Mirea Peris

In the past, naturalists thought that birds had small brains only capable of simple processes. But today, the expression ‘bird brain’ is no longer a disparaging descriptor. Author of the New York Times best-seller The Genius of Birds, Jennifer Ackerman shines a light on the nature of animal intelligence through birds in her latest book, The Bird Way. Combining modern research with personal experience, she gives us a new look at how birds play, talk, parent, work and think, showing us that they are capable of activities we once considered unique to our own kind – such as manipulation, altruism or communication among species – and proving that our avian friends are far more complex than we ever imagined. As prominent biologist E. O. Wilson said: “When you have seen one bird, you have not seen them all.”

You’ve been writing about science and nature for many years, from the human body to oceans – why did you decide to pick birds’ brains?

As a bird lover and science writer, I am an avid reader of scientific journals. Recently, I started noticing an abundance of new research on birds’ behaviour, and saw that our understanding of birds was shifting. I’ve been a birdwatching enthusiast since I was a kid – I used to think: “What is going on in their minds when they are going about their daily lives?” – so the whole idea of birds being more intelligent than we thought fascinates me. I always believed birds were very resourceful, but writing these books has been revealing! How can a tiny brain have such an extraordinary capacity?

Why use expressions like ‘the bird way’ or ‘genius’, and not just ‘intelligence’?

I like ‘genius’ because, in my understanding, the word includes not only exceptional abilities but also the ‘genius’ of evolution: how adaptation creates extraordinary skills to find solutions. A few years ago, I got intrigued by the quote “There is a mammal’s way and there is a bird’s way,” and understanding what it meant. Birds have these remarkable mental capacities because they have had to solve difficult ecological and social problems – just as we have. I hope the title of my latest book raises the question: “Do birds actually have a ‘way’ of being in the world?”, and motivates people to learn more about these feathered masterminds.

Above: Corvids are well known for their intelligence but notably lack a neocortex – found in the brains of ‘clever’ primates. However, says Ackerman: “New findings show that birds do, in fact, have a brain structure comparable to the neocortex, though it takes a different shape.” © Philip Openshaw / Shutterstock

“The way we understand other creatures is currently changing, and the unexpected capabilities and behaviours of birds have been a key part of this progress.”

Jennifer Ackerman

Humans sometimes tend to anthropomorphise other creatures in an attempt to understand their behaviours. How do you overcome this instinct?

The idea of attributing to non-human species mental qualities we consider unique to humans is very controversial… My job is to be a translator of ‘hard science’ and make it both engaging and accurate. I think the way we understand other creatures is currently changing, and birds have been a key part of this progress.

Through research, scientists are observing unsuspected capabilities and behaviours we thought unique to humans. For example, members of the corvid family were documented playing in the snow for pleasure and assembling complex tools that a 3-4 year old child could not; and lyrebirds were observed learning other species’ calls to fool their own kind. Some birds, such as Japanese Tits, may even use grammatical rules to decode combinations of alarm calls, while Pied Babblers have alarm calls that appear to encode messages that go beyond the meaning of their individual parts – both interesting parallels with human language. So I would say it is not anthropomorphism, but scientific observation and research.

In your book you explain amazing behaviours from many different bird species. Which is your favourite?

This is such a difficult question! I used to answer chickadees, as I have always been amazed by their complex communication skills, but the bird I fell in love with while writing The Bird Way was the Kea. These birds are so child-like – smart and exploratory – and they even have a ‘play-call’ that elicits them to play and chase each other, which is quite an amusing thing to watch.

One of the problems with humans abusing nature is that we consider ourselves to be ‘higher’ than other species. With your perspective on avian intelligence, what do you make of this?

Birds show there are different ways to wire a smart brain. Their behaviour helps us realise we are not as unique as we thought. Rachel Carson wrote: “The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders of life around us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.” More than ever, birds are threatened by habitat destruction and climate change. We must work to ensure we have the chance to learn more from them (and other species) in the future. I hope my books promote an appreciation for birds as the innovative and thoughtful creatures they are. Maybe, by better understanding the intelligence of other non-human species, we will treat nature with the respect it deserves.

Find out more at jenniferackermanauthor.com

Martin Harper

The sun had yet to rise and we had been walking silently in the forest for 45 minutes. As we approached a rocky outcrop, Patrick Douda, brilliant birder and our guide for the morning, waved at us to be still and pointed to the small nest, made of mud, stuck to the side of the rock. Peering over the top of the nest was a White-necked Rockfowl Picathartes gymnocephalus – made famous by David Attenborough in his 1955 Zoo Quest to West Africa. I carefully raised my camera but only managed a photo of an empty nest, because the bird had already spotted us and disappeared into the forest, never to be seen again.

The White-necked Rockfowl is the pin-up bird for Gola National Park in Sierra Leone, and one of more than 60 other threatened species in the park. It is part of the Greater Gola landscape which straddles the Liberian border and is one of the largest remnants of the Upper Guinean forest – itself one of the world’s 35 Global Biodiversity Hotspots. I was visiting to see the work that the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) had been doing to protect the forest with the Liberian and Sierra Leone governments, local communities and local BirdLife Partners the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone and the Society for the Conservation of Nature in Liberia.

The RSPB and BirdLife have been working in Gola for more than 30 years, through civil wars, Ebola and now, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic. The vision is to create a trans-boundary peace park which protects the incredible biodiversity of the forest, supported by local communities who live and work in harmony with the forest. More than that, we want and need Gola to be an inspiration for how to protect and restore forests across the region. Carbon financing, a sustainable supply chain of forest-friendly chocolate and an application of community forest concepts are just some of the interventions that have been key to success.

