birds from collisions.

3. At night, excessive artificial light can disorient birds during their migration, leading to fatal collisions with illuminated buildings, communication towers, and other brightly lit structures.

4. Light pollution can cause other adverse effects on migratory birds.

5. It can alter birds’ behaviors, including migration, foraging, and vocal communication.

6. It affects their activity levels and energy expenditure and causes disorientation when they fly at night.

7. Artificial light at night can impact the timing of migration and other seasonal behaviors influenced by the disruption of birds’ biological clocks.

8. Migration routes can be affected by artificial light at night through birds being attracted to light, or conversely through aversion.

9. An enormous diversity of birds, active both nocturnally and diurnally, experience impacts of light pollution.

10. Many nocturnally migrating birds such as ducks, geese, plovers, sandpipers, and songbirds of all kinds are affected by light pollution.

11. Seabirds such as petrels and shearwaters commonly get drawn into hazardous situations on land and on ships by artificial light sources.

12. Solutions to address the impacts of light pollution are readily available. Numerous governments, cities, companies, and communities around the world are already taking steps to address light pollution.

13. Internationally agreed on guidelines on light pollution covering marine turtles, seabirds and migratory shorebirds already exist and have been endorsed by the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).

14. These include six simple management principles which can be used to reduce light pollution.

15. New international guidelines focusing on migratory land birds and bats are currently being developed under CMS. The new guidelines will be presented to CMS Parties for adoption at the 14th Conference of the Parties to CMS in 2023.

16. Natural darkness has conservation value in the same way as clean water, air, and soil, and should be protected.