Thanks for taking the time to visit the Beijing Cuckoo Project JustGiving page.
This is an exciting project with two important aims. First, public engagement: to enthuse the Chinese public about the wonders of bird migration. And second, science: to discover the currently unknown wintering grounds and migration route of the Beijing Cuckoo.
The Project brings together the expertise of the BTO with Chinese academics, birdwatching societies and schools. The cuckoos will be named by Beijing schoolchildren who will follow their progress, learning about their amazing journeys and the threats they face as part of a special "environmental curriculum" being piloted in Beijing schools.
The Beijing Cuckoo Project will be covered by mainstream Chinese media, reaching 100s of millions of people who would not, ordinarily, read about bird migration and specially-designed social media APPs will ensure the reach goes even further, allowing members of the public to track the cuckoos' progress.
The Project has received generous financial support from the Zoological Society of London, the Oriental Bird Club and the British Birds Charitable Trust which pays for the satellite tags. Support in kind has been generously offered by the BTO and the Chinese organisations. However, another GBP 10,000 (EUR 12,500, USD 14,300, CNY 92,000, HKD 110,000) is needed to pay for the satellite time and to develop a dedicated APP to front the social media outreach.
This is an exciting project that promises to have a huge media profile in China, promoting awareness about bird migration and biodiversity. In a country where the environment is almost absent from the State curriculum, the importance of this project to bird conservation in China cannot be overstated.
