News

2nd May 2008: Madagascar Pond-heron thrown a lifeline...

The Endangered Madagascar Pond-heron Ardeola idae has received much-needed attention from all its range states. Delegates from nine African countries recently came together in Nairobi (Kenya) to develop a Species Action Plan to reverse the heron’s alarming population decline. The species was considered to be common half a century ago. It is now listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List of threatened species.

The Madagascar Pond-heron breeds in Madagascar, Aldabra, Europa and Mayotte - all Western Indian Ocean Islands. Outside the breeding season it migrates to mainland Africa, where it frequents small, tree-lined freshwater pools. The estimated world population of less than 6,000 birds is spread over an area of 2 million square kilometers. There are now indications that if action is not taken soon, the species may be on a fast track to extinction.

“The number of breeding herons at one site declined from 232 birds in 2007, to none in 2008”, said Julien Ramanampamonjy, a founder member of ASITY Madagascar - an NGO dedicated to protecting Madagascar’s birds. In response, delegates attending the Nairobi workshop developed a Species Action Plan to help save the heron. In his opening remarks to the workshop, Dr Hazell Shokellu Thompson (Africa Regional Director of BirdLife International) emphasised the need for not only an action plan, but also for concerted effort to implement any recommendations. “Since the Species Action Plan looks at threats and identifies priorities, it is a useful tool for advocating action to save the species”, he said.

Participants made several recommendations for action to enhance the Madagascar Pond-herons survival. Key recommended actions include the gathering of further information on the species’s occurrence and ecology, raising its profile and protecting breeding sites.

Source: BirdLife International

21st April 2008: The great migration crisis

Many of the birds that migrate to Britain and Europe from Africa every spring, from the Willow Warbler to the Cuckoo, are undergoing alarming declines, new research shows. The falls in numbers are so sharp and widespread that ornithologists are waking up to a major new environmental problem – the possibility that the whole system of bird migration between Africa and Europe is running into trouble.

It is estimated that, each spring, 16 million birds of nearly 50 species pour into Britain to breed from their African winter quarters, and as many as five billion into Europe as a whole, before returning south in the autumn. Many are songbirds weighing next to nothing, and their journeys of thousands of miles, including crossing the Sahara desert each way, have long been recognised as one of the world's most magnificent natural phenomena on the scale of the Gulf Stream or the Indian monsoon. But now their numbers are tumbling precipitately.

Well-loved migrants such as the Spotted Flycatcher, the Garden Warbler and the Turtle Dove are increasingly failing to reappear in the spring in places where they have long been familiar. Across Britain, many people who used to look forward each year to hearing the first Cuckoo – just about now, in the third week of April – no longer have the chance to do so. If fewer and fewer birds are returning to their breeding grounds, the inevitable consequence is that their populations will shrink ever more rapidly, ultimately, towards extinction. That may still be a long way off for the global populations of many migrants, but in Britain, several species are heading towards disappearance.

This worrying prospect is outlined in the first full statistical account put together by experts seeking to understand what is happening and why. Figures in an unpublished survey produced by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds paints a startling picture of plunging populations. Of the 36 British-African migrant species for which there is long-term population data (going back to 1967), 21 have declined significantly.

The study, compiled by the RSPB research biologist Steven Ewing and likely to be published later this year, goes on to show that this pattern is not confined to Britain. It is being repeated across Europe as a whole, from Spain to Finland, with 27 out of 37 European-African migratory species for which there is reliable long-term population data – 72 per cent of the total – undergoing declines.

Source: The Independent

15th April 2008: African BirdLife Partners integrate climate change issues into their conservation programmes

The scientific evidence for climate change and its damaging effects on people, biodiversity and habitats is overwhelming. It is already having multiple impacts on birds and their habitats, including: changes in behaviour and phenology, such as timing of migration; range shifts and contractions; disruption of species and community interactions climate change therefore clearly poses new challenges to traditional approaches to conserving biodiversity through site-based approaches, such as Protected Areas (PAs) and Important Bird Areas (IBAs). The BirdLife Partnership in Africa has become increasingly concerned about this issue and the possible adverse implications for biodiversity and the people dependant on it.

Using the “Conservation in the face of climate change” project, a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation-funded project as a launch pad, the Partnership is now gathering the necessary scientific and policy information to help them integrate climate change issues into their conservation programmes. The project aims at developing an Adaptive Management Framework (AMF) for the conservation of birds and other biodiversity across Africa.

The overall goal is to develop a model for improving the resilience of high biodiversity areas or networks in Africa against the projected impacts of climate change and thus ensure they retain their efficacy for protecting biodiversity and providing ecosystem services into the future. Specific outputs will include: a model that is adaptable and modifiable to suit local African conditions linking a network of high-biodiversity sites across the continent; a menu of policy options for dealing with the impacts of climate change and a web-based information exchange facility accessible to all to be used in sharing of the experiences and knowledge from this project and other initiatives.

The matter is now considered urgent, given that climate change is already happening. “We intend to develop a plan and projects on climate change in this year”, said Achilles Byaruhanga, CEO NatureUganda (BirdLife in Uganda). “More importantly we hope to develop adaptation measures to cope with anticipated effects of global warming such as the more frequent and severe floods expected in some areas of Uganda”.

NatureUganda is not alone in this drive to develop the measures necessary to ensure that biodiversity conservation gains made so far are not eroded by climate change. BirdLife Partners in Africa will be implementing the MacArthur Foundation-funded project across Africa, especially in the Albertine Rift where in addition to NatureUganda, the Association Burundaise pour la Protection des Oiseaux (ABO) and the Association pour la Conservation de la Nature au Rwanda (ACNR) will be leading development of a pilot adaptive management framework starting with a workshop planned for May this year. In addition, the BirdLife Africa Partnership Secretariat together with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Durham University are modelling the distribution of birds under different climate change scenarios. This information, some of which will be presented at the May workshop will help conservationists in Africa to plan adaptive measures.

Source: BirdLife Africa

14th April 2008: Communities unite to protect White-necked Picathartes

A survey of the Western Area Peninsula Forest (WAPF) in Sierra Leone has discovered two new breeding colonies of the Vulnerable White-necked Picathartes Picathartes gymnocephalus, in addition to the 16 sites already known. The survey was part of a one-year project carried out by volunteers from the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone (CSSL, BirdLife in Sierra Leone), the University of Sierra Leone, and the government’s Forestry Division, with help from local communities.

The project, funded by the Disney World Conservation Fund (DWCF), also established a network of trained wardens in villages surrounding the WAPF reserve.

White-necked Picathartes is a flagship for bird and habitat conservation in Africa. Its extant population is restricted to the fragmented Upper Guinea forest in Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone, with historical records from Ghana - though none since the 1960s.

In Sierra Leone, numbers are estimated at 1,400, with populations in forest reserves close to the minimum for long-term viability, and numbers are apparently stable or declining very slowly. The survey established that the number of nests in the WAPF colonies had fallen by 20 percent in the ten years from 1997 to 2007.

