Smart business leaders see nature as an assetAttitudes of consumers and business leaders are changing, with biodiversity being placed higher up on everyone’s agenda. This was the conclusion of a recent report compiled by The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB). The report gave some eye-opening statistics from a series of recent surveys. On changes in consumer awareness, the survey revealed that 60 percent of consumers in America and Europe were aware of the problem of biodiversity loss. to read more: |
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New directory set to help conserve Cuba’s birdsThe National Centre for Protected Areas (CNAP, BirdLife in Cuba) has launched an Important Bird Areas (IBAs) directory for Cuba. Áreas Importantes para la Conservación de las Aves en Cuba details 28 IBAs – Cuba’s highest priority sites for bird conservation – covering over 2.3 million ha or 21% of Cuban territory. The book was published with financial support from BirdLife International, the British Birdwatching Fair and the Canadian Wildlife Service/Environment Canada.to read more: |
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Guadeloupe gets first national IBA directoryAMAZONA (Association des Mateurs Amicaux des Z’Oiseaux et de la Nature aux Antilles) has published the Caribbean’s first national language Important Bird Area (IBA) directory. Les Zones Importantes pour la Conservation des Oiseaux en Guadeloupe represents the culmination of a collaborative effort by the island’s biologists and birders to gather all available knowledge about their birds, habitats and biodiversity to determine international priority sites for conservation.to read more: |
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Conservation and the Cook IslandsThe Cook Islands is home to Globally Threatened bird species such as Rarotonga Monarch Pomarea dimidiata. Once among the rarest birds of the world, this Endangered species has been brought back from the brink of extinction. Currently conservation measures are underway to develop an ecologically and commercially sustainable ecotourism venture on the island of Rarotonga where it is found. Intensive rat control is carried out during the breeding season, and an insurance population has been established on the island of Atiu.to read more: |
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Donation of ibis gives Middle East’s rarest bird renewed hope of survivalIn the time of the pharaohs, Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita was highly revered as of special significance and even had its own hieroglyphic symbol. But now this bird has become the rarest in the Middle East – with just three wild individuals in Syria, plus one juvenile reared this year. Formerly thought to be extinct in the wild in the Middle East, in 2002 researchers were delighted when they discovered a tiny population near the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria, their last known refuge in the region. to read more: |
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Iraq: war-torn nation or wildlife hotspot?If your impression of Iraq is a landscape of sandy deserts without a shade of green in sight, then a UK photographic exhibition organised by Nature Iraq (BirdLife in Iraq) and BirdLife International – and supported by the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) – will reveal an increasingly different view.to read more: |
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Assessing Nepal’s natural benefitsBird Conservation Nepal (Birdlife Partner) and BirdLife International with funding from the UK government’s Darwin Initiative programme, have embarked on a three-year project to assess and monitor ecosystem services – the benefits – that nature provides.to read more: |
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UN uses BirdLife’s IBAs as key indicatorThe newly published 2010 UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) report profiles one of BirdLife International’s key indicators for the first time – the degree of protection of Important Bird Areas (IBAs). The report presents the yearly assessment of global progress towards the MDGs, using indicators like the proportion of children that are under-nourished, the incidence of malaria and access to clean drinking water.to read more: |
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BirdLife Europe’s main successes celebrated in its first Annual ReportSince 1996, BirdLife has been a key partner of the European Commission and of other international organisations in developing, monitoring and implementing Species Action Plans for threatened birds, which describe in detail the reasons why a species is threatened and what needs to be done to save it.to read more: |
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NatureKenya oppose the destruction of Dakatcha Woodland IBANatureKenya (BirdLife Partner) is working alongside local community members to oppose the destruction of a vitally important woodland for biodiversity and people at the Kenya’s coast. In total 50,000 ha have been identified for conversion to grow Jatropha – a plant used for biodiesel production which is largely untested and potentially destructive. The area identified poses a threat to Dakatcha Woodland Important Bird Area (IBA) which lies within the proposed development. to read more: |
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Restoration model set to transform Indonesia’s forest sectorIndonesia’s forests, which have been severely diminished by logging and burning in recent decades, have received a boost as the Government of Indonesia doubled the size of the country’s first forest for ‘ecosystem restoration’. |
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BBC fund helps to keep albatrosses off the hookBirdLife seabird conservationists in Brazil have made a breakthrough with the protection of several species of imperiled albatross. Their efforts have shown that with simple measures around nine out of the ten albatrosses caught on longline fishing hooks three years ago can now be saved.to read more: |
