 Pedro Geraldes
BirdLife promotes the classification of all marine IBAs as Special Protection Areas (SPAs).
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Two major publications to protect our seas
09-07-2010
The size of the Economic Exclusive Zones (EEZs) of EU countries exceeds several times the terrestrial area...but how much do we actually know about our seas? Do we know where our seabird breeding populations go while migrating, feeding or resting? Are we sure human activities such as fishing or maritime transport are sustainable?
Over the last 10 years BirdLife, through its Global Seabird Programme, has worked hard to answer these questions, which pose both a methodological and political challenge.
After many years of research, innovation in methods, expert meetings and workshops, BirdLife is now proud to present two documents:
Marine IBA Toolkit
The Marine IBA Toolkit is both a step by step analysis of the identification process and a useful guide for EU countries to identify their needs in terms of seabird protection at sea. It is also a live document, that will be updated every six months, as part of our global strategy to always provide the latest and most cost-effective methods in marine research.
"To protect our seabird populations and their habitats, we need to use a clear methodology to identify marine IBAs" —Iván Ramírez, European Marine Coordinator at BirdLife International
Marine IBAs in the EU
This document presents a fully detailed description of each EU country delivery on marine IBA networks and its current protection as SPAs. It present BirdLife Partners’ National priorities in terms of marine International Bird Areas (IBAs) identification and also reviews EU Governments’ support for the establishment of Marine Special Protection Areas (SPAs). This report will also be updated every six months, so recent developments, projects or SPA declarations are reflected, giving an accurate and realistic snapshot of the state of our Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) network in the EU.
“To protect our seabird populations and their habitats, we need to use a clear methodology to identify marine IBAs that can be universally applicable not only in Europe, but elsewhere”, commented Iván Ramírez, European Marine Coordinator at BirdLife International. Besides, to guarantee those marine IBAs are legally protected, we need to increase the pressure on each EU Member State to declare them as Special Protection Areas according to the EU Birds Directive.
Download the Marine IBA Toolkit here
Download the Marine IBAs in the EU here
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Credits: Global Seabird Programme