15 May 2011: In 2011, World Migratory Bird Day was celebrated on 14-15 May under the theme”Land use changes from a bird’s-eye view.”

The Day is an annual campaign devoted to raising awareness about migratory birds and promoting their conservation worldwide. It is organized by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA). Other main partners of the global campaign are: BirdLife International, Wetlands International and the Secretariat of the Partnership for the East Asian – Australasian Flyway (EAAFP).

In his message to mark the day, Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, notes that migratory birds have been called “global sentinels of environmental change” because in the course of a year they move between and sample the health of many different places and habitats throughout the world. He points out that their state of health provides us with a clear signal about the overall changing state of our environment. [Website of World Migratory Bird Day 2011] [UNEP Press Release] [Ramsar Press Release]