The Migratory Birds for People (MBP) programme is about 30 wetland visitor centres across Europe and West Africa in a network that follows the flight path of many migratory wetland birds species.
These centres are working together to share best practice and develop new approaches to delivering wetland messages to their visitors. We have an MBP strategic plan and the MBP Mission visual update 2018 that will help you understand what the programme aims to do, an MBP workplan 2021-22, and a summary action plan poster to which you can add your details.
The lead group for the project consists of the Dutch Staatsbosbeheer, WLI, and Wetlands International West Africa. We also work with partners across Europe and Africa. Please see the contacts list for details.
Optics for Africa
Where possible, MBP visitor centres in Europe collect binoculars and telescopes and share them with members in West Africa.
First handover!
Adil Boulahia of WWT hands over 12 sets of binoculars to Ibrahim Hama of Wetlands International West Africa. WWT Slimbridge donated this first batch of optics in October 2019.
We invite any member centre to participate! Find out how.
Social media guidelines
Together with partners Eurosite we produced an introductory guide to using social media at wetland visitor centres and nature reserves. In 2021 we produced these more advanced guidelines, which we are presenting one chapter at a time between the MBP Annual Meeting and the end of the year, with a PDF to follow.
Educational Map
Discover the East Atlantic Flyway through games! The MBP flyway map is an educational resource developed by MBP members, a fabric map of 2 x 1.5 metres. You can download a free guidebook of activities, compiled by the network.
Map of the Migratory Birds for People network
You may click on the map (2017) in order to enlarge it on screen.
See our new poster (left, version for Naturum Getterön, Sweden) that can be tailored to your own centres – we can provide the design file (publisher) for you to add your own logo, pictures and examples, for display at your centre. Just contact Chris Rostron to arrange for us to send it to you.
On the right is our updated map, thanks to Theo de Bruin and Edorta Unamuno for producing it.
Newsletter, films, coordination and meetings
Regular newsletters are produced by Isabelle Zwick and Ausrey Cadou. Please also check out the archive of more than a decde of newsletters produced by MBP co-founder Roelof Heringa.
They give updates on meetings, project development, and partner news: subscribe here. We also have a Facebook and Instagram page.
Video for centre screens
We have a promotional video for visitor centre screens. MBP volunteers produced and translated it in Arabic, Basque, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Luxembourgish, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish.
Annual meetings
2021
Our 2021 annual meeting was online, in the afternoons of October 11 and 12. We had our usual review of the past year and planning for the next, as well as presentations from MBP members and inspirational external groups.
This meeting had full simultaneous interpretation between French and English.
Read the meeting report, including our work plan for 2021/2.
2020
In 2020 we held our first virtual Annual Meeting. On 12 November we met, as usual, to review the past year, and plan for the next one, but we even managed some online birding!
The meeting report summarises the presentations from members and guests, and links to recordings and PowerPoints from the meeting.
2019
Twenty MBP colleagues gathered at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre, in October 2019 to review the past year and plan for the next. Here’s the summary, with some photos, or read the full meeting report here.
2018
This meeting took place at the Maison du Lac de Grand Lieu, near Nantes, France from the 24th to the 27th of September 2018. To see the summary report of the meeting, please click here. For some feedback from some of the participants here’s what said they would be taking home to their wetlands centres and organisations.
MBP News
WLI Update March 2015
WLI Update March 2015 New Partners Welcome to US partners from Driftless Area Wetlands Center and John Bunker Sands Wetland Center, both part of our US-Russia exchange programme. Migratory Birds for People meeting Our recent meeting at Oostvaardersplassen was a great success: a group of ten of us worked on identifying short and long term…
MBP newsflash
Dear colleagues, We would like to inform you briefly about the recent developments in the “Migratory Birds for People”- network. The annual MBP-meeting in 2015 will take place on the 14th and 15th of September at the bird centre in Urdaibai/Spain. Please put this date already into your calendar! MBP is on Facebook! Anyone in…
WLI News August 2014
New Partners California Waterfowl Association, US; Holmen Wetland Centre, Norway. MBP Annual Meet 2014 (Europe) There is still time to register for the Migratory Birds for People (MBP) annual meeting, this year hosted by our colleagues at the Camargue in the south of France. We will be focussing on practical next steps for this East…
Migratory Birds for People – New Poster
The Migratory Birds for People group have produced a new promotional poster that can be adapted to any wetland centre along the West Atlantic Flyway. Check our MBP pages to take a look, or contact Chris Rostron for a publisher version that can be used with your own logos and information.
WLI update October 2013
New Partners WLI North America Last minute planning for the WLI North America Webinar is taking place, to be held on the 29th of October, with speakers from wetland centres across Canada and the US, a workshop on how to evaluate CEPA activities on site, and discussions about how to develop and take forward WLI…
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