New items on the BirdLife International website:

Brazil’s mightiest biomes get mapped the IBA way

Brazil is a country of superlatives: big and biodiverse. Three of the most extensive biomes in the entire world — the Amazon Rainforest, the Pantanal Wetlands and the Cerrado savannas occur in Brazil. The Important Bird Areas (IBAs) of these three unique areas are now covered in a new publication Important Bird Areas in Brazil: Part II – Amazon, Cerrado and Pantanal.
In 2004, SAVE Brasil (BirdLife Partner) was established with the mission of conserving birds, their habitats and biodiversity, and working with people towards the sustainable use of natural resources. to read more:

BirdLife-news-2010/03/10

Black-faced Spoonbill numbers up again as Action Plans are launched

BirdLife International has compiled International Action Plans for three globally Endangered and Critically Endangered migratory waterbirds in Asia, under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species.
The action plans for Critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper Eurynorhynchus pygmeus and Chinese Crested Tern Sterna bernsteini were launched recently. to read more:

BirdLife-news-2010/03/05

Slow Spring 2010 – Nature and photography event in Italy

From 1 April to 30 May 2010, DELTA 2000, a local Italian environmental organisation, with the support of LIPU (BirdLife in Italy), will organise ‘Slow Spring 2010′, an initiative which will include several events such as photo exhibitions, sport and ecotourism activities and will take place in the Po Delta Region, Italy. The 5th International Po Delta Birdwatching and Nature Tourism Fair will play a central role in Slow Spring 2010 and will open its doors on 30 April 2010.
The event reinforces its position as the main country event in Italy. It will host the leading companies from the optics and photography sectors, as well as clothes and specific tools for environmental education. to read more:

BirdLife-news-2010/03/04

New Haitian school under strain as earthquake victims find refuge in Key Biodiversity Area

Since 2007, BirdLife has been working with the Société Audubon Haïti (SAH) to develop sustainable livelihood strategies for the communities in the southern buffer zone of the Macaya National Park, building on the results of socio-economic use and impact studies. Severe poverty in these remote communities has resulted in the unsustainable use of the region’s natural resources.
The Massif de la Hotte is a mountainous area in south-westernmost Haiti. The region’s forest has been reducedto read more:

BirdLife-news-2010/02/25

News in Brief

Stories in this News in Brief:

• WOW Newsletter available;
• Monitoring, indicators and targets;
• Is Europe ready for global leadership on biodiversity in 2010?; . .
• 2010: celebrating swallows;
• New site for owlet.

to read more:

BirdLife-news-2010/02/13

Celebrating Natron’s Flamingos with action

The 2010 World Wetlands Day celebrations in Tanzania focussed on a meeting to support the conservation of Lesser Flamingo Phoenicopterus minor (Near Threatened) through the completion of a National Single Species Action Plan.
“This is an important step in ensuring the protection of this important species not only for Tanzania but also for the world”, said Lota Melamari – CEO of Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania (WCST, BirdLife Partner). “This action plan provides Tanzania with an opportunity to ensure that threats facing Lesser Flamingo are thoroughly addressed”, he added.to read more:

BirdLife-news-2010/02/18

BirdLife launches Africa Climate Exchange

The BirdLife Africa Partnership has launched a new website about climate change and its impacts on biodiversity in Africa. Developed by the BirdLife Africa Partnership, the Africa Climate Exchange (ACE) uses birds and BirdLife’s Important Bird Area (IBA) network to demonstrate how biodiversity in Africa will respond to Climate Change, and what can be done to mitigate its impacts.
“The Africa Climate Exchange is an extremely valuable resource for anybody who wants to know more about the impacts of climate change on birds and biodiversity”, said Dr Hazell Shokellu Thompson – BirdLife’s Regional Director for Africa.to read more:

BirdLife-news-2010/02/17

Birdfair continues to Prevent Extinction

In its third and final year as Global Sponsor of the BirdLife Preventing Extinctions Programme, the British Birdwatching Fair has delivered yet another huge boost to species conservation with the presentation of a cheque for £263,000 (US$411,500), the proceeds from the 2009 fair. This takes the total raised by the Fair in its three year support for the Preventing Extinctions Programme to £754,000 (US$1.18 million)
Birdfair organisers Martin Davies and Tim Appleton presented a cheque to Dr Leon Bennun – BirdLife’s Director of Science, Policy and Information – at a ceremony that took place at The Lodge, the headquarters of the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) on 9th February 2010. to read more:

BirdLife-news-2010/02/12

NABU is 111 years old

NABU, the Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union (BirdLife in Germany) recently celebrated its 111-year anniversary. With over 420,000 members and sponsors NABU is Germany’s most representative environmental organisation.
“NABU tells a successful story of social commitment for nature conservation and environmental protection in Germany”, said NABU’s President Olaf Tschimpke during the press conference in Berlin which celebrated the anniversary. to read more:

BirdLife-news-2010/02/10

New website for Canadian Important Bird Areas programme

BirdLife International’s Canadian co-partners Bird Studies Canada and Nature Canada have launched a new website for the Canadian Important Bird Areas (IBA) Programme.
The main goals of the IBA Canada website are to raise awareness of the IBA Programme, to share information about Canada’s IBAs, and to empower more Canadians to reconnect with nature as to read more:

BirdLife-news-2010/02/04

BirdLife cares for wetlands

Today is World Wetlands Day and this year’s theme – Caring for wetlands: an answer to climate change – highlights the bonds between wetlands, biodiversity and climate change. “Caring for wetlands is part of the solution to climate change”, said Melanie Heath – Senior Advisor on Climate Change at BirdLife. “If we manage them well, wetland ecosystems and their biodiversity have a vital role to play in mitigating against, and adapting to, climate change”.
Freshwater ecosystems are vital to life on earth, despite occupying less than 1% of the earth’s surface. They provide ecosystem services – such as water, fish, water purification and flood control. to read more:

BirdLife-news-2010/02/02

Spring is coming!

BirdLife International has once again launched its annual Spring Alive campaign to celebrate the miracle of bird migration. Now in its fifth year, the campaign gets European children aged between 8 and 12 years old to send in their first sightings of four species of bird, White Stork Ciconia ciconia, Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica, Common Swift Apus apus and Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus, via the Spring Alive website.
Last year the campaign collected nearly 94,000 observations and this year, for the first time, Spring Alive will also be collecting sightings in Africa. to read more:

BirdLife-news-2010/02/01

Twelve years of site support in Burkina Faso

In 1997, Georges Oueda of Naturama (BirdLife in Burkina Faso) came to the northern wetland of Oursi to find volunteers to perform water bird counts. Acting on a request from the government, who had been asked by Wetlands International to organise participation in the African Waterbird Census, he asked the mayor of Oursi town to identify young people keen to be trained as ornithologists.
A group of about six young men took up the challenge. Among them were Housseini Salou, Maiga ‘Mero’ Hamidou and Aly Issa, now president, deputy and member respectively of the board of Site Support Group (SSG) Oursi.to read more:

BirdLife-news-2010/01/29