Posted on: May 11, 2014
Report by Asia-Pacific Regional Coverage
11 May 2014: On this year’s World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD), 10-11 May 2014, the UN highlighted the role of sustainable tourism in conserving migratory birds along their flyways. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed support for raising awareness about the threats to migratory birds from habitat destruction, over-exploitation, pollution and climate change.
WMBD is organized by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA). The theme of this year’s WMBD, titled ‘Destination Flyways – Migratory Birds and Tourism,’ presented an opportunity to spotlight ‘Destination Flyways,’ a project led by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The project seeks to develop sustainable tourism at destinations along the world’s major migratory bird routes, with the initial project phase focusing on eight key sites for migratory birds in Africa, Asia and Europe. The project will also work to generate revenue for improved management of biodiversity and involving local communities in sharing the benefits from tourism.
Bradnee Chambers, Executive Secretary, CMS, emphasized that bird-watching is part of a global multi-million dollar wildlife-watching industry and offers a significant source of income and employment to communities, especially in developing countries. UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai added that tourism, only by advancing biodiversity protection, can be a vehicle for sustainable growth, job creation and poverty alleviation. Monique Barbut, Executive Secretary, UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), noted that by investing some of the revenue from tourism to build sustainable tourism along the migratory bird routes, as the Destination Flyways Project will do, will help secure healthy ecosystems.
Both World Migratory Bird Day 2014 and the preliminary phase of the Destination Flyways project have been made possible through funding from the German Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB). [UN News] [UNWTO News] [WMBD website] [CMS News] [UNCCD News]
Original Link: http://asiapacificsd.iisd.org/news/wmbd-marks-the-launch-of-project-destination-flyways/