On October 8, 2022, the globe came together to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD), commemorating its second occasion of the year. The event is a global bi-annual campaign, designed to highlight the plight of migratory birds and stress the importance of their preservation, particularly the safeguarding of their habitats. WMBD is organized through collaborative efforts among the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) and Environment for the Americas (EFTA), a non-profit organization. Several dedicated organizations also lend their support, including the East Asian Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) and Bird Life International (BLI).
World Migratory Bird Day 2022: Focus on Light Pollution
The theme for 2022’s iteration of World Migratory Bird Day is “Light Pollution.” WMBD has centered its focus on light pollution’s detrimental impact on migratory birds, encouraging action on a global scale to ensure their safe migration. Artificial lights pose significant threats to these birds, such as causing distortions during night-time flights, resulting in building collisions and disrupting their ability to undertake long-distance migrations and disrupting their internal clocks.
A Closer Look at Light Pollution
Defined by CMS, light pollution is an ecological threat that manipulates natural patterns of light and darkness due to artificial lighting. The use of artificial light has been rising worldwide, with artificially lit outdoor areas growing by approximately 2.2% each year between 2012 to 2016. By 2022, this figure might be even higher. Today, over 80% of the world’s population lives under a “lit sky,” with numbers surging to almost 99% in Europe and North America.
Consequences of Light Pollution on Birds
Birds’ behaviours, including migration, foraging, and vocal communication, are significantly disrupted by light pollution. It can affect their activity levels and energy expenditure, most notably in birds that migrate at night. Disoriented by the light, birds can often become trapped in illuminated areas, leading to energy depletion, exhaustion, heightened predation risk, and lethal accidents. Several long distance migratory birds, like the blackpoll warbler, the Asian stubtail, and the oriental plover, encounter high levels of artificial light as they fly over intensely urbanised areas during their migration journey.
Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) or the Bonn Convention
The Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention, is an international agreement signed under the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) designed to conserve migratory species across their range. Originated in Bonn, West Germany, in 1979, the pact took effect in 1983. CMS offers a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats as part of the UN’s environmental treaty. India, a signatory of CMS, hosted the CMS CoP-13 in Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat, in 2020, and has even initiated the National Action Plan for conserving migratory species under the Central Asian Flyway. The country is a temporary home to several migratory animals and birds, such as Amur Falcons, Bar-headed Geese, Black-necked cranes, Marine turtles, Dugongs, Humpback Whales, amongst others, and is a significant part of the Central Asian Flyway network.