Much of the project work was carried out by members of one of Africa’s longest established Site Support Groups, PAGE, the Peninsula Action Group for the Environment. “This group commands considerable respect and recognition among the local communities,” said CSSL volunteer Arnold Okoni-Williams. “Through PAGE’s influence and facilitation, the project team was able to plan and execute project activities with minimal difficulty at all village levels.” A number of awareness-raising seminars and training sessions were held in the villages around the WAPF, which Okoni-Williams says has resulted in a common understanding and a strong commitment to conserve the species and its forest home.

The major achievements of the project include:

• A complete database with details of geographic locations and ecological status of the 18 known sites, and population data. This is being used for monitoring and management purposes.
• A wardening system around all known Picathartes colonies through a network of trained SSG members in 11 communities around the forest reserve.
• Over 1,000 local people are now aware of the status and conservation needs of the White-necked Picathartes through village seminars, posters and brochures, and radio programmes.  
• Capacity of the project team, PAGE and local communities have been enhanced for sustainable site-level conservation initiatives.

“We are grateful to DWCF for their timely intervention to contribute to saving one the most isolated populations of White-necked Picathartes, for the sake of posterity and overall global biodiversity conservation,” Okoni-Williams added. “We continue to rely on their support on this and other potential conservation programmes in the future.”

The ‘International Action Plan for White-necked Picathartes’, developed by the BirdLife International Africa Partnership, sets out to address the conservation needs of the species through habitat protection and local partnership development, with the ultimate aim of stabilizing and/or increasing the population among range states.

Source: BirdLife International

9th April 2008: Avitourism 'takes off' in South Africa

Avitourism (birding’s ecotourism) is proving be one of BirdLife South Africa’s most powerful conservation tools. Tourism has outperformed all other sectors in South Africa’s economy, with two popular ‘Birding Routes’ generating an estimated US$6.4 million annually for local people. As a result, BirdLife South Africa has announced the development of six new Birding Routes in the Western Cape and Cape Town areas.

Birding Routes provide tourists with suggested itineraries, trained local guides and birder-friendly accommodation within areas of spectacular avian diversity. This successful combination is providing sustainable conservation, increased bird awareness and vital employment opportunities for local communities.

More than 140 guides have been trained to date, creating a new generation of conservationists in some of the country’s poorest areas. The benefits speak for themselves, with many guides now speaking of the value of birds – both economically and ecologically. “I am taking bird guiding as my career path. Not only has my family benefited from bird guiding, but the whole of Nyoni village now thinks twice about birds. I am fully involved with the community conservation programme”, said Shusisio Magagula (Amatikulu).

Community projects often fail in their early years due to a lack of support and resources for marketing, managing and fundraising. Part of the Birding Routes success has been setting up of local offices which facilitate joint marketing, bookings and support of the guides, whilst also providing a single point of information and resources for the guide’s clientele.

The new routes will afford tourists guided-access to over 600 bird species, of which 28 are endemic to the Western Cape, such as Cape Siskin Serinus totta, Orange-breasted Sunbird Nectarinia violacea and Cape Sugarbird Promerops cafer. A two-week trip could be expected to yield in excess of 350 species.

“The Birding Route system has worked very well in Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal, but the Western Cape’s wonderful variety of birds have enjoyed less of a profile than its other assets such as whales and wine. We’d like to see this change, and these routes could help to achieve it”, said Dr Anton Odendal (BirdLife SA project manager).

By expanding the number of Birding Routes, BirdLife South Africa is proving just how effective avitourism projects can be. Working alongside local people, the routes are successfully linking social, economic and environmental needs – crucial characteristics of effective sustainable development.

Source: BirdLife International

9th April 2008: North African houbara release 'very exciting'

Abu Dhabi: In line with the UAE's strategic efforts to increase the number of houbaras in the wild, General Shaikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has participated in the release of more than 5,000 North African houbaras.

General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed participated in the event which happened in an area of about 300km inside the eastern desert of Morocco.

General Shaikh Mohammad said: "This release of the houbaras in North Africa was necessary to meet the continuous decline of houbara numbers due to the destruction of their wintering and breeding habitat, over-trapping and over-hunting in addition to illegal trade, all of which require insistent steps to restore a healthy houbara population in the wild."

The released houbaras had been bred in captivity at the Emirates Centre for Wildlife Propagation (ECWP) in Missour, Morocco. This release is considered to be the largest reintroduction of endangered species into the wild so far.

The houbara bustard, the species that has been reintroduced has been seriously threatened by a combination of detrimental factors as well as habitat loss.

Source: Gulf News

28th March 2008: Albatross Task Force ‘spreads its wings’ to cover more countries

Fighting to save the albatross from extinction, BirdLife International and the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) are doubling the number of countries – from three to six - in which they work.

New research from Namibia, Uruguay and Argentina highlights these iconic seabirds are dying in large numbers within their waters. All three countries represent globally important hotspots for albatrosses. A recent report shows that Namibian longline fisheries alone kill over 30,000 seabirds, including albatrosses annually.

In response, BirdLife International and the RSPB are committing over £2million ($4million) to double the reach of the Albatross Task Force (ATF). The ATF is the world’s first international team of experts advising fishermen about ways to reduce seabird deaths by making fishing techniques more ‘albatross friendly’

Dr Ben Sullivan, the BirdLife Global Seabird Programme Coordinator, said: “Operating in some of the harshest seas in the world, the ATF has made outstanding first steps towards its goal of reducing seabird bycatch and stemming the decline of albatross populations.”

All albatross species are of global conservation concern, and 86% (19 species) are facing extinction. The main cause of these population declines is bycatch in longline and trawl fisheries. Existing ATF teams in Brazil, Chile and South Africa have already highlighted albatross bycatch hotspots and are working with the fishing industry to introduce measures, like streamer lines, to minimize this bycatch.

Dr Ben Sullivan added: “Early results from the Brazilian Task Force suggests that the number of birds killed is more than halved when vessels are deploying streamer lines”.

“We are delighted that the Task Force is showing signs of success. Albatrosses are dying today needlessly. The increase in the Albatross Task Force will enable us to put more members on boats to prevent more albatrosses dying tomorrow”, said Dr Sullivan.

Source: BirdLife International

20th March 2008: Europe's rarest finch finds favour

Azores Bullfinch Pyrrhula murina has become the latest Critically Endangered species to find a Champion through the BirdLife Preventing Extinctions Programme. Birdwatch magazine has stepped forward to provide vital funds for the work of the Species Guardian, SPEA (BirdLife in Portugal).

Much work has already been done for this species with significant funding to SPEA through the EU Life Fund, but this is coming to an end. With so much already achieved Birdwatch’s decision has provided a timely intervention for conservation work to help Azores Bullfinch.

“It is fantastic news that Birdwatch has joined the Preventing Extinctions Programme and has become one of a growing number of Species Champions”, said Jim Lawrence, the BirdLife Preventing Extinctions Programme Development Manager.

