One solution for birds is a tori line, which is a bird-scaring line that is towed behind a fishing vessel and that stops birds from coming too close to the fishing hooks. The tori line has bits of material hanging from the line, which is enough to keep the birds away. Study results show that during days when the longline gear was set without using a tori line, 25 birds were caught. However, when a tori line was used, not a single bird was caught.

The remaining challenge is finding a way to prevent the tori line from becoming entangled in the fishing line. Once they solve this problem, it will be easier to persuade long line fishing fleets to use tori lines and to stop killing birds.

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!

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.

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.