World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) 2019

World Migratory Bird Day 2019, theme "Protect Birds: Be the Solution to Plastic Pollution!", will be held on 10 May in Kep Province, Cambodia. Kep is located along the costline on southwestern part of Cambodia, which is one of tourist destinations and was granted ASEAN Environmentally Sustainable Cities in 2017 and ASEAN Clean Tourism award in 2018. Coastal areas in Cambodia support numbers of migratory shorebirds which move to wintering ground every year. Plastic waste enters the oceans and washes up on the shores each year, being mistaken for food by birds. They are not only feeding plastic themselves, but feed the plastic to their chicks. So this WMBD 2019 event aims to inform local people, students, and public about the importance of coastal wintering grounds and the negative impact of plastic waste on the birds. The event will be co-organized by Department of Freshwater Wetland Conservation of General Directorate of Administration for Nature Conservation and Protection, Ministry of Environment and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership. We will approach other partner organizations or institutions for their support and sponsorship to the event. The event activities including photos shooting, short lecture and speech from experts, Q&A, beach cleanup, and other activities. We expect about 350 to 500 people will participate in this event including local students, university students, local authorities, rangers, site managers, birdwatchers, local communities, and NGOs.