World Migratory Bird Day 2014

One of BirdLife Botswana’s strategic objectives is to create an interest in wildlife conservation (particularly of birds) among children and youth. Once a year over the last four years, BirdLife has organised World Migratory Bird Day celebrations where children from schools and a number of institutions with disadvantaged children take part (e.g. www.birdlife.org/community/2012/06/this-years-wmbd-celebrations-in-botsw...). These events have previously been held in Bokaa (2009), Mogobane (2010), Otse (2011), Tlokweng (2012) and Mogoditshane (2013) and during 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 were financially supported by the US Embassy through their Ambassador’s Initiative Fund. For 2014, in efforts to take the event outside of the Greater Gaborone region, and especially to rural Botswana, we plan to celebrate the event in Jwaneng, with participants coming from schools in the Jwaneng catchment area. Given the rapid declines of Botswana’s vultures, they will constitute one of the migratory bird groups of interest for the 2014 World Migratory Bird Day.