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Brazilian Important Bird Areas get protectionBrazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has signed the creation of the Boa Nova National Park and the Boa Nova Wildlife Refuge, safeguarding this biodiverse Important Bird Area (IBA) and creating 27,000 hectares of new protected area.to read more: |
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Two million EU seabirds killed in a decadeFishing gear in EU waters is estimated by BirdLife International and the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) to have killed two million seabirds in the past ten years, more than the toll recorded from all the European oil tanker disasters put together as far back as the Torrey Canyon in 1967.to read more: |
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It doesn’t take brains to pick a world cup winnerCape Vulture Gyps coprotheres – one of Africa’s largest birds of prey – is believed to be under threat from the followers of muti magic in South Africa, who mistakenly believe smoking dried vulture brains will confer supernatural powers upon gamblers enabling them to predict match results from the forthcoming football World Cup.to read more: |
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No birds in the bushAustralia’s woodland birds, including many species generally regarded as common and widespread, are declining at an alarming rate according to Birds Australia (BirdLife Partner). This is a result of historic and current habitat losses, making Australia’s woodlands among the most threatened and degraded habitats on the continent.to read more: |
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Wetland aliens cause bird extinctionBirdLife International has announced, in the 2010 IUCN Red List update for birds, the extinction of Alaotra Grebe Tachybaptus rufolavatus. Restricted to a tiny area of east Madagascar, this species declined rapidly after carnivorous fish were introduced to the lakes in which it lived.to read more: |
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Turning or Breaking Point for Europe’s Wildlife?“The message from this report is clear: the EU needs to take decisive action if it wants to turn the tide on the deepening biodiversity crisis and follow on the pledge of the European Heads of State, who adopted a new ambitious target during their last European Council”, commented Ariel Brunner, Head of EU Policy at BirdLife International European Division. to read more: |
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Binoculars and Bodyguards – Looking for Iraq’s BirdsIn recent years, many people have been struggling to survive in Iraq. Even now the country’s far from safe. However, since 2005 Nature Iraq (BirdLife Partner) staff have been doggedly surveying the rich biodiversity found within their country, taking them to some of the most dangerous spots in search of elusive species like Critically Endangered Sociable Lapwing Vanellus gregarius. to read more: |
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Global outlook for biodiversity: massive loss likely – but avoidableThe third edition of Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-3), produced by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), confirms that the world has failed to meet the 2010 Target of achieving a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss. But building on the lessons learned from this failure, GBO-3 also outlines a new strategy for ………. to read more: |
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Migratory birds in crisisThis coming weekend, thousands of people are attending World Migratory Bird Day events which highlight migratory birds in crisis. BirdLife Partners around the world are celebrating bird migration, whilst also stressing the plight of some the world’s most threatened species. to read more: |
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A cartography of hope for biodiversity in the AmericasBird species in the Americas are getting a helping hand at sites across the Western Hemisphere, with the launch today by BirdLife International’s Important Bird Area (IBA) programme of a roadmap for conservation, the Americas IBA Directory. This publication identifies 2,345 top-priority conservation sites in all 57 countries and territories. The IBA program not only provides a blueprint for policy makers to make informed decisions on habitat protection and restoration but is already helping the conservation of both threatened and common species as well as a wealth of wider biodiversity. to read more: |
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World governments fail to deliver on 2010 biodiversity targetWorld leaders have failed to deliver commitments made in 2002 to reduce the global rate of biodiversity loss by 2010, and have instead overseen alarming biodiversity declines. These findings are the result of a new paper published in the leading journal Science and represent the first assessment of how the targets made through the 2002 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have not been met. |
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Audubon fears birds will become next victims of Gulf oil spillAudubon experts across the Gulf Coast are monitoring the spread of thousands of litres of oil that threaten to turn last week’s drilling platform explosion into a growing environmental disaster. |
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A baseline for conservation and livelihoods in PalauThe Palau Conservation Society (PCS, BirdLife in Palau), together with BirdLife International and other partners, is implementing a project to eradicate invasive alien mammals on the islands of the Kayangel atoll, Palau. |
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BirdLife Partner staff wins world’s top environmental prizeMalgorzata Górska from OTOP (BirdLife in Poland) has been awarded the world’s top prize for grassroots activists having led a successful campaign which stopped a road being built through Poland’s precious Rospuda Valley. |
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New items on the BirdLife International website:Fiji’s comic-book heroes of conservationChildren attending schools around Fiji’s Mount Nabukelevu IBA are to become the conservationists of the future, with help of a BirdLife project backed by the local and national government, and supported by the Keidanren Nature Conservation Fund. |
