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New Caledonia (to France)
Threatened Species:
14 more info»
IBAs:
32
EBAs:
1 more info»
Société Calédonienne d’Ornithologie (SCO)
Société Calédonienne d’Ornithologie (SCO) is the BirdLife Affiliate
Founded in: 1965Members: 45
Staff: 1
Address: BP 3135, 98 846 Nouméa, New Caledonia
Email: president@sco.asso.nc
Web: http://www.sco.asso.nc
Mission of the organisation
The Société Calédonienne d’Ornithologie contributes to improving knowledge about the birds of New Caledonia and is involved in the protection of both the birds and the habitats upon which they depend.
The SCO pays special attention to working with communities to promote better understanding and sustainable management of the island’s unique ornithological resources.
Key Activities
- The Société Calédonienne d’Ornithologie works in liaison with many local and international organisations to improve and promote the knowledge of New Caledonian birds
- The SCO is involved in environmental impact assessment and acts as an environmental watchdog where necessary
- The SCO organizes a wide range of fieldtrips, participates in special events about the environment and gives presentations in schools or for community groups so as to increase public awareness
- The SCO publishes a quarterly newsletter, called “Le Cagou”, for its members and partners
Recent Achievements
- The office of the Société Calédonienne d’Ornithologie, which is open to public, contains the most complete range of birds-related documentation in the Territory.
- An office in the North Province was opened in 2007.
- The SCO has completed the IBA Identification process, funded by the European Commission as part of a Pacific Regional Process to implement the IBA programme.
- In partnership with a steering committee composed of government, customary, scientific and non-governmental stakeholders, the SCO has identified and published a network of sites important for birds and, more generally, for biodiversity.
- Management plans for two IBAs are being discussed with the local communities and other local and national stakeholders.
- A bird monitoring scheme for these two IBAs has been initiated in 2008.
- SCO participates in the Packard Foundation-funded BirdLife project aimed at restoring seabird colonies in the Pacific and has just completed baiting of three islets (for rats) in the northern lagoon area of New Caledonia’s Grande Terre. The removal of rats from these islets will help protect important breeding habitats for a number of seabird species including the nationally highly threatened Fairy Tern.
- SCO is monitoring seabird species outside IBAs, carries out new surveys, implements a rescue project on Petrels and Shearwaters.