“Dim the Lights for Birds at Night!” – The World Migratory Bird Day 2022 Slogan Announced!

©NASA Space Observatory “Dim the Lights for Birds at Night!” has been selected as the official slogan of the 2022 edition of the UN-backed global World Migratory Bird Day campaign and was officially announced on 25th February 2022. This year, the campaign’s focus is on the impacts of light pollution on migratory birds. “World Migratory Bird Day 2022 is not only about raising awareness on the negative effects of light pollution on migratory birds. We also hope the campaign will trigger concrete commitments and pledges from Parties, cities, and other key stakeholders across the world,” said Amy Fraenkel, Executive Secretary of  Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). With the two peak days of the campaign, the aim is to raise awareness around the issue in May and initiate concrete actions to tackle light pollution in October.  Best practice guidelines are currently being developed under the Convention on Migratory Species to address this growing issue and ensure that action is taken globally to help birds migrate safely. Artificial light is increasing globally by at least 2 per cent per year and it is known to adversely affect many bird species. Light pollution is a significant threat to migratory birds, causing disorientation when they fly at night, leading to collisions with buildings, interfering with their internal clocks, or interfering with their ability to undertake long-distance migrations. “This year’s campaign highlights the impacts of the increasing but underestimated threat of light pollution on migratory birds. “Dim the Lights for Birds at Night” sends a simple but strong message that we need to act collectively to curb the use of unnecessary light at night so that we can reduce the negative impact it has on migratory birds,” said Jacques Trouvilliez, Executive Secretary of AEWA. Solutions to light pollution are readily available. For instance, more and more cities in the world are taking measures to dim building lights during migration phases in spring and autumn. Further information about the impacts of light pollution on migratory birds and steps one can take to address this issue will be made available on the WMBD website throughout the year. We encourage event organizers to start thinking of ways to incorporate the theme of light pollution and the slogan into their planned World Migratory Bird Day 2022 events and activities. For more information and to register WMBD events please visit: www.worldmigratorybirdday.org Related content: CMS COP13 Resolutions and Decisions on Addressing Light Pollution Resolution 13.5 - Light Pollution Guidelines for Wildlife Annex of Resolution 13.5 - National Light Pollution Guidelines for Wildlife including Marine Turtles, Seabirds and Migratory Shorebirds Decisions 13.138 to 13.139 - Light Pollution Guidelines for Wildlife Official announcement: https://www.cms.int/en/news/dim-lights-birds-night-%E2%80%93-world-migratory-bird-day-2022-slogan-announced

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World Migratory Bird Day 2022 Theme to Focus on Light Pollution

 Light Pollution will be the focus of the World Migratory Bird Day 2022 campaign. Artificial light is increasing globally by at least 2%…

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