We are very pleased to join this year’s global celebrations
of World Migratory Bird Day together with our colleagues around the world. As
the theme Raising Awareness for Migratory Birds suggests, migratory birds
connect the ecosystems of our world.
As they fly from place to place, these birds join communities
across the globe. As they move, they help maintain ecosystem services that are
vital to us human beings. Migratory birds are of major importance for people’s
food security and livelihoods. Throughout their travels birds contribute to
pollination. Many human communities also rely on the regular influx of migratory
animals as a basis for subsistence, or for economically important hunting,
fishing, tourism and recreation. The conservation and sustainable management of
migratory species populations is therefore a key contribution to the broader
goals of sustainable development.
Migratory birds also serve as bridges between human cultures.
The arrival and departure of species have inspired art and literature that link
our societies. Yet the irony is, in our increasingly interconnected world,
migratory species are in decline and are under pressure from a number of
sources.
The habitats upon which they rely on are increasingly being
degraded and fragmented. Crucial resting, feeding and breeding grounds along on
their cyclical journeys are under threat from land use change, invasive alien
species, pollution and a host of other human created impacts including climate
change. The good news is that around the world, countries, communities and
organizations are building the networks that will help protect the migratory
birds of the world.
The Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and its Aichi
Biodiversity Targets support these endeavours. While many of the targets are
relevant for combating the pressures on migratory species, some are of
particular relevance:
- Target 5: Halt the fragmentation and loss of the habitats
upon which migratory birds depend
- Target 11: Support the creation of more protected areas and
ensure that these areas, on land and in the sea, are not only well managed but
are integrated into the wider landscapes and seascapes
- Target 12: Prevent extinctions of known threatened species
and improve the conservation status of others, many of which are migratory
birds. It is encouraging to see that in creating its own strategic plan, the
Convention on Migratory Species is taking the Aichi Targets into account, thus ensuring
even greater coherence and coordination in our activities.
The Strategic Plan of the Convention on Biological Diversity
helps promote the mobilization of partners. Networks of non-governmental and
international organizations, and others, are emerging to conserve important
habitats for migratory birds and to ensure that these key sites are identified
and safeguarded.
The Convention is delighted to be part of a broader
biodiversity community that is developing the networks of cooperation and
collaboration that will help us to build a future of life in harmony with nature.
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