The coronavirus pandemic is reminding us that we live in a connected world. It’s an opportunity to revisit our relationship with nature and rebuild a more environmentally responsible world.
In 2020, the theme of World Migratory Bird Day on 9 May is “Birds Connect Our World.” It highlights the importance of conserving and restoring the ecosystems that support the natural cycles essential for the survival and well-being of migratory birds.
Migratory birds are part of our shared natural heritage and they depend on a network of sites along their migration routes for breeding, feeding, resting and overwintering.
“Many bird species are in decline around the world, and a major cause is the loss and destruction of their natural habitats,” says Amy Fraenkel, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals.
World Migratory Bird Day is organized by the Convention on Migratory Species and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement in collaboration with the Colorado-based non-profit organization, Environment for the Americas.
Launched in Kenya in 2006, the UN-backed campaign has grown in popularity over the years and countries recently agreed that World Migratory Bird Day is to be celebrated globally on two peak days—the second Saturdays in May and October—as a nod to the cyclical nature of migration.
As part of its broader environmental agenda, UNEP will mark World Environment Day on 5 June this year, celebrating biodiversity. The occasion’s theme – It’s Time for Nature – highlights how nature delivers vital services to humanity and the urgent need to halt its destruction.
Due to the current global health crisis, the event has gone digital and will provide online segments that will include high level dialogues, performances, interviews and a host of other web events to allow people to celebrate and take action for nature.
“As we plan our recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, we have a profound opportunity to steer our world on a more sustainable and inclusive path—a path that tackles climate change, protects the environment, reverses biodiversity loss and ensures the long-term health and security of humankind,” says United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
There is also an ethical concern to address biodiversity loss: we have a responsibility to pass on to future generations a planet as rich in natural wonders as the one we inherited.
Sustainable Development Goals 14 (life below water) and 15 (life on land) are the principal biodiversity-related goals, but all the goals depend on healthy ecosystems and biodiversity. As we enter the Decade of Action to deliver the Global Goals, the challenge is immense. UNEP is contributing to the Decade and progress is being made in many areas. However, action is not yet at the speed or scale required.
Nature is in crisis, threatened by biodiversity and habitat loss, global heating and toxic pollution. Failure to act is failing humanity. Addressing the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and protecting ourselves against future global threats requires sound management of hazardous medical and chemical waste; strong and global stewardship of nature and biodiversity; and a clear commitment to “building back better”, creating green jobs and facilitating the transition to carbon neutral economies. Humanity depends on action now for a resilient and sustainable future.