Conservation Leadership Program
A conservation activity for Labor Day, the annual holiday that celebrates the economic and social achievements of workers, might be to watch a video about a program such as Birdlife International’s Conservation Leadership Program.
For 25 years, the Conservation Leadership Program has been sponsoring young conservationists to manage projects to help preserve some of the world’s most endangered species and habitats.
The video introduces people to some of the award-winning leaders of conservation projects in Brazil, Cambodia, and Kenya. It shows some everyday conservation working activities that give people an idea of what it is really like to work in the field.
Have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend!
Important Bird Areas
Of the 190 birds on the critically endangered list, 44 of them are in the Pacific region. Birdlife International is leading the way towards establishing Important Bird Areas and starting conservation activities to urgently try to save the remaining birds. Basically, an Important Bird Area means an area is treated as a key conservation zone in which activities will be done to try to save the birds. Being designated as Important Areas means they now officially have equal importance to anywhere in the United States.
BirdLife presented their list of Important Bird Areas to the Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation last week. The List took over 4 years to complete. Ground based research tends to be time consuming. It’s not like the birds could perch and answer the researcher’s questions in an afternoon tea-seed meeting!
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) will now help try to conserve the remaining birds. The List is step one – the next stage is to start conservation action on the ground. In the South Pacific, where land is communally owned, conservation usually starts with gaining the support of the local community towards protecting areas.
For those of you who like online maps, BirdLife has a News Map of the world’s activities around conserving birds. The map changes size, and allows access to informative snippets of bird conservation related news.
BirdLife is our world’s largest global alliance of conservation organisations that work together to conserve wild birds, their habitats and global biodiversity. The alliance has Partners in over 100 countries, and has 2.5 million members and 8 million supporters.
Tags: Birdlife International, birds, Conservation, Important Bird Area, Pacific Island, Roundtable for Nature, South Pacific, SPREP
Vanishing Birds
The Alaotra Grebe of Madagascar is the latest addition to a growing list of extinct bird species. According to The Guardian, the Wetland bird was driven to extinction primarily due to the introduction of non-native carnivorous fish into their waters. Fishermen also played a role in the extinction, as nylon gill-nets have drowned countless Grebes. The Guardian suggests that there is a downward trend in wildlife protection, as the total number of extinct bird species since the year 1600 has now reached 132, with 1,240 bird species currently facing the threat of extinction. Introduced species, pollution, and drainage of coastal wetlands are among the leading causes.
BirdLife International is behind the Alaotra Grebe announcement in the 2010 IUCN Red List update for birds. They suggest that the extinction of the Grebe “is another example of how human actions can have unforeseen consequences.” Fragile wetlands are in a dangerous position as human development has caused the migration of invasive plant/animal species away from polluted habitats and dangerous environments.
One wetland bird species that’s suffering is Cuba’s Zapata Rail, which is being threatened by introduced mongooses and exotic fish. The only nest of this bird that has ever been found was discovered by a Caribbean ornithologist named James Bond, who reputedly was the source for Ian Fleming’s famous spy’s name.
The good news is that human practices can be made positive, and a strong commitment to conservation can save endangered species. The proof is in the Red List update, which shows that species such as the yellow-eared parrot have been helped through programs that educate local communities on proper conservation practices.
Photo Courtesy of National Zoo
Moreover, the birth of two rare White-Naped Cranes last month at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute marked a ray of hope for endangered birds. Once again, the National Zoo shows that it is committed to saving endangered species through science and conservation efforts such as captive breeding which increases the genetic viability of bird populations that would otherwise have been lost forever. Captive breeding can be a valuable key to saving endangered species.
It is imperative that people reform their actions and take responsibility through conservation efforts, for constructive human actions can make for positive outcomes.
Tags: Alaotra Grebe, Birdlife International, birds, IUCN, National Zoo, Red List, White-Naped Crane, Zapata Rail