Azores Bullfinch, known locally as Priolo, is confined to eastern São Miguel in the Azores, Portugal. It has suffered through widespread loss of native forest and invasion by exotic vegetation, which has largely overrun the remaining patches of natural vegetation within the species's breeding range. These funds will enable the continuation of crucial habitat restoration work to increase the core range of this species. The exact number of bullfinches is unclear. In the 1990s the population was estimated at 200-300 individuals. However, surveys since 2002 have indicated a rise to around 340 individuals, a sign that habitat restoration is already having an effect.

Already described as the biggest and most wide-ranging bird conservation programme the world has ever seen, BirdLife’s Preventing Extinctions Programme aims to save all 189 Critically Endangered birds, by finding ‘Species Champions’ who will fund the work of identified ‘Species Guardians’ for each bird - organisations and people best placed to carry out the conservation work necessary to prevent an otherwise certain extinction.

If you would like to help Birdwatch support Azores Bullfinch visit their online donation site at www.justgiving.com/priolo

Source: BirdLife International

27th February 2008: Sociable Lapwings tracked to Sudan

Two Sociable Lapwings Vanellus gregarius, satellite tagged in Kazakhstan last summer, have flown more than 5,000 miles to central Sudan, where they have spent the winter. Satellite tagging is adding rapidly to our understanding of the distribution of this Critically Endangered species outside the breeding season.

The birds left Korgalzhin in central Kazakhstan on August 3, 2007 and arrived at Viransehir, Turkey around October 8. They joined a flock of over 3000 birds - the largest assembly of the species recorded in over a century - before leaving Turkey in late October, arriving in Sudan on November 3.

The last sighting of Sociable Lapwings so far south in Africa was by Dr Mark Avery of the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK), who saw a small flock in Kenya 20 years ago.

Conservationists from the Sudanese Wildlife Society, part-funded by the UK government’s Darwin Initiative, will try to locate the Sudanese birds, count them and find out more about the sites they are using. Ibrahim Hashim, a Research Professor at the Sudanese Wildlife Society, said: "Finding these birds will not be easy because they are in a remote region where few people go. But that will benefit them because it means they should suffer little disturbance."

Dr Rob Sheldon, an ecologist with the RSPB, said: "The more we know, the easier it will be to improve their protection and help them increase their numbers."

Maxim Koshkin of Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity in Kazakhstan (ACBK) added that better understanding of the migration and wintering patterns of this Critically Endangered species will enable conservationists to identify sites which need to be protected, to bring Sociable Lapwing back from the brink of extinction.

"We feel privileged to have these birds in Sudan and are very happy that we can play a part in increasing their numbers," said Professor Ibrahim Hashim. "These birds are now being protected on their breeding grounds in Kazakhstan and we hope very much to give them equal protection in Sudan."

Source: BirdLife International

23rd February 2008: In Madagascar, Pioneering a New Model for Conservation

An innovative project in Madagascar pioneered a new model for managing the country’s wetlands while also supporting the communities that depend upon these ecosystems for their livelihood. With support from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, BirdLife International engaged local community associations and industrial food producers in protecting the Mahavavy-Kinkony Wetlands Complex.

The organisation also worked with government officials and representatives from local communities to establish a collaborative structure for managing the area.

In January 2007, protection for the area was assured when the government of Madagascar included the wetlands in the declaration of an additional 1 million hectares of new protected areas in the island nation. It is the largest wetlands area to be added to the country’s growing roster of protected areas.

The 268,236-hectare complex in the Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands Hotspot includes lakes, rivers, marshes, shorelines, and mangroves. It is home to 12 globally threatened species of birds, reptiles, and fish. The threatened birds include endangered Madagascar Teals Anas bernieri, Madagascar Sacred Ibises Threskiornis bernieri and Sakalava Rails Amaurornis olivieri.

There is a “very high level of threat to many species, as the habitats are under so many pressures,” said Roger Safford, program and projects manager for BirdLife International.

Previously, Madagascar’s protected areas did not lend themselves to protecting a large wetlands complex inhabited by a large human population, Safford explained. BirdLife International was one of the many organisations that helped the country’s government create the new approach. The new model incorporates mechanisms for monitoring and conserving biological resources, as well as enabling local communities to participate in and ultimately, directly manage these efforts.

Source: Conservation International

8th February 2008: Congo Wetlands reserve to be world's second largest

WWF has welcomed the World Wetlands Day announcement of the world’s second largest internationally recognized and protected significant wetlands reserve in the Congo “as a clear sign of the world’s increasing interest in the green heart of Africa. “This underlines the importance of the Congo region as an area that is vital to global climate regulation, biodiversity, and the rights and welfare of indigenous peoples,” said WWF International Director General James Leape.

Around 300,000 people live in the 5,908,074 hectare Grand Affluents RAMSAR wetland, with the four major tributaries to the Congo flowing through it being the origin of its name as well as making the area an important transport network. The world’s largest RAMSAR wetland is the 6,278,200 ha Queen Maude Gulf Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Canada.

Other green heart of Africa  RAMSAR sites declared on World Wetlands Day included wetlands on major Congo tributaries such as the Libenga and the Sangha in The Cameroons and two coastal wetland reserves important to migrating birds at Cayo-Loufoualeba and Conkouati-Douli.

WWF International’s wetlands manager Denis Landenbergue, a veteran of the long and challenging process of achieving the declarations, said they were “an outstanding achievement” of the governments and agencies concerned. "This will help secure water and livelihoods for millions of people and the conservation of important water features, forests and habitats,” he said. “Areas of these wetlands are particularly important dry time refuges for elephants, hippopotamuses and buffalos and for many migratory bird species.”

"WWF lauds the effort in this, the second driest continent, to secure clean and abundant water for millions of people. Wetlands are a critical source of water and other countries would do well to take Africa's lead," said Richard Holland, WWF's Freshwater Director.

Source: World Wildlife Fund

28th January 2008: Lake Natron local people reject proposed soda ash development

Local people from Lake Natron voiced their concerns at a public hearing held on 24 January to the proposed soda ash plant there which would threaten the world's largest population of Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor. “There is no need to accept a project that will later destroy us”, said the traditional chief from Pinyinyi, one of the villages adjacent to Lake Natron. He likened the development to "taking a fish and throwing it into the bush".

About 80-100 people, including representatives from communities from around the lake, attended the meeting in Dar es Salaam Tanzania and convened by the National Environment Management Council of Tanzania (NEMC). There was strong opposition to the proposed development. People representing local communities from around the lake lamented the lack of consultation in the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment. They think that the proposed factory would not deliver jobs for themselves as the plant would need educated and skilled workers. They fear that instead it would endanger employment gained from tourism which benefits many locals, including women who make and sell beadwork.

This meeting added further opposition to the development which the BirdLife International Partnership has been working against over the past six months. “We strongly believe that the cumulative impacts from the proposed facility have a high risk of causing extreme detriment to the Lesser Flamingo population should the project be allowed to be developed in Lake Natron area” said Mr. Lota Melamari, the CEO of WCST (BirdLife in Tanzania) at the public hearing.

