Editorial: News from the BirdLife Partnership, July 2007

01-08-2007

Welcome to this month’s BirdLife Editorial; an opportunity for us to summarise events and stories coming from BirdLife International - the world’s largest alliance of conservation organisations.

It was no surprise this month to hear of the international concern raised by the BirdLife Partnership’s announcement that “the greatest wildlife spectacle on Earth” was threatened by a large-scale industrial development. (Soda ash development threatens entire East African Lesser Flamingo population, 03 August).

Described as “a key component of the tourist experience in East African national parks” by WCST (BirdLife in Tanzania) and seen on countless wildlife documentaries, the fate of this Near Threatened iconic bird hangs in the balance in East Africa.

One wonders how much publicity this issue would have received had the bird been slightly less enigmatic (and pink for that matter). If it were a less charismatic bird like Grenada Dove (about which BirdLife continues to apply pressure on both Four Seasons and the Grenada government) would there be so much international coverage?

The same applies to other threats, particularly Via Baltica. Yesterday saw BirdLife applaud the Polish government’s move to halt imminent construction of the Expressway through the pristine Rospuda Wetlands in north-east Poland – a reaction to last minute action by the European Commission on Monday, asking the European Court of Justice to make an urgent order requiring Poland suspend works immediately. (European Commission takes last minute action to stop illegal expressway construction in Poland, 31 July).

Arguments still persist that economically viable and less-devastating alternative routes exist to Via Baltica. OTOP (BirdLife in Poland) and BirdLife’s European Division are firmly committed to pushing on this, today asking the Commission and Polish authorities to cooperate in investing in appropriate routes that can ensure the survival of the Rospuda Valley’s biodiversity, protected as it is under EU law.

P. Malczewski

Poland's Rospuda Valley: protected under EU law
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"These issues undoubtedly deserve wider international coverage..." —.

What a conservation issue lacks in spectacular birds, it can make up for in numbers - Uganda’s Mabira Forest Reserve being a prime example (Conservationists call for Ugandan government to halt forest give-aways, 07 July): 30% of Uganda’s bird species are found in this Important Bird Area (IBA), the fate of which is still uncertain as elements of the Ugandan government attempt to hand over a quarter of its area for sugarcane cultivation.

“If a quarter of Mabira is chopped down the effect on the remaining forest will be far-reaching, reducing the range of species, causing encroachment, erosion and siltation, and reducing its capacity to provide services, so there would be less water in rivers, less rain, less carbon intake, fewer tourists,” said Achilles Byaruhanga of NatureUganda (BirdLife in Uganda) at the time – an argument echoed by those within BirdLife’s Africa Division and throughout the BirdLife Partnership (see BirdLife’s feature article: Uganda’s forests in the balance).

These issues undoubtedly deserve wider international coverage. Perhaps much of this depends on awareness-raising though; raising global appreciation of birds and biodiversity, an area in which the BirdLife Partnership excels through a number of facets, this month with regional monitoring initiatives inspiring schools, families and communities (Spring Alive earlier in 2007, 27 July), and festivals attracting thousands of people nationwide (SAVE Brasil brings the Atlantic Forest to Brazil’s Bird Fair, 27 July).

And talking of festivals, don’t forget that this coming month features the world’s biggest bird festival, The British Birdwatching Fair (17-19 August) - surely another contender for title of “the greatest wildlife spectacle on Earth.”?

Until next month,

Jules Howard, BirdLife News Editor

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