There is a lot to learn from Gola and from many other projects led by my former employer, the RSPB. In my 17 years with the society, I was privileged to work alongside people who strived tirelessly with partners to protect and restore a huge range of habitats and species, from the blanket bogs of the Scottish Flow Country and the heathlands of Purbeck in southern England to the lowland rainforest of Sumatra and the seabirds of Gough Island in the South Atlantic.

“What will it take for the 2020s to be remembered as the decade where we turned the tide and restored nature?”

Martin Harper, Regional Director, BirdLife Europe & Central Asia

I have now started my new job as Regional Director for BirdLife International in Europe & Central Asia. I join a small but determined team that supports partners in 46 countries (from Iceland to Kazakhstan and in all EU countries), supported by two million citizens who play their part in tackling the emergency. In support of our recent #RestoreNature campaign, we have been profiling a huge range of projects that our partners have led to restore nature – from the islands of Greece to the grasslands of Belgium and from the Spanish wetlands to the Georgian steppes. As with the RSPB examples, these demonstrate that conservation is not just about documenting decline: it is about making things better.

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration was officially launched on World Environment Day on 5 June. We are already facing a nature and climate emergency and the window of opportunity to prevent catastrophic consequences is rapidly closing, so many think that this is the crucial decade – so we are the generation that must act.

That’s why the UN Decade has to be more than just a good catchphrase. It must be the catalyst for transformational change of our economy, of our food and energy systems, of ourselves. In short, we have to:

Stop the rot by reducing the growing pressures on nature driven by a model of economic growth that is dependent on exploitation of the natural environment.

Protect the best by ensuring that at least 30% of land and sea are well protected and managed for nature by the end of the decade.

Restore the rest by taking action to put back what we have lost, which means a massive drive in habitat restoration so that 15% of new habitat is created to provide more space for nature.

Yet, action by NGOs will never be enough: we need governments to act as if we are in an emergency and businesses to recognise that they need to change. So my final point is this: keep going and don’t give up. We all need to be at our best this coming decade, so take inspiration from nature and roll up your sleeves. By 2030, we want and need BirdLife to be leading the world in restoring nature. We have the knowledge and experience to share and inspire. We have the responsibility to act. But for success to happen, governments, businesses and civil society all need to step up. BirdLife is up for it: are you?

How to drive a revolution in nature restoration:

1. Agree ambitious global deals for nature and climate change at the two UN summits scheduled at the end of 2021.

2. Translate targets for nature’s recovery into domestic law as is currently being proposed by the European Union and UK Government.

3. Use maps to identify priority areas for protection or restoration which will deliver benefits for wildlife, for climate and for people. These maps can also help reconcile the needs of people and wildlife.

4. End perverse subsidies that harm nature, for example by overhauling agriculture policy and reforming agriculture incentives to reward wildlife[1]friendly farming, ending fossil fuel subsidies and ensuring all overseas development assistance support rather than undermine environmental protection objectives.

5. Influence private sector investment to help rather than hinder efforts to tackle the nature and climate emergencies, for example by being transparent to investors and consumers about the impact of different commercial activities.

6. Grow public sector finance for nature to drive more restoration efforts.

7. Develop an ‘industrial’ strategy for nature conservation by supporting the skills and capacity needed by institutions and civil society organisations to grow their impact.

8. Signal to businesses that they need to change – their business models in 2030 must be very different to what they are today. Early movers to more sustainable practices, such as regenerative agriculture or renewable energy in harmony with nature, should secure market advantage because their approach must become the norm by 2030. The sooner that businesses acknowledge they need to change, the better for all of us.

9. Harness the public anger and passion about the state of the planet that already exists and create an unstoppable movement clamouring for change.

10. Share best practice about how to restore wildlife at scale. From our practical experience, the recipe for success includes: forging the right partnership to develop a shared vision, exceptional planning, mobilising funding, delivering the plan, evaluating impact and sustaining success.

Whether it’s an increasing concern for the planet, an accompanying awareness of the importance of nature in supporting our children’s future, or purely a love of birds and birdwatching, more people are looking at leaving a legacy to environmental conservation.

By supporting BirdLife, you are already making efforts to protect the future of life on Earth. As a reader of this magazine you probably love birds, and as such are worried about their prospects. Globally, many bird species continue to decline and face a greater threat of being lost, with dire consequences for entire ecosystems.

At least 40% of bird species worldwide have declining populations, with over 200 species categorised as Critically Endangered, meaning they face an extremely high risk of extinction. Like you, we at BirdLife want to stop this. We are widely recognised as the world leader in bird conservation and our actions provide practical and sustainable solutions that significantly benefit nature and people.

It is because of BirdLife’s proven history of providing effective conservation that Hans Swegen chose to leave a legacy to BirdLife – one of the most powerful ways you can join us in our mission to protect birds and their habitats.

A legacy to protect threatened forest

Hans wanted to see for himself the positive effects his donation could have for conservation, so he donated a sum of money to help BirdLife purchase and protect forest land – the now-called Swegen Forest of the Tekoha Guasu in Paraguay and Bosque Swegen in the Dominican Republic.  

With support from Hans Swegen and other donors, Guyra Paraguay (BirdLife Partner) was able to secure ownership of 6,900 hectares of pristine Atlantic Forest and Pampas habitat, transformed into the Guyra Reta Reserve Complex for conservation in perpetuity. The Reserve acts as a core conservation area for protecting biodiversity, as well as a base for a wide range of initiatives.