The Lake Natron Consultative Group, which the BirdLife Africa Partnership is part of, rejected the project at the hearing. “The local community will lose their sources of livelihoods owing to over-use of water by the factory and their livestock economy risks being destroyed; but what will they get in return?” The Group insist that the best way to use the natural resources of Lake Natron is to enhance ecotourism which is already thriving.

Many other stakeholders, including the Journalists Environmental Association of Tanzania, the Lawyers Environmental Action team, the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators and the Ilkisongo Pastoralists Initiative, oppose the development. A fine artist based in Arusha said he was willing to compensate Government with proceeds from his sale of paintings of Lesser Flamingos.

In a further recent development, WCST with representatives from the BirdLife International Secretariat and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (BirdLife in the UK) briefed 22 of the 29 members of the Tanzania Parliamentary Committee on the Environment on Lake Natron. “This information will help us as we seek to understand the whole project and its implications and how to advise Government on the way forward” said the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee. The Committee also hopes to go to the site before giving their submissions to Parliament.

“It's our sincere hope that our Government will carefully analyse and hear all interested and affected stakeholders views before making a final decision on this issue” said Lota Melamari, CEO of WCST.

Source: BirdLife International

17th January 2008: Bald Ibis jigsaw falling into place

Efforts to save the Middle East’s rarest bird have been boosted by two chance sightings of the species 1,500 miles apart. Northern Bald Ibises were seen last month in the Jordan Valley for the first time in 13 years, and in Djibouti, east Africa, for the first time ever, raising hopes that numbers of this species are not as low as scientists fear.

The bird was thought extinct in the Middle East in the 1990s before a colony of just six birds was found in Palmyra, Syria in 2002. Since then, adult and young birds have been fitted with satellite tags by the RSPB and BirdLife Middle East, to try to discover and protect their migration routes and wintering sites. The tagged adult birds are currently in Ethiopia for the winter.

Dr Jeremy Lindsell, a Research Biologist at the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK), said: “These sightings are great news. They were entirely unexpected and in some ways deepen the mystery of where they go on migration. The fact that the birds are in three different sites away from their breeding grounds reflects the little we know of their numbers and where they go. It also shows how essential it is that we keep tracking the birds so that we can protect them throughout their range.”

Two adult Northern Bald Ibises were spotted on the Yardena cliffs on the Israel / Jordan border early last month. They were seen by a researcher surveying black storks and had disappeared when he returned the following day. Two weeks later, a young Bald Ibis was found on the beach at Tadjoura, eastern Djibouti, by a group of Swedish birdwatchers. The bird was searching for food and its appearance astonished the visitors.

Dr Henrik Lind was amongst the visiting group from the Swedish bird organisation Club300. He said: “We knew about the Syrian birds and our first thought was that this bird was from Palmyra. When a young boy from the village saw the bird, he told us there were others nearby. We didn’t find the others but it was fantastic to see one Bald Ibis so far from where they breed.”

Tracking adult birds was successful in 2006 when three birds flew a total of 3,700 miles to the Ethiopian highlands and back last spring. But readings from the satellite tag fitted to a young bird last summer failed in August and the fate of that bird is unknown.

The Djibouti find is more significant for scientists because the bird was a juvenile and very few of the 25 birds fledged in Syria since 2002 have returned.

Conservationists fear the missing birds are being shot on migration but until they know the young birds’ migration route, they cannot alert hunters to their rarity.

Scientists hope to tag more young birds in Syria this summer in a second bid to reveal their migration route. The also hope to agree steps to protect the species from hunters, with colleagues from Ethiopia, Yemen and other countries on the adult birds’ migration route.

The only other known population of Northern Bald Ibises is in south-west Morocco but it is thought that the birds in the Jordan Valley and Djibouti flew from Syria.

Sharif Al Jbour of BirdLife said: “Unless there is another colony we know nothing of, it seems young Bald Ibis are strong enough to fly as far as Djibouti which is nearly 1,700 miles from Palmyra. “We are gradually piecing the jigsaw together but it is a long process fraught with problems. How we alert hunters in remote areas to just how rare this bird is, is something we must urgently resolve.”

Source: BirdLife International

7th January 2008: The insanity of planting ‘a new’ Mabira

The issue of converting close to a third of Mabira tropical rain forest to sugarcane growing has caused an uproar. Scientific facts are likely to be replaced by arguments that will win debate. Have you ever imagined what would happen if a dose prescribed by a doctor for one patient was shared between ten patients or vice verse? What would happen if the civil engineer’s advice on ratios of materials for construction of a multi-storeyed  building were ignored because cement is expensive or mud substituted cement?

The present day domesticated plants have their origin in the wild; notably tropical high forests. They still have their relatives in these forests. These forests offer the greatest opportunity of genetic materials both for domestication and improvement of the existing cultivars. The new crops that we shall need for disease resistance, varieties to withstand extreme temperatures, saline soils due to irrigation necessitated by global warming all have answers in the wild. For instance coffee wilt is wiping out our coffee plantations; our fallback position will be the coffee in the wild. Kibale National Park contains wild coffee that can provide a solution. Indeed, local residents are currently harvesting some of this wild coffee for sale.

A climax forest like Mabira has taken hundreds of years to evolve. It has gone through several stages of succession, rain and soils being the most influencing factors. Once such a stable climax forest is established, it begins positively influencing the micro and macroclimate of the area in terms of humidity, temperatures and possibly rainfall regimes. To state that one can plant a similar forest elsewhere is ignoring scientific facts to say the least. Every forest ecosystem is unique in terms of biodiversity, ecological importance and location. The services offered by the forest are unique. Each plant and animal that lives there is unique.

Many new drug trials have been made in apes that primarily dwell in forests. A chimp that lives in Mabira looks the same as one that lives in Kalinju forest but they slightly differ in their genetic make-up. So they can be used for different drug trials.  This diversity in the same species is evident even in human beings. Take for instance people who have been constantly exposed to HIV but continue to test negative, a case in point being discordant couples. This is a case of speciation within the same species, evolutionary process in progress. This makes members of a species though looking the same but slightly differing genetically. This is the reason why we must have diversity in a natural forest.

The animals that live in a given forest have a home range, territory within which they meet their basic needs. I am wondering whether it has been scientifically proven that the forest that which remains after the Mabira giveaway will suffice the requirements of resident and visitor animals. Most crops depend on pollinators to bear fruits, most of which reside in forests and depend on various plants for their needs. It is not  clear whether the forest to be planted as a replacement will cater for this need. Conversion of a tropical high forest into sugarcane entails destruction of an ecosystem, which has been home to many organisms. Some of these once harmless creatures will turn into serious crop pests and problem animals once their ecological habitat is destroyed.

One argument has been that the sections of the Mabira forest to be allocated are occupied by poor quality timber species like the paper mulberry. A colonising forest is not expected to have high quality timber. It suffices to say that the soils in these previously encroached areas are forest soils and will enable quick forest succession. However, it is important to note that timber production is one of the peripheral uses of a natural forest.

