World Migratory Bird Day 2012 Breaks All Records - Most Successful Global Campaign Yet!

Bonn, 28 June 2012 - Over 250 events in a record 78 countries celebrated and raised awareness about migratory birds for World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) on 12-13 May 2012, making it the most successful of the seven held since the campaign’s inception in 2006! Under the theme “Migratory birds and people – together through time”, events focused on the historical, social, economic and environmental connections that people around the world have with migratory birds.

World Migratory Bird Day events were held on six continents in a great diversity of ways. From bird watching in Argentina and photo exhibitions in India to the City of Vancouver’s World Migratory Bird Day declaration and education seminars in Mongolia, the amazing diversity of World Migratory Bird Day events almost matches that of the birds themselves. Such a wide variety of activities shows how people can come together in different ways to celebrate migratory birds and highlight the need for their protection.

The World Migratory Bird Day Team would like to thank all the event organizers, bird conservation organizations, birding and concerned citizen groups, governments and finally the thousands of dedicated individuals that made 2012 our most successful campaign ever. Without the devoted work and passion from individuals and organizations such as you, World Migratory Bird Day would not be possible!

Visit the World Migratory Bird Day Event Reports Page to see event reports from around the globe!

See World Migratory Bird Day Event Photos on the new WMBD Event Flickr Photo Album.

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.

This year’s campaign was financially supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), which we acknowledge with gratitude.