Over the past five years, Guyra Paraguay has developed a sustainable yerba mate initiative based at the reserve, together with members of the local community, which have achieved Fair Trade and USDA Organic certification. By selling the crop to a premium sustainable market, the programme provides a more forest-friendly economic option to the region. This support created the foundation for a greener future for San Rafael’s people, as well as its nature.

His wife, Jacky Swegen, told us: “My husband, Hans, was fascinated by wildlife from an early age, and as a young adult he became passionate about conservation. This led in later years to a desire to take action against the destruction of the forests that are so vital to the life of the planet. He began to research the possibility of buying threatened areas of forest land. Thanks to BirdLife, his efforts culminated in the purchase of precious areas of forest. The achievement of these long-pursued goals made him very happy.”

After building a fruitful relationship with BirdLife and seeing the impressive results of his donation, Hans decided to leave a further gift in his will – an amazing way to leave a mark on a cause he cared about. Any gift left to BirdLife in your will, no matter how large or small, will support our work where it is most needed.

“With a gift in your will to BirdLife, you can leave a legacy that helps to secure the future of birds and their habitats across the world, We will use your gift where it is most urgently needed.”

Richard Grimmett, Director of Conservation, BirdLife International

A legacy to save the albatross

BirdLife works in over 120 countries worldwide, and it was because of the intrepid travels of the late Lady Jean Gilbert and her husband, the late Lord John Gilbert, that they made the decision to leave a gift to BirdLife in their will. Both passionate supporters of conservation, they were especially committed to the protection of endangered species, having seen first-hand the threats in Antarctica.

The plight of the albatross was of particular concern and they decided that they should leave a major legacy to BirdLife and its work to save the albatross. The friends and family of Lady Gilbert, who died in 2019, know they would be proud that this legacy will make a significant difference to the future of the albatross and other marine life.

Here at BirdLife we understand that writing your will is an important thing to do to ensure that the people and causes close to your heart are provided for after you are gone. Leaving a gift in your will is something that does not have to cost you anything now but will protect what you care about in the future. What will you be remembered for?

There are many ways you can choose to leave a legacy to BirdLife. For more information, contact us or read our legacies brochure here.

The Atlantic Forest was once an unbroken tapestry stretching from northeast Brazil along the coast down to northern Argentina and Paraguay. Considered one of the top five global biodiversity hotspots and historically one of the world’s largest forests, the biome has been significantly degraded, and now only 16% remains: the ancient tapestry is in tatters.

Despite this dire situation, isolated patches of Atlantic Forest still provide key services to millions of people and habitat for important species. The restoration challenge is to reconnect these patches and weave the tapestry whole again.

It is of course not simple, and innovative solutions must be found. The ancient Atlantic Forest tapestry is now a modern patchwork landscape – a social as well as an ecological system – meaning that for conservation success and restoration to be sustainable, the needs of people today must be met without compromising the future.

A landscape approach

One way to achieve this is through the sustainable production of commodities. “Today, conservation-friendly production is considered not only innovative,” says Andrés Bosso from Aves Argentinas (BirdLife in Argentina). “It is also perceived as a positive and – thinking empathetically – inevitable course of action.”

Drivers of deforestation such as timber sales, cattle farming or even illegal marijuana cultivation are often also sources of immediate income for local inhabitants with few viable alternatives. Such is the case for a large number of smallholders inhabiting what remains of the Atlantic Forest. Transitioning to sustainable land-use practices – a truly modern approach if done properly – is thus a fundamental conservation goal.

To make this work, BirdLife and Partners are seeking solutions that make economic as well as ecological sense. Forest restoration is inextricably linked with land-use practices and policy, strategic alliances and co-management, market-driven agroforestry projects and ecotourism. For the three Atlantic Forest BirdLife Partners – Aves Argentinas, Guyra Paraguay and SAVE Brasil – all of these strategies are on the table.

Connecting the dots

In BirdLife’s Atlantic Forest Programme, restoring ecological connectivity and thereby recovering overall forest health basically boils down to two interweaving threads: joining one forest fragment to another, and working with the right people.

In the northern reaches of the biome, SAVE Brasil helped establish and support the management of the 6,000-hectare Murici Ecological Station and purchased 360 hectares of Atlantic Forest in the 100-km distant Serra do Urubu, where a private reserve was established. With these two strongholds, SAVE is now designing a Serra do Urubu-Murici forest corridor to connect existing forest patches between the two sites, and prioritise areas for forest restoration.

There are essentially two ways to restore a forest: you can fence off forest fragments and let nature do the rest, or you can plant native plant seedlings and monitor them to ensure optimal survival rates and actively reconstruct the original habitat. In many cases, a mixed approach is used.

‘Jump starting’ forest recovery with active restoration gets things moving but is expensive. Passive restoration is cheaper, but it takes a long time. SAVE Brasil is doing both, having started restoration activities within the Murici Reserve, and helping to establish a network of native plant nurseries, seed collectors and knowledgeable individuals to deliver and monitor restoration efforts in the region.

When the idea is to restore the natural flow of things, nature always helps out: planting more trees effectively attracts more birds and insects, which then actively take over much of the required ecological ground work to regenerate the ecosystem.

Even with help from the birds, forest restoration is a massive endeavour that can quickly exhaust resources. Nor is it guaranteed to work, especially if conservationists fail to consider the presence of human residents and their activities. In the Atlantic Forest, this typically means farmers and livestock producers.

“We want to encourage a system that combines agriculture, animal rearing and forest restoration, and generates mixed-revenue streams to help keep forests standing,” says Alice Reisfeld, SAVE Brazil Program Manager. “We expect this approach to have measurable benefits for the livelihoods of local landowners.”