A natural forest is conserved for ecological reasons other than that of timber production; a lesson which proponents of Mabira giveaway need to know. Mabira located in between two big towns of Kampala and Jinja can be a major tourist destination for both local and international tourists. Mabira is one of the islands of solace where people will be or are already spending and helping this country earn revenue and create jobs.

 
I am still not convinced that Uganda has a comparative advantage in agro-processing than other countries. Tourism is one of the industries where we enjoy a comparative advantage over others.

The threat of global warming as a result of too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is not only real but also already affecting us. Temperatures are increasing as evidenced by receding snow on Mt. Rwenzori and Mt. Kilimanjaro. 

Uganda is one of the least prepared countries to mitigate and adapt to the effects of this phenomenon. It would therefore be insanity to remove one of the biggest carbon sinks in this country.

There is no way the envisaged planting of sugar cane can be better than conservation of Mabira given values of direct goods and indirect services and aesthetic values of the natural forest. An alternative land should be found for the sugar project.

The writer is an environment specialist

Source: Monitor Online

22nd December 2007: Mabira Giveaway Not Yet Resolved

PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has resurrected the controversial Mabira Forest giveaway debate, telling the NRM Parliamentary Caucus that the issue is yet to be resolved. Presenting his 11-page statement on industrialisation to the Caucus on 17th 12-2007, President Museveni urged them to take a decision.

"Those opposing industrialisation, apart from being enemies of NRM, are, in particular, enemies of the youth because they are the ones who need these jobs. I can no longer tolerate this. I will mobilise the youth to smash politically all these cliques obstructing the future of the youth and the country," Mr. Museveni said.   
                    
The President also defended Mehta's request for the acquisition of 7,100 hectares of Mabira Forest, to be turned into a sugarcane plantation, saying the investor only wanted some land in the under-utilised part of the forest. "Mehta wants to expand his factory in Lugazi. He wanted some land in the under-utilised part of Mabira because there was no alternative land nearby and we could not shift the factory. Criminals and charlatans kicked up lies and even caused death of people in Kampala. We suppressed the thugs. This issue should be resolved," Mr. Museveni's statement reads in part.

A clandestine government plan to give away 17,540 acres, nearly a third of the forest to Mehta, drew strong resistance from environmentalists and the public.
Sporadic riots broke out in the country in April this year, claiming the lives of one Indian and two Ugandans. But more than eight months later, no official government position has been reached. However, in October, Finance Minister Ezra Suruma announced to the world that the government had dropped the controversial plan to give away part of Mabira forest.

This was at a dinner meeting hosted by the South American President of the Republic of Guyana, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo, in Georgetown. The President's announcement therefore appears to contradict Dr Suruma's declaration. The Caucus is yet to debate President Museveni's document, experts say that should members endorse the Mabira giveaway as part of the industrialisation agenda, it will be a setback for environmental activists who have crusaded for months against the giveaway of the forest.

Ecological experts have argued that razing part of Mabira would threaten rare species, dry up a watershed for streams that feed Lake Victoria and remove a crucial buffer against pollution of the lake from two industrial towns.

Talking about his 'vision' for an industrialised Uganda, the President told the Caucus that NRM must find the answers to what he described as 'bottlenecks to the much-needed rapid industrialisation of the country'. "I need cohesion from all you [MPs] on this matter. This is where the future of the country lies. If we don't industrialise the country, where shall we get employment for the youth?" Mr. Museveni asked.

He added: "Some of the industries need big chunks of land; examples of this are sugar, palm oil, bio-fuels etc. Some don't need too much land. We need and we are capable of having both." Available figures calculated by Environmental Alert show that the cost of cutting away part of Mabira in terms of carbon credit is estimated at $316 million. The value of the land is estimated at about $5 million and the value of the wood at another whopping $568 million. This means the public stands to lose almost $890 million [about Shs1.5 trillion) as a result of the overnment's plan to degazette part of the forest.

Source: Nature Uganda

22nd December 2007: Parks and Reserves Face Extinctions, Severely Altered Landscapes  

Climate change will affect national parks, forest reserves and other protected areas around the world, in some cases altering conditions so severely that the resulting environments will be new to the planet, according to a study presented Monday at the U.N. climate change talks in Bali, Indonesia.

Scientists from Conservation International (CI), the University of Wisconsin and the University of Maryland analyzed the World Protected Areas Database with ten Global Climate Models and three different scenarios examined by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

They found that under the most likely scenario, more than half the world’s protected territory is vulnerable to impacts of climate change, with some regions facing the disappearance of current climatic conditions by 2100 or a transition to conditions not found on Earth in the previous century.

“We previously assumed that if the land is protected, then the plants and animals living there will persist,” said Sandy Andelman, lead author of the study and CI’s vice president who heads the Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) network. “That may be wishful thinking.”

Countries where 90 percent or more of the total protected territory has climate conditions that will disappear globally or be transformed to novel climates are Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guyana, Ivory Coast, Mexico, Niger, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Togo, Uganda and Venezuela.

With millions of people living in the most seriously affected countries, maintaining the health of protected areas and the biological diversity they contain is crucial to the availability of fresh water, food, medicines and other life-sustaining benefits of nature.

However, the study indicates that climate change will cause increased extinctions of species unable to adapt to altered climatic conditions, and substantial changes to the natural ecosystems.

“We urgently need to better understand how climate change will affect life on Earth so we can develop solutions, and to do that we need consistent data about long-term trends at a very large scale,” Andelman said.

Her TEAM network, established through CI funding, monitors such long-term trends in the biological diversity of tropical forests. A network of tropical field stations using standardized methods of data collection allows scientists anywhere on Earth to quantify how tropical nature is responding to climate change and human impacts. The first five TEAM sites operate in tropical forests across Latin America, with the program expanding to Africa and Asia by the end of 2008 and plans for 20 sites on three continents by the end of 2009.

The study also identified “refuge” countries where protected areas face minimal risk from climate change, including Botswana, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone and Somalia. Ensuring the adequate protection of nature reserves in these countries will provide baseline information to help understand the dynamics of biological diversity relatively unaffected by climate change.

Along with Andelman, the paper’s authors are Jan Dempewolf of the University of Maryland, Jack Williams of the University of Wisconsin, and two members of CI’s Center for Applied Biodiversity Science – Jenny Hewson, a remote sensing specialist, and Erica Ashkenazi, a GIS specialist.

Source: Conservational International

10th December 2007: Giant rainforest in Sierra Leone wins protection

A rainforest in Sierra Leone has won protection from the country's government for an indefinite period in a move heralded as one of the first examples of a state using forest conservation to cut its carbon emissions.

President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone is expected today to back the plans to make the 185,000 acre Gola forest, about half the size of London, the nation's second national park. This will protect at least 50 species of mammal, 2,000 different plants and 274 species of bird, 14 of which are close to extinction.

It is hoped that Gola, close to the Liberian border in the south-east of the west African country, will become the flagship site in a network of national parks planned by the President.

