Three groups join hands for bird awareness across globe

Three leading bird conservation organisations on Thursday announced an innovative partnership to boost awareness about the plight of migratory birds around the globe.

The new alliance formally unites two of the world's largest bird education campaigns, International Migratory Bird Day and World Migratory Bird Day, in a bid to strengthen recognition and appreciation of migratory birds and highlight the urgent need for their conservation.

The Convention on Migratory Species, the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds and Environment for the Americas outlined their new cooperation in a partnership agreement at a side event on the margins of the 12th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species, or CMS COP12, this week.

The collaboration establishes a single, global campaign organised around the planet's major migratory bird corridors. These include the African-Eurasian, the East Asian-Australasian and the Americas flyways.

"With this new partnership agreement, we are uniting our voices for bird conservation and setting the stage for a new global venture in efforts to raise awareness and appreciation of migratory birds," an official statement quoting CMS Executive Secretary Bradnee Chambers said.

Susan Bonfield, Executive Director of Environment for the Americas, said: "Birds do not recognise political boundaries, so their conservation depends on our joint efforts at the many habitats they need for nesting, migratory stopovers and wintering grounds."

"This partnership represents our desire to work together for the benefit of migratory birds around the globe."

An inter-governmental task force to curb illegal killing of birds crossing one of the world's greatest migration paths will also be high on the agenda at this largest wildlife summit, which began on October 23.

The East Asian-Australasian Flyway spans 22 countries from the Russian Federation to Alaska in the United States in the north, through much of Eastern Asia to the Western Pacific and Australia and New Zealand in the south.

Millions of migratory birds, which travel along the Flyway twice yearly, will receive greater protection if the proposal is adopted.

Delegates from over 120 countries gathered in the Philippines till October 28 for the CMS COP12 -- the only international treaty devoted exclusively to migratory animal species -- where they will consider this submission.

--IANS

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