Migrating birds acting as “early warning system” for habitat loss

Source by United Nations Radio

 

The changing habits of birds migrating through Asia is acting as an” early warning system” for the loss of coastal habitats, according to a network of organisations which protects migratory routes.

Wild Birds resting on Chale Swamp Lake near Dodoma, Tanzania UN Photo/B Wolff

Wild Birds resting on Chale Swamp Lake near Dodoma, Tanzania UN Photo/B Wolff

The East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership says that if birds need to change those routes it shows the eco-systems they depend on are degrading. The Flyway which encompasses the Arctic Circle in Russia and Alaska, southwards through East and Southeast Asia, to Australia and New Zealand supports over 50 million waterbirds of more than 200 species.

Thirty-three of those species are threatened with extinction.

The Flyway has partnered with the UN Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) at a meeting in South Korea.

Florencia Soto Nino asked Spike Millington, Chief Executive of the Flyway Partnership why people should care about birds.

To listen to the radio (Duration: 3’41”) :

 

To see the original article: http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/2014/10/migrating-birds-acting-as-early-warning-system-for-habitat-loss/?app=2&lang=en#.VD4ytmeSy4E

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