The Gola project is being funded by the European Commission, the French Government, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Conservation International.

Source: The Independent

7th December 2007: Airline linked to parrot smuggling

Ethiopia Airlines, the state-run carrier, is to study claims that it was involved in wildlife smuggling - after 500 endangered African Grey Parrots were found on one of its planes. The birds were seized in Cameroon on Tuesday by a charity, the Last Great Ape Organisation, and Cameroonian troops.

Source: The Independent

6th December 2007: Kenya: Turning to Birds to Boost Revenue

After registering success on beach and wildlife tourism, Kenya is now turning an eye to its priceless birds to shore up revenues. Though part of the wildlife, bird tourism has for long been ignored despite its potential to bring in extra foreign exchange earnings. Currently, there are only 250 'birders' also known as bird watchers, who come to Kenya each year, spending about Sh45 million.

But the problem that has left many players desperate for answers is that despite having less bird diversity than Kenya, some African countries have managed to attract more visitors, hence making more money from bird watching. In South Africa, for example, bird watchers, who form the largest single group of eco-tourists, contributed between $11 million to $24 million to the country's economy in 1997.

This is what Kenya is trying to emulate in a bid to put the country in the league of the world's leading tourist destinations. In fact, more than 1,090 bird species have been recorded in the country, making Kenya one of the most attractive bird watching destinations in the world. According to Nairobi-based organisations Nature Kenya and BirdLife International, all conservation outfits, the country holds one of the world records for most birds seen within 24 hours - a high of 342 species. In Nairobi, for example, over 600 bird species have been recorded, more than in any other capital city in the world.

Source: Allafrica

26th November 2007: Lake Natron chemical plant: region’s ecotourism “jeopardised”

The African Tourism and Travel Association has become the latest to voice concern over a huge chemical production plant proposed for Tanzania’s Lake Natron, the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) today report. Nigel Vere Nicholl, chairman of the African Tourism and Travel Association (ATTA), shares BirdLife’s concerns over the threat that the development poses to the region’s Lesser Flamingo and the growing ecotourism trade to which the birds are linked:

“Spectacular flocks of flamingos are one of the major attractions for tourists visiting the Great Rift Valley from all over the world. Given the massive contribution ecotourism makes to the East African economy, it just doesn’t make sense to jeopardise these wonderful birds and this very special and unspoilt place.  If this development goes ahead who knows what may happen next.” he said.

The number of tourists visiting Tanzania is expected to rise from 580,000 in 2004 to one million in 2010. Currently many are drawn to see the one million Lesser Flamingos that breed on Lake Natron each year – the so-called “greatest wildlife spectacle on Earth”.

Ecotourism in Tanzania and Kenya is worth US$2 billion annually while tourists visiting Lake Natron alone spend US$500,000 each year. Tanzania’s Lake Natron is the only East African site where the Lesser Flamingo nests successfully. Three quarters of the world’s population of this enigmatic bird breed there because food is plentiful, nesting sites abound and because the lake exists in almost total isolation, free from outside disturbance.

The announcement from the African Tourism and Travel Association forms part of what has become a global campaign opposing the proposed development. The campaign is supported by BirdLife Partners worldwide and influential voices like Sir David Attenborough.

 “If Lake Natron is developed, East Africa will no longer be such a lure for tourists. But it is the whole of the world that will be the loser. This is much more than just the loss of a few birds.” said the RSPB’s Chief Executive, Graham Wynne.

Source: BirdLife

21st November 2007: Mabira Forest To Stay, Says VP Bukenya.

Vice-President, Prof. Gilbert Bukenya, assured environmental activists and donors that Mabira Forest Reserve will not be degazetted for sugarcane growing.

“We are a democratic country and had to listen to the people.’’

Bukenya was addressing journalists at the Nile Resort in Jinja on 17th-11-2007.
“You can develop without disrupting ecology. It is possible to plant trees to replace those that have been cut down.’’

He cited the example of the ground on which the British Parliament stands, which he said was previously a swamp.

“What we could look at is the entire ecological system and consider what would happen to the rest of the ecological system if some trees are cut down.’’

The Vice-President had earlier presided over the drafting of recommendations (The Jinja Declaration) that will be debated during the Commonwealth summit that starts in Kampala on 23rd -11-2007. The recommendations will also form part of the discussions at the UN meeting on climate change in Bali, Indonesia, next month.

Bukenya said climate change in Uganda was manifested in the adverse weather and climate conditions “Between 1991 and 2,000, Uganda experienced seven droughts, compared to about seven during the period 1900 to 1970,’’ he said.

“The last years have also witnessed an increase in intensity and frequency of heavy rains, floods and landslides in the highland areas as well as outbreaks of diseases.’’

The vice President called for action against climate change.

“The most developed countries will be required to do more. This is not only because they contribute and continue to contribute to most of the causes and sustenance of climate change, but also because the UN framework on climate change emphasises differentiated responsibilities to address climate change effectively.’’

Bukenya also launched last year’s the National State of Environment Report and the fourth Global Environment Outlook report.

Source: Nature Uganda

11th November 2007: Runway success for La Mercy Swallows

As five million Barn Swallows migrate from across Europe to roost in South Africa’s Mt Moreland Reedbed, they will be greeted by more than just birdwatchers. In future air traffic controllers at La Mercy Airport will be among those watching the birds come in, if necessary informing pilots of the swallow flocks when coming into land so that collisions can be avoided. The plan to protect the birds will be announced at a special ceremony at the reedbed, attended by BirdLife South Africa.

The decision – one of a number of key mitigation actions announced – was made in response to global outcry last November, when BirdLife outlined its concern about the expansion of La Mercy Airport, in preparation for South Africa’s hosting of World Cup 2010. The threat that planes would pose to the adjacent roost – arguably Africa’s largest – was put across by conservationists and BirdLife Partners throughout Europe, most notably by the RSPB, BirdLife’s Partner in the UK, a country in which a number of the Barn Swallows breed.

The campaign was led by BirdLife South Africa: “This has been a fantastic result, and we’re delighted to report on this outcome after a year of negotiations and meetings. The support of so many people – via letters and petitions – has played an important part.” said Neil Smith, Conservation Manager at BirdLife South Africa.

“Since our campaign started, the Airports Company of South Africa [the organisation behind La Mercy] has really come on board, quickly realising the importance of this site as a reedbed of international significance.”

Following BirdLife’s complaint, consultants were brought in to examine the roosting and flocking behaviour of the swallows, using advanced radar imagery. Their results confirmed that constant monitoring of the swallow movements during take-off and landing of aircraft would be required. The Airports Company of South Africa has now listed a number of measures that it will take to ensure that the roost and the airport can coexist. These include employing environmental management staff to make sure that suitable management of the reedbed continues.

Perhaps most significantly, the same advanced radar technology used to study the movement of the swallows will also be installed in the airport control tower. This will mean that planes can take the option of circling or approaching from another angle when large flocks of swallows form over the reedbed site in the late evening.

