For decades, the CIC Migratory Birds Commission (MBC) has been a cornerstone in the CIC’s activities, as migratory birds need international concern more than any other taxon. Birds and their habitats are under heavy exposure to human activities worldwide.

 

The overall goal of the Commission is to safeguard migratory bird populations and their habitats on a global level.

 

CIC MBC is a large-scale institution working mainly with Western Palearctic and East Atlantic flyways, while expanding its activities to East Asia. It plays a technical and scientific role based on networking and co-ordination, and cooperates with national, regional and international governmental and non-governmental bodies through modern means of communication, symposia, workshops etc. Wetlands International, The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and The African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) are key co-operating organisations. The Commission holds the seat of CIC in the Technical Committee of AEWA, while it supports research and management projects with focus on breeding grounds.

 

Bird Migration

Worldwide some 8,600 bird species can be identified, of which a high proportion is tropical non-migratory bird. The quantification of migratory species is highly complicated as many different migratory regimes occur.

About 300 bird species breeding in the Arctic is known to migrate and winter in temperate, subtropical or tropical zones. The regions hosting the majority of species are West and Central Europe, South East Asia and Latin America. Bird migration is typical in the Northern as well as the Southern hemisphere, although most common in the previous one.

 

The Definition of Migration

The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS or Bonn Convention) defines migration as: “Migratory species means the entire population or any geographically separate part of the population of any species or lower taxon of wild animals, a significant proportion of whose members cyclically and predictably cross one or more national jurisdictional boundaries”.

 

Why Migration?

The continuing drift of continents towards higher latitudes began soon after the first appearance of birds some 150 million years ago. The increase in the diversity of habitats led to the evolution of migration in different species. Migratory behaviour is a result of a balance between various “costs” and “benefits”. The benefits originate from the ability of birds to inhabit different regions during seasons when they provide favourable conditions. At higher latitudes, longer days provide more time for feeding their young, permitting rapid growth and less nest predation, due to the shorter season. In high latitudes, however, the season is short and migrants may have only one chance to breed before they must make their return flight to warmer regions.

 

Navigation

The navigation ability of migratory birds has always fascinated man, and scientists are still challenged by the exploration of the migratory phenomenon. Several systems are known: obviously, birds identify the landscape and are able to navigate according to a “map” developed during previous migrations. In addition, to find their way, birds use celestial bodies and locations based on a magnetic compass. These systems are used in a combination.

 

Migratory Routes and Flyways

The migratory routes, in the sense of the tracks followed by the birds, are numerous. Some are simple and easily identified, while others are very complicated, diverse and dynamic. Migratory routes are mainly north-and-south orientated, and they often follow coasts, mountain ranges, river valleys and other major topographical features. The word “flyway” is used in an administrative sense, and can be seen as integrated migration routes associated with one or more geographic regions, which are responsible for the conservation measures of the species following that flyway.

 

Hunting Migratory Birds

Counting hundreds of species and millions of specimens, migratory birds constitute an enormous natural resource, which has always been and still is exploited by man under regimes of subsistence and recreational hunting. The total annual harvest is unknown, but counts millions of birds.

 

MBC regards hunting as an acceptable utilisation of natural resources, provided it is sustainable and applies to the principle of wise use, as it can:

• provide income to support wildlife conservation;
• improve conditions in rural areas;
• offer local people incitement to conserve nature;
• constitute a valuable recreation for the individual, while widening his scope and understanding for local and worldwide nature conservation.

 

To improve the sustainability of hunting, there is an increasing demand of international cooperation in the management of migratory birds, including more accurate monitoring of harvest levels.