MIGRATION is a fascinating topic that has posed research questions for decades. Although the how, where, when and why of navigation and routing continues to interest scientists, a newer urgent question, concerning the effects of climate change on biodiversity and animal migration, must be addressed.

In both celebration of, and concern for all things living, 2010 has been declared the International Year of Biodiversity by the United Nations.

The Ministry of Environment and Tourism, as custodians of our natural environment, has through their Directorate of Environmental Affairs invited and supported the development of local resource materials to enhance awareness of our unique Namibian heritage, our biodiversity.

Birds are wildlife that can be seen by almost everyone every day. Because migrant bird species move across the globe, they can be seen as ambassadors for the world's biodiversity and for our responsibility to reduce threats to life on earth.

NARREC (Namibia Animal Rehabilitation, Research and Education Center) has produced a poster on migrant birds and their migration routes to and from Namibia.

These routes are both within Africa, intra-continental, as well as from Europe and Asia,inter-continental.

The poster also highlights threats to biodiversity; climate change, pollution and habitat alteration. These negative actions and events, together with other inappropriate human behavior, occur globally and threaten a wide variety of flora and fauna.

Migrant bird species are vulnerable to poor land management, and unethical behavior, over many lands, as twice a year they move on their north-south routes through countries and across continents. Although most birds take a general route, a number of birds use "fly-ways."

Most bird species travel more or less on-time, arriving in Namibia from late September through to November and leaving again from March through April.

Some birds migrate close to the earth and others up to 2kilometers high. Besides their physiological and genetic direction finders, the birds use mountains, rivers, coastlines, the sun, the stars and the winds to navigate.

Before leaving on migration birds pack on fat, some even double their weight even though all do need to stop and feed en-route. From Asia, eastern, central and western Europe, northern and central Africa, to and from southern Africa, migrant birds move to follow a summer bounty.

Although Namibia and Africa does not have the bird that holds the record for the smallest of migrants, a three gram American hummingbird species that flies around 3 200 kilometres a year, we do see the Arctic Tern which holds the world's distance record.

For decades the Arctic Tern has been recognized as the most spectacular of all migrating birds. The National Institute for Educational Development (NIED) will distribute 7000 posters to schools in the thirteen regions. Posters will also be given to the Ministry of Youth.

Anybody interested in acquiring posters can contact NARREC through www.narrec.net.

Liz Komen is the Director of the Namibia Animal Rehabilitation Research and Education Centre (NARREC).