“Losing such a valuable site could have affected breeding swallow populations across Europe”, said Dr Ian Burfield, Birdlife’s European Research and Database Manager. “Conserving migratory birds is about more than ensuring one site is protected or well managed. It takes global effort: at breeding sites, at stopover sites during migration, and at important non-breeding sites like this, where large numbers of birds roost.”

The Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica undertakes one of the world’s most remarkable migrations, with many individuals flying thousands of miles in spring to breed in Europe and then repeating the feat in the autumn, to spend the boreal winter in southern Africa.  Numbers of Barn Swallows have declined across many European countries, largely as a result of agricultural intensification and simplification.

Source: BirdLife

8th November 2007: UK press says Mabira Forest was 'saved' by commonwealth summit.

Britain’s media has suggested that the decision of the Ugandan government to overturn plans to allow a sugar cane farm in the Mabira Forest was a political one to off-set criticism during the forthcoming Commonwealth Head of Governments Meeting (CHOGM) summit.

The proposal to allow a 17,500 acre sugar cane farm by the Mehta Group had aroused huge international controversy as the forest is rich in biodiversity and home to more than 300 species of birds, 200 types of trees and nine different primates.

The Guardian newspaper in particular suggested the decision by Finance Minister Ezra Suruma was political. “Uganda is keen to avoid any controversy (during the summit),” Xan Rice wrote. “Domestically the planned land give-away had proved unpopular, though often less for environmental reasons than economic and racial ones.”

The paper also points out that it is the second time this year that the Ugandan government has reversed plans to allow bio-fuel production on protected land.

Last year it overturned a decision to allow a palm oil plantation on the Ssese Islands in Lake Victoria.

The news however has been welcomed by the British wildlife group, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. “This is a tragedy averted,” said Paul Buckley, head of the Africa programme at the Society. “There are plenty of places to grow sugar cane, but not many tracts of virgin forest left in Uganda.

“The forest would have been irreversibly damaged had the give-away gone ahead. Now Uganda has a brilliant opportunity to really make the most of its wildlife jewels. The site is famous with eco-tourists and slicing it up made no economic sense whatsoever.”

The Times newspaper said the decision was also based on a report which showed that Uganda would earn more from eco-tourism in the forest than it would from sugar cane crops. The economic value of tourism in Mabira is estimated at more than $316 a year compared to less than $20 million for sugar cane.

The 74,000 acre wood is famous for species such as the rare Nahan francolin, the great blue turaco, the bluethroated roller, the black-shouldered nightjar and the blue-headed flycatcher.

But the Times also points out that destruction of the forest “would have been regarded as a breach of an agreement between the Ugandan government and the World Bank. “In 2001 the World Bank agreed to help finance the construction of a hydro-electric dam (at Bujugali) on the River Nile in return for a pledge to protect the forest.”

Source: The East African

3rd November 2007: Flamingo threat put on temporary hold.

A temporary lifeline has been thrown to the one million Lesser Flamingos of Tanzania’s Lake Natron, threatened by huge industrial development on their most important breeding site in the world.

The plan to build a soda ash plant on the lake, in northern Tanzania in the Great Rift Valley, has been thrown out for now and the developers, Lake Natron Resources, have been ordered to produce a new and better environmental statement and consider other sites for soda ash extraction. The firm is jointly owned by the Indian company TATA Chemicals and the Tanzanian Government.

Dr Mike Rands, Chief Executive of BirdLife, said: “The proposal to develop Lake Natron for soda ash extraction is misguided and the decision today is a victory for conservation and for common sense.“The flamingos are not safe yet. The developers should choose another location for extracting soda ash and abandon their plans for Lake Natron”.

Groups reporting to Tanzania’s environment ministry called time early on today’s meeting to assess the developer’s obligatory environmental assessment for the soda ash plant. Of the 14 bodies present, including conservation groups, national parks and the EU, representing donors, most said the development should be rejected because of the risk of driving away the flamingos, harming other species and irreversibly damaging Lake Natron, which is protected by international law.

Lota Melamari, Chief Executive of the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania, who was at today’s meeting said: 'The survival of the lesser flamingo must not be jeopardised.”

Source: BirdLife

31st October 2007: Top Kenyan nature reserve under threat. Huge sugar plantation would devastate Tana Delta, home to dozens of bird species.

Little disturbs the tranquillity of the Tana Delta. As the deep orange sun sets above Kenya's largest wetlands hippos wallow in the shallows, crocodiles slide off the banks into the brown river, while terns and whistling teals circle above. It is one of Kenya's most important natural reserves and very soon it could all be gone.

Plans have been drawn up to turn part of the delta into Kenya's largest sugar plantation – an 80,000 acre area that could produce 100,000 tons of sugar a year and bring 20,000 jobs to a region where most people do not have jobs. Conservationists are alarmed. They warn that the plantation will destroy the wetlands and with it the habitats of dozens of species of bird including Allen's Gallinules.

More than 15,000 birds from 69 species were counted on a single day earlier this year in an area comprising just 15 per cent of the wetlands. The coastline is home to endangered marine turtles, while two endangered primates can be found in the forests that line the wetlands – the red colobus and the crested mangabey. "To put sugar plantations right into the heart of the Tana Delta will spell the end of the delta," said Colin Jackson of the Mwamba Bird Observatory. "It will be a natural disaster if this development is allowed to go ahead the way it is currently planned."

The Tana Delta stretches for 50 miles inland from the northern coast of Kenya, between Lamu and Malindi. To reach the Mbililo lake at its heart requires a bumpy two-hour journey along dirt tracks, followed by two hours on a motor boat through reeds and under thickets up the Tana River. Just what it is that will be lost is only clear when viewed from the air. The lush, rich greens of the wetlands continues for mile upon mile. Thousands of cattle graze along the banks, and flocks of waterfowl soar from the river towards the pink clouds above.

But amid the beauty there is desperate poverty. Around three-quarters of the delta's residents live on less than $1 a day. Jobs are scarce, clean water and electricity are non-existent.

Mumias Sugar Company, the company behind the scheme, which is backed by the regional development authority and the Kenyan government, has promised to bring jobs and investment to the delta. It also said the project will bring roads, water, electricity, schools and hospitals.

Local residents are divided. "The government hasn't brought us anything," said Ibrahim Nossir, a father of three. "If we refuse this we might not get anything else. How will we pay our school fees for our children if we do not agree?"

But local conservation officials believe too much will be lost. "If the plantation comes we will lose all of our natural resources," said Ibrahim Hiribae, the secretary of the Lower Tana Delta Conservation Trust. "What if the project fails? We will have nothing left."

Source: The Independent On-Line

30th October 2007: Lesser Flamingos - BirdLife’s urgent call to Think Pink.

Today sees the launch of BirdLife’s Think Pink campaign, a response to the growing and urgent threat facing a crucial breeding site for Africa’s Lesser Flamingos.

Tanzania’s Lake Natron is the only East African site where the Lesser Flamingo nests successfully. Three quarters of the world’s population of this enigmatic bird breed there because food is plentiful, nesting sites abound and because the lake exists in almost total isolation, free from outside disturbance.

