David Hosking The first Seychelles Paradise-flycatcher chicks to fledge successfully outside La Digue Island, Seychelles for over 60 years are flying on Denis Island Zoom In

BirdLife News Round-up: June 2009

03-07-2009

Looking at June’s news there is a real positive theme of success and action. Conservation needs investment and several of June’s stories reported on grants being awarded to the BirdLife Partnership and the launching of funding opportunities for conservation.The Americas region was well covered from Canada in the north (TransCanada Corporation commits a million dollars to bird conservation) to Argentina in the south (Aves Argentinas launches national fund for IBA conservation). Appropriately, there was also something for the migratory species that travel between these two countries on their annual migrations (Neotropical migratory bird grants link sites and people along the Americas flyway).

But it wasn’t just the Americas region; Indochina also got a huge boost (BirdLife and CEPF expand funding opportunities for conservation in Indochina), as did a rare wader from the South Pacific (BirdLife grant helps Endangered shorebird).

There was also hope. Seychelles once had the highest number of Critically Endangered species of any African country, but after years of successful action by the BirdLife Partner, Nature Seychelles, it now only has one, Seychelles Paradise-flycatcher. But even this may not be listed as Critically Endangered for long, as the translocation of individuals to a new island has yielded its first chicks (Hope for Seychelles' last Critically Endangered species).

It’s always good to see Partners rewarded for the great work they do and this month LOB (BirdLife in Latvia) won an award for its successful fundraising work (Latvian Ornithological Society wins award). In Italy, it is White Storks reaping the rewards, this time of shoppers using a special credit card co-developed by LIPU (BirdLife in Italy) (Help the storks while shopping!).

One story that really seems to have captured the public’s imagination is the ‘Google forest’ (Exploring the 'Google forest'). Stop press news is that at a recent meeting in Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, government ministers agreed to put conservation measures in place before any commercial logging occurs there.

Forests of course, are not only important for birds and biodiversity but also provide important resources for local people all over the world. BirdLife Partners are active in some of the poorest countries of the world, where the day-to-day challenges of poverty are constantly faced. In all these countries, conservation must operate within a socio-political climate where poverty reduction and meeting basic needs are high on the list of priorities for local people and governments. BirdLife works alongside local people, helping to integrate conservation with social development and livelihood security for the benefit of people and biodiversity.

A couple of excellent examples this month from opposite sides of the world. A Tanzanian group supported by our Conservation Leadership Programme has helped two local communities to become fully-certified sustainable forest managers, ensuring that local communities can now earn over 100 times more from their woodlands than they have done previously (Sustainable forest management increases local income one hundred-fold).

And on the other side of the planet, BirdLife is working with local communities on the Fijian island of Kadavu to support sustainable agricultural practices that reduce the pressure on the forest (New grassroots approach helps conserve Fijian forest).

Success!!

BirdLife comprises more than 100 conservation organisations working together to promote sustainable living as a means to conserve biodiversity.