Programme status

Our search for BirdLife Species Champions officially began at this year's British Birdwatching Fair held at Rutland Water on the 17th, 18th and 19th August 2007. This spectacular annual event, co-organised by the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) and the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust enjoyed record attendances and gave the programme a tremendous kick start (see BirdLife news story: BirdLife Species Champions step forward at world’s biggest birdfair, 21 August 2007).

Recognising the importance of our new initiative, Birdfair has adopted: Preventing Extinctions: Saving the world's most threatened birds as the cause they will fund with their proceeds in both 2007 and 2008. Birdfair revenue will help fund the conservation of a suite of Critically Endangered species, including four flagship birds.

Bengal Florican and Djibouti Francolin are two of these species. Fewer than 1,000 Bengal Floricans survive (perhaps as few as 250) and in addition to losses from habitat destruction, the species is hunted for food and sport. In Africa, the Djibouti Francolin population has declined by more than 90 percent in the last 20 years, as overgrazing, firewood collection and other human disturbance put further pressure on the stressed and sickly remnants of Djibouti’s juniper forests.

The other two flagship species are Brazil’s Restinga Antwren, confined to a 30-kilometre strip of coastal dunes which is fast being swallowed by beachfront development, and Belding’s Yellowthroat, squeezed into shrinking fragments of wetland habitat, less than 10km² in total, on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. For both birds, protection and management of habitat will go hand in hand with campaigns to reinforce local pride in endemic wildlife by raising awareness of its potential as a source of revenue from birdwatching tourism.

News and updates on the Preventing Extinctions initiative, including announcements of newly appointed BirdLife Species Guardians, reports on conservation initiatives for each species and project successes, can be emailed to you directly via our News Alert Service. Click here for more information.

Watch this space:  Organisations, institutions and individuals from around the world are already stepping forward to become BirdLife Species Champions and support the conservation of their chosen bird or the programme in its entirety.

Below are details of the most recent BirdLife Species Champions and the BirdLife Species Guardians whose work their contributions will fund.

We sincerely thank them all for their magnificent support.