In recent months however, the Tanzanian Government and the Indian company Tata Chemicals have together put forward proposals to build a large-scale soda ash plant on the lakeside, internationally recognised as a Ramsar wetland site and Important Bird Area by BirdLife.

BirdLife International believes the development and associated infrastructure –as plans currently stand- could do irreversible damage to the global population of this, one of Africa's most charismatic birds. BirdLife is therefore fully opposed to the development, and is calling for supporters – members of BirdLife Partners, journalists or concerned members of the public- to lend their voice to the global ‘Think Pink’ campaign.

There isn’t much time to act: Lake Natron Resources Limited (a joint venture of the Tanzanian Government and Tata Chemicals) have now submitted a revised version of their Environment and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) to Tanzania’s National Environment Management Council, who will in turn make recommendations to Tanzania’s Minister of State in the Vice-Presidents Office, for Environment. This is expected to take place on November 2nd 2007.

Source: BirdLife

30th October 2007: Vulture-killing drug now on sale in Africa

BirdLife's Council for the African Partnership has warned African BirdLife Partners that they need to be on high alert, following the discovery of the drug Diclofenac on sale at a veterinary practice in Tanzania. A survey by WCST (WildLife Conservation Society in Tanzania, BirdLife in Tanzania) is underway to establish the full facts.

Diclofenac, a Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID), has been found to cause gout and renal failure in vultures of the Gyps genus. In India, where Diclofenac was in widespread veterinary use, three Gyps species, formerly of Least Concern, have been pushed to Critically Endangered status, losing over 99 percent of their populations in just over a decade.

“This development could be absolutely catastrophic for vultures in Africa if it is not addressed immediately, to prevent this avian killer from becoming an established veterinary drug,” said Jane Gaithuma of the BirdLife Africa secretariat. “Research by BirdLife Partners has established that there are safe alternative drugs available, such as Meloxicam, so there is actually no need for Diclofenac at all.”

Without action by governments and veterinary associations to ban the use of Diclofenac for veterinary purposes, the drug is likely to be very difficult to control. Since the patent for the drug expired, it has been produced in generic form by hundreds of manufacturers worldwide, and is sold under dozens of different names. The manufacturer of the brand found in Tanzania exports the drug for veterinary use to 15 African countries spread across the continent.

Governments in the Indian subcontinent have belatedly taken action. At a meeting of the National Wildlife Board in March 2005, the Government of India announced that it intended to phase out the veterinary use of Diclofenac within six months. In 2006, the governments of India, Pakistan and Nepal all banned manufacture of Diclofenac, sending a very clear signal, and it is hoped that full retail bans will soon follow. But numbers are already so low that the future of White-rumped (Gyps bengalensis), Indian (Gyps indicus) and Slender-billed Vultures (Gyps tenuirostris) now depends on captive breeding programmes. Gyps vultures take several years to reach sexual maturity, and a pair produces only one or two young every one or two years, so it will take decades before any of these species is likely to come off the Critical list.

Africa's vultures already face terrible pressures, and several species formerly of Least Concern were added to the 2007 Red List of threatened species. Veterinary use of Diclofenac in Africa could quickly put the Cape vulture Gyps coprotheres (VU) in even greater danger of extinction, and further threaten Rueppell's Griffon Vulture Gyps rueppellii (NT), White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus (NT) and Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus (LC). Gyps vultures are very wide ranging, and exposure to Diclofenac in a single carcass in any one of their range states could prove fatal to whole populations, threatening the more common species as well as the already rare ones. NSAID toxicity has been reported for raptors, storks, cranes and owls, suggesting that the potential adverse conservation impact of NSAIDs may extend beyond Gyps vultures, and could include Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus (EN), White-headed Vulture Trigonoceps occipitalis (VU) and Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotus (VU).

In contrast, there are no reported mortalities for Meloxicam, which has been administered to over 700 birds from 60 species, with safety tests carried out.

BirdLife Partners are called upon to work with relevant authorities and other conservationists to assess whether Diclofenac is in veterinary use in their country, and where this is the case to stop/ban it. In countries where Diclofenac is not yet in veterinary use, it will be important to work with government authorities and civil society to alert people of its danger and to ensure it becomes pre-emptively banned.

All BirdLife supporters in Africa can play a part, by checking their local veterinary outlets to see if the drug is on sale, and by contacting the government and other authorities to call for a total ban.

Source: BirdLife

29th October 2007: BirdLife Partners applaud Uganda’s decision to drop Mabira Forest give-away.

Conservationists across the BirdLife Partnership are welcoming news that the Ugandan government has dropped its plan to give away a third of Mabira Forest Reserve to provide land for sugarcane plantations. The announcement came on Friday 19 October 2007, through a statement from the Uganda Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.

Mabira Forest Reserve (at over 30,000 hectares) is globally recognised by BirdLife as an Important Bird Area (IBA). The forest contains over 12% of plant species and 30% of bird species found in Uganda. The announcement follows months of intensive campaigning by a number of organisations, most notably NatureUganda (BirdLife in Uganda) with support from BirdLife’s Africa Division and by BirdLife Partners from a number of countries and territories.

Achilles Byaruhanga, NatureUganda’s Executive Officer expressed delight: “I am excited that our effort to advocate for a better option for Mabira Forest Reserve has been recognised and the fact accepted that the forest is a critical resource for Uganda and globally. The achievement is also for the Ugandan people who stood firm and opposed what was a wrong policy decision"

NatureUganda’s recent economic valuation of Mabira Forest Reserve is thought to have played an enormous part in the decision. The report showed clearly that the economic value of the forest if conserved, would surpass the anticipated economic value from sugarcane growing in future. Moreover, the report indicated clearly that alternative land for sugarcane growing is available elsewhere in Uganda, where there may be enhanced benefit to local communities and local economies.

The list of ‘ecosystem services’ – livelihoods, clean water, food- provided by Mabira Forest to over 120,000 adjacent community members was another important finding in the report handed to the government by NatureUganda. The value of tourism also prominently featured.

The BirdLife International Partnership through its national partner, NatureUganda, will continue to work with the Government of Uganda in the conservation of its national heritage. “We applaud the government of Uganda for making a bold decision in protecting its forest resources despite the intentions of the sugar company,” said Ato Mengistu Wondafrash, the chairperson of Birdlife’s Africa Partnership (2006-2007).

The announcement made by the Ugandan government on Friday coincided with BirdLife’s Council for the Africa Partnership (CAP) meeting in Nairobi, where 23 African nations met and signed a petition opposing a proposed chemical plant on the shores of Tanzania’s Lake Natron, which threatens 75% of the world’s Lesser Flamingo.

“We hope the interesting parallels between Mabira and Lake Natron are noted by the Tanzanian government – both support key species, both support a booming tourist trade and both provide crucial ecosystem services for associated communities,” said Dr Hazell Shokellu Thompson, Head of BirdLife's Africa Division.

Source: BirdLife

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Last page update 7th January 2008