Matters can get complicated when the landowners involved are reticent, even when the dialogue is about sustainable production practices that will benefit them. “Many landowners are not aware of the possibility of raising crops and cattle in a more sustainable way that will increase their productivity and help them access new markets, while also generating environmental services,” says Bárbara Cavalcante, Co-ordinator of the Northeast Atlantic Forest Project, SAVE Brasil. “That’s why we will implement demonstrative units in a few properties, so that others can also learn and allow replication of this model.”

It starts with a cup of tea

Meanwhile, in the southern Atlantic Forest, Guyra Paraguay and Aves Argentinas are under similar pressure to reconcile forest restoration with local economic interests. Their main answer to this conundrum is shade-grown yerba mate (used to make a popular caffeinated drink), an impressively simple yet sophisticated agroforestry initiative whereby local producers receive a premium for a forest-friendly product.

Guyra Paraguay is looking to take its shade-grown yerba mate model to scale. However, as always there are challenges. Among these is the illegal production of marijuana in the San Rafael Reserve. The prospect of producing forest-friendly yerba mate alone is often insufficient to convince smallholders to forego the highly lucrative marijuana business, a major driver of forest degradation and forest fires. For such reasons, Guyra Paraguay is promoting the diversification of smallholder farms, so that farmers can tap into multiple income streams at different times of the year.

Cross-border restoration

A key element in scaling the shade-grown yerba mate initiative is to work with other organisations wanting to do the same things for the same reasons. Thus, Guyra Paraguay has teamed up with Aves Argentinas to stitch together farms adopting forest-friendly yerba mate production to create an ‘eco-productive’ corridor linking Atlantic Forest fragments and Key Biodiversity Areas between south-eastern Paraguay and north-eastern Argentina.

This corridor is already showing measurable benefits for birds and other biodiversity within the agroforestry plantations; furthermore, it provides a framework for the shade-grown yerba mate initiative to expand, all the while growing synergy between the relevant BirdLife Partners and their respective local alliances. Such alliances are the stuff of 21st century conservation.

By way of localised patchwork initiatives, the Atlantic Forest as a whole is gradually being reassembled. Working alongside and in the interests of the local people who work and influence the landscape, BirdLife Partners and their allies are implementing modern conservation initiatives that draw transformative power from the union of economy with ecology. Piece by piece, the Atlantic Forest tapestry is gradually being woven back together again.

Josefa Caetano, a farmer in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, captures the reason why this is working: “I could cut everything down, sell all the wood and plant crops, but I don’t do this because I understand the damage I would cause for the future.”

This Atlantic Forest work is currently supported by the Aage V. Jensen Charity Foundation, the Hempel Foundation, WWF-Brazil, Trillion Trees and the BirdLife Forest Accelerator programme.

“I could cut everything down, sell all the wood and plant crops, but I don’t do this because I understand the damage I would cause for the future.”

Josefa Caetano, a farmer in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest

Ding Li Yong, Flyways Coordinator, BirdLife Asia

Not far from the bustling city of Seocheon, at the mouth of the Geum estuary in South Korea, is the relatively flat island of Yubu. Except for a small, hilly, wooded area, Yubu is surrounded by vast expanses of tidal flats. Each year, several thousand Eurasian Oystercatchers of the distinctive eastern form osculans congregate in a staggering spectacle on Yubu’s shore – perhaps more than at any other wetland in eastern Asia.

Crossing to the mainland at Seocheon, the ebbing of the tide exposes intertidal flats that stretch as far as the eye can see into the Yellow Sea (or West Sea as it is known in Korea). These support a sizeable percentage of the populations of two threatened shorebirds, Far Eastern Curlew and Great Knot (both Endangered), as well as a small but steady stream in migration times of two even rarer waders, Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Critically Endangered) and Spotted Greenshank (Endangered).

The estuary of the Geum River in Seocheon county, including Yubu island, is one of four coastal wetlands inscribed in July this year by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a World Heritage Property. These sites also include well-known Suncheon Bay on the south coast, which hosts almost a third of the world population of Hooded Crane (Vulnerable), and the mudflats of Gochang and the Shinan archipelago.

The prestige that comes with UNESCO status not only embodies outstanding importance of a site for biodiversity, but also provides some of the best guarantees for good management and protection. UNESCO inscription of these four wetlands therefore marks an extremely significant milestone in the conservation of the critically important intertidal wetlands of the Yellow Sea, and confirms what the conservation community has been advocating for – that these wetlands are important at the international level.

Tragic loss

Not that long ago, the wetlands of the Yellow Sea were far from secure. In 2006, South Korea took the controversial decision to dam and reclaim a vast area of estuarine intertidal flats at Saemangeum, about 20 km south of Yubu, to boost its ailing economy. At the time, Saemangeum was recognised as the top site in Korea for migratory shorebirds – it hosted almost 95,000 Great Knot, among hundreds of thousands of other waterbirds.

The tragic loss of Saemangeum displaced large numbers of migratory waterbirds and is believed to have hastened the decline of the Great Knot in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Elsewhere in South Korea and in China’s provinces on the Yellow Sea, coastal wetlands were also increasingly being lost to aquaculture, development and the rapid expansion of infrastructure amid the region’s economic boom.

More than 30 per cent of South Korea’s intertidal flats were estimated to have disappeared between the 1980s and 2000s. And as more and more of Korea’s wetlands gave way to reclamation in the years of rapid economic growth, it became increasingly critical to preserve what remained of these coastal hotspots around the Yellow Sea.

