British Birdwatching Fair
| Founded | 1989 |
|---|---|
| Type | Bird Festival |
| Location | |
|
Area served
|
birdwatching |
| Website | http://www.birdfair.org.uk/ |
The British Birdwatching Fair or Birdfair is an annual event for birdwatchers, held every August at Rutland Water in England. It is described as the birder's "Glastonbury". A large number of suppliers of binoculars, cameras, books, clothing and other birdwatching equipment, plus artists and tour companies, display and sell their wares. There are also lectures and other attractions.
The first fair was held in 1989. All the organisers' profits are donated to a charity, Birdlife International. Prior to the 2008 fair, visitors had contributed £1,488,000 to international bird conservation. The 2009 event attracted 22,800 people and raised £263,000 for BirdLife's work in saving critically endangered birds around the world. The 2015 fair raised £320,000 making a total of £3,996,152 since the inception.
Other countries are replicating the fair, the most important being the South American Bird Fair, which was first held in 2010.
Each year the Birdfair has a different fundraising theme; a list of these is as follows, with the approximate amount raised:
The fair's theme was Saving Important Areas in Africa: Project Madagascar and the focus was on Tsitongambarika Forest, which was designated as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International in 2001. The forest was designated for its distinct flora and fauna, and is the only area in south-east Madagascar which supports significant areas of lowland rainforest. It is still theatened with deforestation, despite the environmental protection given in 2015 by the government.
Coordinates: 52°39′22″N 0°42′07″W / 52.656°N 0.702°W
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