Jonathan Barnard / BirdLife International Habitat management has greatly improved the wetlands, and local people are already catching more and bigger fish. Zoom In

BirdLife News Round-up: November 2008

02-12-2008

Birds and People…

Far from just protecting nature's jewels, we were reminded last month how conserving wildlife makes a big difference to peoples' lives.

A joint love of birds recently helped to unite two Lebanese communities separated by water, culture and religion. At an event coorganised by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (BirdLife in Lebanon), the people of Anjar and Kfar Zabad villages jointly celebrated the cultural importance of bird migration as part of BirdLife's World Bird Festival (Migratory birds bridge water, culture and religion). A great example of how a shared love of birds brings people together.

However, a love of birds can do much more than that. It can help put money in the pockets of people who need it most. Women who have been implementing the 'Improving Livelihoods' project through Fondation des Amis de la Nature (BirdLife in Burkina Faso) have increasing their incomes by 50%. Furthermore, BirdLife Botswana (BirdLife in Botswana) have been helping local bird guides at Lake Ngami IBA earn around €220 ($US280) from each tourist (Project emphasises conservation and livelihood link).

At the same time in Kenya, the Kijabe Environment Volunteers - a NatureKenya (BirdLife in Kenya) Site Support Group - have been providing local communities with the information and resources they need to develop environmentally friendly businesses. Such was their success conserving the Kikuyu Escarpment forest IBA, they recently won the prestigious Equator Prize (BirdLife volunteers receive prestigious prize). Congratulations to all involved!

Working with local communities is one of the most practical ways BirdLife achieves effective conservation. Success depends upon ensuring the benefits of protecting threatened biodiversity are linked directly to local people's livelihoods.

This was wonderfully illustrated last month by a collaborative wetland project by BirdLife and the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (BirdLife in Nigeria). By providing the tools and training to manage the reed-choked Hadejia Nguru wetlands IBA, local people have recently cleared over 10km of waterways. This has greatly improved the wetland for birds and wider biodiversity, not to mention the 1.5 million farmers, herders and fishermen who depend on it for their income and subsistence. Already fishermen are catching more and bigger fish, and are so impressed with the results that they've independently set-up a maintenance programme. WOW! (Nigerian community empowered by wetland project).

If we strike the right balance with nature we all benefit.

There's still time to save the Critically Endangered birds listed in the Rare Birds Yearbook 2009 (Rare birds' release). The BirdLife Preventing Extinctions Programme continues the important task of conserving them all.

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