Heart of the flyway

Straddling the eastern coast of China and the Korean Peninsula, the Yellow Sea is, after all, the beating heart of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Many of the waterbirds migrating along the flyway depend on these critical wetlands to recuperate in one way or another, including virtually every threatened shorebird using this flyway.

Sitting on the north-eastern fringe of the Yellow Sea, South Korea’s wetlands form an integral part of this coastal ecosystem. Although not as well-known as some of the sites in China, these ecosystems are nevertheless comparable in importance for migratory birds as many of China’s sites, and ecologically they complement the Chinese wetlands.

In addition to being a vital staging ground for millions of waterbirds, South Korea’s Yellow Sea coast is also where several threatened species breed, notably the Black-faced Spoonbill (Endangered), Chinese Egret and Saunders’s Gull (both Vulnerable). Not to be forgotten is the population of Spotted Seal, designated by the Korean government as a Natural Monument by its Cultural Heritage Administration.

In 2015, the South Korean government made a bid for UNESCO recognition of several Yellow Sea wetland sites. The Korean World Heritage Promotion Team, led by Dr Moon Kyong-O, worked tirelessly to consult international stakeholders and lobby for support for the nominated sites. The team reached out to experts around the world, including BirdLife International, as well as our colleagues working in the Wadden Sea in western Europe – a UNESCO ‘coast-scape’ which parallels the Korean nomination in many ways.

The battle to protect

The road towards World Heritage Site inscription was not without setbacks. The nomination and consultation process raised many issues with the way wetland sites were to be managed and zoned, as well as questions on what made them outstanding for biodiversity at the international level. The coronavirus pandemic threw another spanner in the works, causing many conversations to be delayed. However, as the 44th Session of the World Heritage Committee loomed, the international community and Korean stakeholders were quickly galvanised into action.

The Korean World Heritage Promotion team convened a technical panel of experts to look into the biological value of the four nominated sites, especially their migratory birds, in order to demonstrate to the World Heritage Committee how the site would meet its criteria for outstanding universal value. Meanwhile, members of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) were leading consultations with stakeholders and co-ordinating work to mobilise experts, bureaucrats, conservationists and local officials.

BirdLife International quickly got to work to assess data and how they met international criteria. The BirdLife Secretariat also worked hard with the EAAFP to mobilise the international conservation community for support. In total, 78 signatories were brought together, including representatives of no fewer than 33 BirdLife Partners.

The World Heritage inscription of the four South Korean sites as ‘Getbol, Korean tidal flats’ in July 2021 is a critical milestone in the work to protect these globally important wetlands. Beyond this, Getbol is also a matter of pride for South Korea, being its second natural property inscribed beside well-known Jeju Island. South Korea’s President Moon Jae-In noted that this proud moment did not happen overnight and was a result of the “wisdom and sacrifice” of many people and “desperate protection” – a testament to the work of the conservation community.

Work goes on

However, the inscription of Getbol is only the beginning of a wider, encouraging effort by the three countries to secure the Yellow Sea’s wetlands. China is building momentum on its work to nominate more than 14 new wetland sites on its coast for World Heritage status. “The Korean Getbol inscription complements the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase I) World Heritage Site listed in 2019,” said Doug Watkins, Chief Executive of EAAFP. “It will strengthen international collaboration, particularly in the vision of transboundary joint efforts with China and DPR Korea, to conserve the wetlands of the Yellow Sea region, an irreplaceable migration hub for migratory waterbirds shared by the 22 countries in the Flyway.”

While celebrating this success, South Korea is now moving to the second phase of its nomination of World Heritage sites, which in time will expand the protected wetland estate in the country, including the vast mudflats around Ganghwa.

Efforts for wetland and biodiversity conservation are also gathering momentum in North Korea, which joined the Ramsar Convention just two years ago, and is now stepping up efforts to document its migratory waterbirds and strengthen protection of its wetlands. A series of World Heritage Sites of critical wetlands surrounding the entire Yellow Sea appears to be an increasing possibility, mirroring similar efforts in Europe’s Wadden Sea.

Given the global importance of the wetlands in the Yellow Sea, it is critical now that this momentum for strengthening protection of these valuable intertidal flats is not lost. Above all, there is a rare window of opportunity for the three countries to work together to secure the future of a shared heritage of wetlands, migratory birds and the many ecosystem services that come alongside these fantastic habitats.

“It will strengthen international collaboration… to conserve the wetlands of the Yellow Sea region, an irreplaceable migration hub for migratory waterbirds shared by the 22 countries in the Flyway.”

Doug Watkins, Chief Executive, East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership

Marcela Bellettini, BirdLife Pacific

Out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, there is a group of islands that host some of the most beautiful and unique birds in the world. The Acteon and Gambier Archipelago, part of French Polynesia, lies approximately 1,600 km from Tahiti, the nation’s political centre. Boasting some of the highest numbers of endemic birds in the tropical Pacific, this far-off piece of paradise is a nature-lover’s dream.

Sadly, even these remote islands have not escaped human interference. Like numerous islands in the Pacific, for many years they were under severe threat from introduced species. From predators including rats to aggressive tangles of non-native vegetation, havoc was wrought on these delicately balanced coral atoll and volcanic ecosystems.

For the islands’ birds, it is a life or death situation. In the Pacific, up to two thirds of all bird extinctions are directly linked to the introduction of alien species. For some of the rarest birds in the world – like Tutururu, or Polynesian Ground-dove Alopecoenas erythropterus (Critically Endangered), and Titi, or Tuamotu Sandpiper Prosobonia parvirostris (Endangered), that evolved in the absence of mammalian predators – time was running out.

