Resources for Festival Coordinators
This year’s CEBF theme—Spread your Wings for Bird Conservation—highlights how our international and local laws, programs and protected areas help conserve our birds, and the actions that we can take to help birds. We invite you to celebrate with us and organize an activity in your island! Here are some ideas to help you with your planning and free downloadable resources are available below:
- Share the importance of of knowing bird conservation laws in your country, including stories about successful case studies where a bird species benefited as a result of conservation laws and actions and protection of key habitats.
- Teach about the endemic and special birds in your country and how they are protected by conservation laws.
- Raise awareness about poaching, illegal trade and the caged bird issue (people trapping and keep wild birds illegally, such as parrots, parakeets, bullfinches, grassquits and many songbirds) using local and international conservation laws and examples.
- Experience the birds that live in diverse habitats during your event.
- Engage the public in an activity to enhance habitat or protect birds in your community, such as a site clean-up, tree planting, or letters to decision makers.
Suggested CEBF activities:
- Give a talk about local laws (e.g., Wild Birds Protection Act), international laws and treaties (e.g., Convention on Biodiversity, Ramsar, etc.) and actions (e.g., setting up parks and protected areas, Important Bird Areas) that protect birds – powerpoint available below.
- If trapping and keeping wild birds in cages is an issue in your country, organize a campaign to educate your community.
- Host a bird walk in a park or protected area that highlights the importance of these areas for bird conservation.
- Identify gaps in protection – what endemic species are most vulnerable and what do they need to survive?
- Give a “shout out” to local governments and communities that have taken positive actions in favor of wildlife protection.
- Organize an art competition for youth that focuses on knowing local endemic birds and laws that protect them from harm.
- Create a leaflet or poster and social media campaign about illegal wildlife trafficking, poaching, pollution, etc. and the laws that are in place against these activities.
The following items are available for download at this link:
CEBF 2016 Press Release – English & español
CEBF 2016 Press Release-Template-English & español
Notes for Coordinators – English & español
Spread your Wings for Bird Conservation powerpoint presentation – English & español
Spread your Wings for Bird Conservation powerpoint presentation for our webinar on 5 May 2016 – English – this will be posted on YouTube soon
Regional cooperation a MUST for the conservation of Caribbean birds: the SPAW Protocol framework powerpoint presentation for our 5 May 2016 webinar by Alessandra Vanzella-Khouri, SPAW Program Officer, UNEP Caribbean Environment Program, Kingston Jamaica
A Hunter’s Tale: To hunt or not to hunt? – Activity 4-L from Wondrous West Indian Wetlands: Teachers’ Resource Book – great story and activity to do with youth in countries that have hunting and/or where boys shoot birds with slingshots.
Laws that Protect Birds in the Caribbean – Notes from coordinators-English and español
SPAW (Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife) Factsheet – English & español
The extinct macaws of the West Indies, with special reference to Cuban Macaw Ara tricolor – fascinating paper by James Wiley and Guy Kiran, published in the Bulletin of the British Ornithologists Club.
Helpful Links:
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW)
Article on illicit trade of birds and wildlife in Jamaica
Caribbean Against Wildlife Smuggling
Free Resources such as BirdSleuth Caribbean curriculum, Wondrous West Indian Wetlands: Teachers’ Resource Book, Caribbean Heritage Plants eBook, Looking Sharp Media eBook, and more.
CEBF Event Map – Register your event(s) so that they show up on the event map and calendar – this will help people find you and boost your attendance!
Please encourage other groups and organizations in your country to celebrate the festival and/or participate in your group’s activities. We are looking forward to hearing about the many exciting activities you will be organizing this year.
For more information about the CEBF and if you need help with materials or planning, please contact Ingrid Flores, Festival Coordinator, BirdsCaribbean: imbdcoordinator.pr@gmail.com