As pressures mount on migratory birds, these cities are becoming safe havens
“Millions of people use these bus stops every day, so it is a great platform for us to help people understand things like the importance of green corridors,” says Nilgün Cendek, Director of the Urban Ecological Systems Directorate at the Istanbul Metropolitan Authority.
To get young people on board, the municipality is designing lesson plans on biodiversity for use in primary schools.
Officials are also organizing a workshop in May where local civil society groups and businesses, as well as experts and government officials, will discuss how best to safeguard green spaces, such as the much-visited Atatürk Urban Forest, and make the city more sustainable.
“With wide involvement and engagement, we hope to channel people’s growing interest, awareness and concern about biodiversity into momentum for conservation action,” Cendek says.
A high point of the campaign comes on World Migratory Bird Day, when the municipality and partners expect thousands of people to join in annual bird counts from vantage points in the city, such as the Büyük and Küçük Çamlıca hills.
Black storks, white storks, and birds of prey, including many species of eagle and hawk, often circle in large numbers over the city as they use warm air currents to gain altitude before continuing their migration.
Bird lovers armed with binoculars, cameras and telescopes already travel to Istanbul to witness the spectacle, highlighting how birds and their migration can support eco-tourism.
At least 134 migratory bird species are threatened with extinction, noted a 2024 report from the Convention on Migratory Species, a global accord designed to protect animals that travel across borders.
Of the 1,189 species listed under the convention, 44 per cent show population decline, with 22 per cent threatened with extinction.
Initiatives such as Generation Restoration Cities help inspire residents and support municipal and regional authorities around the world in networking and sharing experiences.
In the United States of America, for example, the city of Seattle has worked for years to accommodate the osprey, a fish-eating hawk that was threatened by the extension of pesticide use. The city’s parks department has erected nesting platforms at safe locations for the birds, which return each spring from South and Central America. According to the Urban Raptor Conservancy, a local conservation group, about 20 pairs nest within the city, which is part of the Generation Restoration Cities initiative.
“Seattle and Istanbul may be at opposite ends of the world but they converge on efforts to preserve spaces for birds. The most important lesson they teach us is that restored and sustainably managed urban areas can be havens in a changing world for wildlife as well as people,” says Mirey Atallah, Chief of the Adaptation and Resilience Branch in UNEP’s Climate Change Division.
Distribution channels: Environment
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