In 2015, BirdLife, SOP Manu (BirdLife in French Polynesia) and Island Conservation took on their most ambitious conservation project ever: the challenge of restoring the habitat and removing introduced species from six islands (Vahanga, Tenania, Temoe, Kamaka, Makaroa and Manui), thereby securing a future for four threatened bird species and many others.

‘Operation Restoration,’ as it was dubbed, was not without its difficulties. Getting 200 tonnes of equipment shipped to these remote islands required diligent logistics, 165 helicopter hours, more than two years of planning and a team of 31 people across three continents to deliver the operation. If that doesn’t sound hard enough, the prospect of adverse weather conditions, sleep deprivation, sharks, seasickness, tropical sores, clouds of flies and a castaway’s diet would make any sane person turn their boat around and sail straight back to the idyllic island of Tahiti.

Despite all of this, the team were not fazed and, if anything, it just added to the adventure. Over the following two months, the operation was rolled out over the six islands, working alongside local communities throughout. An immense amount of human power was needed in particular to remove the invasive tangles of the Lantana plant, but blood and sweat was well spent in the knowledge that many native plant species would recover and allow the fruit- and seed-eating birds to thrive again.

Despite the operation having gone to plan, proof of success would not be known for another few years, and so they left the island chain tired but with immense hope for the recovery to come. A follow-up survey in 2017 revealed that the team was successful in eliminating invasive species from five out of the six islands – a ground-breaking 1,200 hectares in total – and there were early promising signs of the recovery. Five years on, in November 2020, SOP Manu and BirdLife were able to return and capture a snapshot of the islands and their species’ recovery.

Saved from extinction

Prior to the operation, the once-widespread Polynesian Ground-dove persisted as a single functional population on their only remaining predator-free island, Tenararo. As of 2020, there are now three flourishing populations all on restored islands. The few that previously remained on Vahanga have since doubled, and on the neighbouring Tenania atoll they have re-established a secure and permanent presence for the first time in hundreds of years.

Tuamotu Sandpiper, another endemic, and an ancient cohort of migratory sandpipers that have lost their migratory ability, is making a slower but steady comeback. The population in Vahanga has not increased significantly and is also yet to establish on Tenania. Nonetheless, with over a thousand Tuamotu Sandpipers on Tenararo, they remain the most numerous species there.

Then there’s the Koko, or Atoll Fruit-dove Ptilinopus coralensis (Near Threatened). Needing no search, their soft coos clearly audible and a constant flash of yellow and red hues visible to everyone, these now abundant birds dart through the lush foliage.

In addition to land birds, the islands provide critical habitat for nineteen species of seabird, and the changes being witnessed here are no less than inspiring. Since 2015, five new seabird populations have established on three of the islands, including Christmas Shearwater Puffinus nativitatis on two islands, whilst Tropical Shearwater Puffinus bailloni, Red-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon rubricauda and Black Noddy Anous minutus all inhabit one each.

In a further affirmation of the recovery, nesting Polynesian Storm-petrels Nesofregetta fuliginosa (Endangered) have increased year on year and by more than 100% of their estimated 2015 population. Murphy’s Petrel Pterodroma ultima is another species signalling its intent to reclaim these islands from its stronghold of a thousand pairs on Temoe, to gradually increasing numbers on Vahanga and prospecting a return to Tenania.

The isolation and expense of accessing these islands means the monitoring is limited, but “The changes taking place are apparent, particularly the avian comeback”, says Tehani Withers (SOP Manu’s Restoration Manager). “Given that five years of recovery is barely a ripple in the prior hundreds of years of harm, it’s deeply satisfying to see such a vibrant transformation.”

“This restoration success has demonstrated that carefully planned and well-executed operations across multiple remote islands can provide significant benefits for the biodiversity and local community simultaneously,” says Steve Cranwell, BirdLife’s invasive species expert, who headed up the operation.

“The five restored islands of the Acteon and Gambier group are allowing wildlife to expand and establish new secure populations, as witnessed for Tutururu and several species of seabird and other animals. For highly mobile species, like seabirds, this expansion is expected to continue and we may see the return of some long lost extirpated species, like the threatened Phoenix and Henderson Petrels. To progress the recovery of Titi and Tutururu, we will translocate them to one of the more distant restored atolls [Temoe, over 300 km away from their current populations], helping secure them a more stable future.”

“Given that five years of recovery is barely a ripple in the prior hundreds of years of harm, it’s deeply satisfying to see such a vibrant transformation.”

Tehani Withers, Island Restoration Manager, SOP Manu

Other benefits

But it has not all just been for the birds. Coconut farming, alongside fishing, is the main source of income for these Island communities. In the Tenania atoll, coconut plantations were being damaged by Black Rats, impacting the community’s ability to generate a continuous source of income. Following the successful eradication of the rodents, no one was more grateful than the Mayor of Tureia, who has reported that the harvest has increased by 50% since the operation, helping families with their children’s education and living expenses.

Critical to the ongoing recovery of the islands and their species is biosecurity: to prevent the return of removed species and other harmful introductions. Here, the leadership from local people is crucial. Local communities, the Catholic Church and the French Polynesian government are partners who not only helped make the restoration possible, but also ensure it continues as they remain vigilant in applying biosecurity and educating others in doing the same.

The Polynesian people are deeply connected with nature, playing a crucial role in their traditions, history and way of life (this is also why we use the species’ original names in this article). So when nature is degraded, cultures are too.

