News

Through a huge collaborative effort led by BirdLife International, a major seabird hotspot was discovered in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. Using tracking data from 21 different species from 56 colonies across the North and South Atlantic, BirdLife mapped an area the size of France that is used annually by up to 5 million seabirds.

In 1980, only five Black Robins remained, restricted to one remote island in the Pacific. Despite being seemingly destined for extinction, an intensive conservation programme brought the species back from the brink, and less than 50 years later its remarkable recovery has seen it downlisted on the IUCN Red List.

Over 35 European businesses signed a statement, published early this week, in support of a strong EU Nature Restoration Law with legally-binding targets. It is one more powerful plea in a recent series of growing industry calls to restore natural habitats in the EU and save human livelihoods and economic activities from the dire consequences of advancing nature loss and climate crisis.

Unique among shorebirds, the prairie-loving, pampas-wintering Buff-breasted Sandpiper links habitats from the Arctic to southern South America through its epic migration. Its future is uncertain, however, with historical hunting and destruction of grasslands driving steep declines. Help us fight for flyways and protect this enigmatic sandpiper along with the millions of other birds that migrate along them.

Migration is one of the most compelling aspects of the avian world, with billions of birds travelling vast distances across the globe twice each year. Many do so along well-established routes known as flyways, and there are nine such major flight paths around the world. We take a look at the Pacific Flyway in the Americas, its special species, sites and habitats, the threats facing birds migrating along the route and the vital work underway to protect them.

A new BirdLife-led paper has shown that infrastructure, an important driver of threat, is present in more than 12,086 of the world’s Key Biodiversity Areas. Concerningly, this figure is likely to increase, with much future infrastructural development likely to occur in some of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.

Saving a species on the edge of existence can demand imaginative solutions. In the case of Cerulean Flycatcher, an Indonesian island endemic, it involved working with the local community, changing farming practices and getting a Species Champion on board.

With spring migration season in full swing, we talk to João Guilherme, lead author of a study exploring the migratory patterns of birds along the African-Eurasian flyway and how their epic journeys link countries.

Vast areas of forest are being cleared at an alarming rate and, as 2022’s IUCN Red List update reveals, deforestation is a key threat to many bird populations, especially in tropical regions. We look at some of the worst-affected areas, the threatened species that inhabit them, and the measures being put in place to try and tackle the problem.

The fishing lobby has been violently reacting to the European Commission’s Action Plan that seeks a timid and slow phase-out of bottom trawling inside Marine “Protected” Areas (MPAs). Many false arguments are being used to oppose an obviously needed measure that is crucial for the restoration of biodiversity, protection of carbon stocks and regeneration of fish populations - and hence the future of fishing itself.

Depuis plus de deux décennies, les agriculteurs du village de Ouably-Gondrou, dans la localité de Kouibly située dans l'ouest de la Côte d'Ivoire, ont connu une baisse significative des rendements de cacao en raison de l'abattage des arbres dans les plantations de cacao, ce qui expose les plantes aux rayons nocifs du soleil. SOS-Forêts, partenaire de BirdLife, a mené des initiatives de restauration dans le pays. Lorsque SOS-Forêts a mené une campagne de sensibilisation dans la région en 2021, Clément Sie, un agriculteur de 37 ans, et ses pairs ont compris l'impact de la déforestation sur la production de cacao. En 2022, SOS-Forêts a commencé à mettre en œuvre un projet de restauration financé par TerraFund pour AFR100, visant à restaurer 150 ha de couvert végétal à Kouibly. Solange Kablan de SOS-Forêts s'est entretenue avec Sie qui explique son implication dans le projet.

With more than 30 years of experience in conserving Gola Rainforest, Sierra Leone, BirdLife partners are deploying a whole suite of different methods to protect this unique and bird-rich hotspot – from carbon credits and chocolate production to training rangers and youth volunteers. And it’s paying off for the local people too.