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South Atlantic becomes more seabird-friendlyBirdLife International and WWF South Africa recently achieved a major conservation success by improving the methods used by commercial fishermen in the south-east Atlantic Ocean to avoid killing seabirds. |
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News in Brief
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Western Siem Pang – Land of the GiantsWestern Siem Pang in Cambodia is one of the few sites in the world that supports five Critically Endangered bird species. It is perhaps best known as the home of the world’s largest population of White-shouldered Ibis Pseudibis davidsoni. However, its importance for another species of ibis is now becoming clear. to read more: |
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A Ruddy Long Way to FlyA technological breakthrough has enabled researchers from the Australasian Wader Studies Group – a special interest group of Birds Australia [BirdLife Partner] – to study the amazing migratory routes of Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres. Four birds fitted with ultra-light geolocators took just six days to fly from Australia to read more: |
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Flying hot off the pressWalking at a fast pace, without a single stop, it would take me 78 days to tramp the 9,000 km from South Africa back to the UK. |
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White Stork wait for FIFA World CupBirdLife South Africa (BirdLife Partner) have received numerous reports of White Stork Ciconia ciconia nesting on top of newly-built football stadiums in the country. This is seen as an omen of good luck and is fuelling hopes that an African country is destined to win this year’s 2010 FIFA World Cup. |
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News in Brief
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BirdLife: Champions for birds and people in AfricaBirdLife Partners from across Africa have just completed a meeting in Botswana, organised to deliberate on progress with their shared conservation vision, and to develop plans for the coming two years. Delegates from 23 African countries have been discussing a wide range of issues under the theme: ‘BirdLife: Champions for birds and people’. |
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BirdLife Partners call to save the Wadden SeaThe Wadden Sea is one of the last true wilderness areas in Northwest Europe. Characterised by vast mudflats, it stretches over three countries: Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands and is a complex of Important Bird Areas (IBAs) which are threatened by human activities. In response, three BirdLife Partners – DOF, NABU and Vogelbescherming Nederland (BirdLife Partners in Denmark, Germany and The Netherlands respectively) – have joined forces to fight for the conservation of this area to read more: |
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‘State of the birds 2010′ highlights threats to migrantsClimate change threatens to further imperil hundreds of species of migratory birds, already under stress from habitat loss, invasive species and other environmental threats, concludes a new report released by United States’ Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. |
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Caribbean’s first Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve designatedThe Cabo Rojo Salt Flats – within Puerto Rico’s Suroeste Important Bird Area – have been designated as the Caribbean’s first site of regional importance for shorebirds by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN, an international shorebird conservation strategy). The nomination was submitted by Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña (SOPI, BirdLife in Puerto Rico) and supported by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), North Carolina State University and the BirdLife Caribbean Program. to read more: |
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Brazil’s mightiest biomes get mapped the IBA wayBrazil 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. |
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Black-faced Spoonbill numbers up again as Action Plans are launchedBirdLife 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. |
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Slow Spring 2010 – Nature and photography event in ItalyFrom 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. |
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New Haitian school under strain as earthquake victims find refuge in Key Biodiversity AreaSince 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. |
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News in BriefStories in this News in Brief:
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Celebrating Natron’s Flamingos with actionThe 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. |
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BirdLife launches Africa Climate ExchangeThe 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. |
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Birdfair continues to Prevent ExtinctionIn 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) |
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NABU is 111 years oldNABU, 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. |
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New website for Canadian Important Bird Areas programmeBirdLife International’s Canadian co-partners Bird Studies Canada and Nature Canada have launched a new website for the Canadian Important Bird Areas (IBA) Programme. |
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BirdLife cares for wetlandsToday 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”. |
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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. |
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Twelve years of site support in Burkina FasoIn 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. |
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