Unfortunately, many Pacific islands, including those in French Polynesia, continue to face threats from invasive species and climate change, severely impacting both biodiversity and the Pacific people’s way of life. This form of restoration and capacity building offers a clear solution. It resets the natural balance to a time probably not known on these islands since Polynesian ancestors colonised the thriving ecosystems.

Lessons for future island restorations

So what’s next? SOP Manu is following up with further habitat restoration – clearing more Lantana and removing coconuts that have spread outside plantations. Of course, lessons have been learned from the one island where the eradication of rats failed, Kamaka, and a renewed operation is planned for later this year.

“The use of drone technology is an exciting new innovation to make rodent eradications more accessible on remote islands like Kamaka”, says Tom Ghestemme, Director of SOP Manu. The emotional drive to succeed is now extra strong for this island: “The landowner, the late Johnny Reasin, committed his life to restoring Kamaka and his family are equally committed to continuing the work. SOP Manu will honour his life-long wish and realise his legacy of protecting French Polynesia’s birds and biodiversity.” Situated among three of the other predator-free islands, the potential for seabird recovery on Kamaka is huge.

And it doesn’t end with these islands. BirdLife and BirdLife Partners are currently supporting invasive species operations across at least 16 sites in seven Pacific Island countries, safeguarding 15 threatened bird species and many others, such as the Marquesas and Rapa Iti. “While there is still much to do, the learnings from the Acteon and Gambier operation have been instrumental in making a difference,” says Cranwell. “With your continued support we will turn back the tide of extinction and continue to protect, secure, and restore the unique biodiversity of the Pacific.”

The results of Operation Restoration are a remarkable testament to the rate at which native wildlife can recover given the right opportunity, a heroic effort and with strong local support. While the Tutururu and Titi are not completely safe yet, we can say they have certainly been pulled back from the brink of extinction, and as they continue to increase and expand their ranges across these restored islands, so will the certainty of their future.

This extensive island restoration operation was led by BirdLife International, with SOP Manu (BirdLife Partner in French Polynesia) and Island Conservation.

Since its inception the restoration has been supported by many international and national organisations with significant funding from the European Union, the British Birdwatching Fair, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Government of French Polynesia, The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, the T-Gear Foundation, and National Geographic Society; sponsorships from Bell Laboratories and; assistance from the Gambier Islands Council, Pacific Invasives Initiative, the New Zealand Department of Conservation and many individual people around the world.

“With your continued support we will turn back the tide of extinction and continue to protect, secure, and restore the unique biodiversity of the Pacific.”

Steve Cranwell, BirdLife invasive species programme manager

Which factors make some locations higher priority than others?

The benefits and costs of restoration vary substantially across the world. The amount of carbon that would be captured by restoring a site differs depending on habitat and location, and the biodiversity value of locations also varies. Added to this, habitat restoration is much cheaper in some locations than others.

How did you explore these trade-offs?

We collaborated with scientists at the International Institute for Sustainability in Brazil – along with other institutions – to use an approach called ‘linear programming’. Through this method, we calculated the optimal distribution of restored sites under three criteria (minimising extinctions, mitigating climate change and minimising costs) under 1,200 different scenarios.

What were the key findings?

Priority areas for restoration varied wildly depending on which of the criteria we focused on. Overall, we found that restoring 15% of converted lands in priority areas could avoid 60% of expected extinctions while capturing 299 gigatonnes of CO2 – 30% of the total CO2 increase in the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution. Importantly, we found that it is much more cost-effective to optimise across multiple criteria simultaneously. This highlights the importance of spatial planning and pursuing climate and biodiversity goals simultaneously rather than separately.

Which kinds of habitat are important for restoration?

All biomes have an important role, but priority areas tended to be concentrated in wetlands and tropical and subtropical forests. These sites typically had high carbon stocks, high species diversity and considerable loss of natural habitat.

What were the limitations of the study?

We focused exclusively on areas that had been converted to other uses, since the costs and benefits of restoring degraded ecosystems are less well known. We also did not consider the way climate change is affecting the distributions of species, biomass and agricultural production. Finally, at local and national scales it is critical to consider socio-economic issues such as social equity and land tenure.

How can we turn information into action?

Governments have made bold commitments to restore ecosystems, including in relation to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), Bonn Challenge, New York Declaration on Forests and the Paris Climate Accord. Our methods and results can help nations to develop efficient spatial plans that ensure such restoration delivers maximum benefit for biodiversity and climate change, while minimising costs.

Global priority areas for ecosystem restoration is published in Nature.

“Priority areas tended to be concentrated in wetlands and tropical and subtropical forests. These sites typically had high carbon stocks, high species diversity and considerable loss of natural habitat.”

Stuart Butchart, BirdLife Chief Scientist and co-author of the paper

You’d think a Sei Whale would be hard to miss. But despite reaching 15 m long and 20 tons in weight, they can slip through the water leaving barely a ripple, and their lives remain a mystery to scientists and seafarers alike. So how has such a colossal mammal swum under the radar for so long?

Inevitably, much of the blame can be laid on humans. Around 200,000 Sei Whales were slaughtered in the mid-20th century in the southern hemisphere alone, driving the species to the brink of extinction. Today the Sei Whale is still globally Endangered, and much of what we know about it comes from data collected during the whaling period.

The gentle giant also moves in mysterious ways. In most parts of the world it inhabits deep, offshore areas, making it hard to track its global migration routes or behaviour. So imagine the delight of researchers from Falklands Conservation (BirdLife Partner) when they realised that the species was visiting the islands’ pristine coastal waters every summer and autumn, to feast on clouds of tiny crustaceans that swarmed in the area. This virtually unique situation gave them the chance to observe and study the species like never before.

Part of this research involved photographing the fins and flanks of the whales to keep track of the unique combination of nicks and scars that characterised each individual. The team has catalogued about 500 different Sei Whales to date, gaining fascinating glimpses into their individual lives.

One whale, nicknamed ‘Wonky’ due to an unusually bent dorsal fin, was found to have travelled from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to the Falkland Islands, a straight-line journey of over 3,300 km in six months. This is one of the first insights into the migration destinations of this species. Another whale was sighted in 2019 and again in 2020, the second time accompanied by a young calf. This mother was dubbed ‘Moana’ in a Sei Whale naming contest run on the Falklands Conservation Facebook page to raise awareness of the vital site.

The recognition doesn’t end there, though. Thanks to years of research, the islands have now been confirmed as a Key Biodiversity Area, making them a globally important hotspot for recovering Sei Whale populations. In a poetic twist, the area borders a former whaling station now owned by Falklands Conservation.

Dr Caroline Weir, Sei Whale project lead for Falklands Conservation, says: “We are incredibly proud of achieving this Key Biodiversity Area for Endangered Sei Whales, which is the culmination of five years of pioneering and challenging field research. It has really highlighted the importance of the Falkland Islands for this poorly-known species. It’s a privilege to work in an area where whale populations appear to be thriving, and fantastic to now see that work translating into global recognition and contributing to the future conservation of these amazing animals.”

“It’s a privilege to work in an area where whale populations appear to be thriving.”

Dr Caroline Weir, Sei Whale project lead, Falklands Conservation

Tell us how it all began…

The nineties not only brought the ‘wind of change’ and democracy to Poland, but also the creation of OTOP. The idea came up in 1990, just after a workshop organised in the UK by the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK). A small group of enthusiasts returned to our country with a vision for a new, strong organisation working for bird protection and, thanks to their commitment, a year later OTOP was formed. The beginning was challenging, with just three employees working from a rented room in Gdańsk. But with time, our organisation has developed into one of the most prominent NGOs in Poland.

What have been your biggest successes?

One of our priorities from the very beginning was an Important Bird & Biodiversity Area (IBA) Programme. OTOP prepared three inventories of IBAs in Poland – in 1993, 2004 and 2010 – and it paid off: most of the 175 IBAs are now protected as EU Natura 2000 sites.

The apple of OTOP’s eye is its reserves – Beka, Karsiborska Kępa and sites in the Biebrza Valley. Their management, including grazing with horses, help us to create habitats for birds. Sometimes we had to fight for the protection of the most valuable places in Poland, such as Rospuda Valley and Bialowieza Forest. Our successful campaign to save Rospuda has become a shining example of how NGOs can effectively protect nature, and our staff member, Gosia Górska, received the Goldman Prize in 2010 for her work on this.

Which bird species have you focused on?

Our priority species has always been Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola (Vulnerable) – one of the rarest and most threatened passerines in Europe. Conservation projects at major Aquatic Warbler sites in Biebrza and the Lublin Region have helped the population to increase and subsequently expand to new areas. The European Commission granted two LIFE projects for the conservation of Aquatic Warblers, which were awarded the Best LIFE Projects of 2013 and 2015.

It’s not only about Aquatic Warbler, though. OTOP has worked with other species that are threatened in Poland, such as European Roller Coracias garrulus, Mew Gull Larus Canus and Dunlin Calidris alpina. We not only protect, but also monitor. OTOP is now the key contractor of the Programme of Bird Monitoring in Poland, which helps to track trends for 170 breeding bird species. At the same time, we are managing the country’s biggest citizen science database, ornitho.pl, which now holds 5.5 million bird records!

So public engagement is also a large part of your work?

Without people, OTOP would not achieve a single goal. The engagement of our network of members and volunteers allows us to spread our efforts across the whole country.

Education and awareness-raising are an important part of each of our projects – however, two of our initiatives need special attention. Spring Alive, co-ordinated internationally by OTOP since its inception in 2006, is an educational project aiming to help children, their families and teachers to understand the need for international conservation of migratory species and to take action to conserve birds and nature. Currently it operates in 30 countries across Europe, Asia and Africa, and thanks to BirdLife Partners, it managed to engage over 117,000 children last year.

OTOP Junior is an umbrella concept for a wide range of activities aimed at pupils and their teachers, for which we’ve developed a diverse range of educational offerings. More than 1,700 educators work with these materials.

Any words for the BirdLife Partnership?

OTOP has always worked according to the BirdLife mission, focusing on sites, species and communities. We cannot forget about the substantial and timely support from abroad, predominantly through the BirdLife Partnership. DOF (BirdLife in Denmark) and RSPB helped OTOP during the very first years of operation to transform from a ‘hatchling’ to maturity. RSPB and the BirdLife Secretariat have continued to support us in many different ways since.

What’s next?

Obviously during the last 30 years we have had some tough moments, including lack of financial stability, political reluctance and internal, management-related problems. But we have managed to get through all of this. Now we can honestly say that OTOP is seen in Poland as a key environmental NGO, with our expertise and professional team acting as benchmarks for the whole country. 2021 is a significant year, bringing in a new management team and a five-year strategy. So rest assured that this is not our last word: we still want to grow and develop.

“OTOP is a strong and truly effective national organisation. Poland’s national poet once said: ‘Nature, you are like the nation’s health; only those who have lost you can learn how much you’re prized.’ Today, that nature is treasured by OTOP so that future generations will see and cherish it.”

Zbig Karpowicz, former senior partner development officer for the RSPB, was at the genesis of this adventure 30 years ago