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February 26, 2008
Stour-Orwell Species Turnover Project
Stour-Orwell birders - have you seen colour-ringed birds? The BTO needs your help!
A large number of Dunlin and Redshank are being colour marked on the Stour-Orwell this winter. This exciting new study will help to determine just how many birds use this important area for resting and feeding, and help to protect other sites that are used by waterbirds.
Currently, flagship conservation sites such as Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Sites of Scientific Interest (SSSIs) that are important for birds, are identified and designated using the peak numbers of birds present. Particularly during the migration period, this method can greatly underestimate the total number of birds using the site, because there is the daily arrival and departure of individuals.
The study launched in partnership with the British Trust for Ornithology, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Newton & Wright Ringing Group and Natural England, aims to significantly increase our understanding of just how important estuaries like the Stour-Orwell are for wintering waterbirds. Over the winter a large number of Dunlin and Redshank are being fitted with individual combinations of brightly coloured rings, allowing each bird to be individually recognized. We are trying to encourage visitors to submit sightings of colour-marked birds. All visitors to estuaries this winter can provide an invaluable contribution to this work. To find out more or to submit a sighting, click here:
http://www.bto.org/research/wetland/turnover.htm
Posted by Surfbirds at 7:38 AM | Comments (0)
February 19, 2008
Biofuel blight threatens spectacular Kenyan wetland
A flourishing wetland on Kenya’s northern coast is under serious threat from plans to grow vast amounts of sugarcane, partly for biofuel production.
Developers want to transform nearly 50,000 acres (20,000 hectares) of the spectacular Tana River Delta into sugarcane plantations with other parts of the Delta earmarked for rice.
The area, about 120 miles north of Mombasa and largely untouched by development, teems with wildlife luring more than 345 species of birds including the threatened Basra reed warbler and Tana River cisticola. The golden-breasted starling and long-tailed fiscal are seen there too together with 22 waterbird species in internationally important numbers.
Long-tailed Fiscal © Nik Borrow, from the surfbirds galleries
The Delta is also home to more than 800 hippos, elephants, lions and crocodiles. It supports numerous small communities and pasture for their livestock, especially during the dry season.
'This development would be a national disaster, wreaking havoc with the area’s ecosystem and spelling the end for wildlife across much of the Delta,” said Paul Matiku, Executive Director of Nature Kenya.
'Large areas would become ecological deserts. The Delta is a wildlife refuge with cattle herders depending on it for centuries as well. There is no commitment to mitigation for the damage that will be done and no evidence that local incomes will be in any way improved. The sugarcane scheme cannot be allowed to go ahead.'
The Delta, covering 130,000 hectares in total, is one of Kenya’s largest and most important freshwater wetlands. It is a vast patchwork of habitats including savannah, forests, beaches, lakes, mangrove swamps and the Tana River itself. Local people live by the seasons, adapting to the regular floods that keep the area fertile through the year.
Farmers, mostly from the Pokomo ethnic group, grow crops on floodplains and lake edges, others bring livestock from as far as Somali and Ethiopian borders affected by drought. Thick vegetation absorbs carbon dioxide and the waters teem with fish.
The sugarcane scheme, submitted by Mumias Sugar Company and Tana and Athi River Development Authority, proposes nearly 50,000 acres of irrigated sugarcane, together with sugar and ethanol plants.
The Kenyan government is considering the plan and political tensions in Kenya are not expected to delay its decision.
An environmental assessment for the proposal has been completed but it considered only a three-month period of the Delta’s life and ignores the huge income increased tourism would generate.
It underestimates the project’s impact on wildlife and communities, and flouts international wildlife treaties including the international Ramsar wetland convention.
The two major impacts of development – the destruction of habitats and changes to water flow – are given cursory mention in the report with no promise of action to offset damage or create replacement sites.
Paul Buckley, an Africa specialist with the RSPB, which has objected to the proposal, said: 'These impacts would be extremely severe with at least one third of the Tana’s waters being diverted. There would be soil erosion, sedimentation and pollution, leaving people and wildlife competing for the clean water and productive land that remained.
'Good practice anywhere is to assess wildlife in different seasons especially in a habitat so dominated by seasonal change. The environmental assessors have seen the Delta in only one state. They have neglected their duties and produced a report so full of flaws it should be scrapped.'
Nature Kenya, with the backing of the RSPB and BirdLife International, has urged Kenya’s National Environment Management Authority, to reject the sugarcane plan.
The groups want the most critical parts of the Tana River Delta and floodplain – a tract of land designated an Important Bird Area – made a national protected area so that future development proposals take account of its value to wildlife.
They have also proposed that the government draw up a master plan for the Delta to include an economic assessment of its local, national and global environmental worth.
Paul Matiku said: 'This is a brilliant opportunity to create a truly green development by supporting the protection and proper management of large parts of the Delta as conservation areas. Development schemes must be limited to those that will benefit local people and retain the integrity of one of Kenya’s most important natural assets.'
Posted by Surfbirds at 6:54 AM | Comments (0)
Body part by body part, Sumatran Tigers are being sold into extinction
Laws protecting the critically endangered Sumatran Tiger have failed to prevent tiger body parts being offered on open sale in Indonesia, according to a TRAFFIC report launched this week.
Tiger body parts, including canine teeth, claws, skin pieces, whiskers and bones, were on sale in 10 percent of the 326 retail outlets surveyed during 2006 in 28 cities and towns across Sumatra. Outlets included goldsmiths, souvenir and traditional Chinese medicine shops, and shops selling antique and precious stones.
The survey conservatively estimates that 23 tigers were killed to supply the products seen, based on the number of canine teeth on sale.
Tiger, Bandhavgarh NP, India © Dave Pullan, from the surfbirds galleries
“This is down from an estimate of 52 killed per year in 1999–2000”, said Julia Ng, Programme Officer with TRAFFIC Southeast Asiaand lead author on The Tiger Trade Revisited in Sumatra, Indonesia. “Sadly, the decline in availability appears to be due to the dwindling number of tigers left in the wild”.
All of TRAFFIC’s surveys have indicated that Medan, the capital of North Sumatra province, and Pancur Batu, a smaller town situated about 15 km away, are the main hubs for the trade of tiger parts.
Despite TRAFFIC providing authorities with details of traders involved, apart from awareness-raising activities, it is not clear whether any serious enforcement action has been taken.
“Successive surveys continue to show that Sumatran tigers are being sold body part by body part into extinction”, said Dr Susan Lieberman, Director of WWF International’s Species Programme. “This is an enforcement crisis. If Indonesian authorities need enforcement help from the international community they should ask for it. If not, they should demonstrate they are taking enforcement seriously”.
The report recommends that resources and effort should concentrate on effective enforcement to combat the trade by arresting dealers and suppliers. Trade hotspots should be continually monitored and all intelligence be passed to the enforcement authorities for action. Those found guilty of trading in tigers and other protected wildlife should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
“We have to deal with the trade. Currently we are facing many other crucial problems which, unfortunately, are causing the decline of Sumatran Tiger populations” explained Dr Tonny Soehartono, Director for Biodiversity Conservation, Ministry of Forestry of Republic of Indonesia. “We have been struggling with the issues of land use changes, habitat fragmentation, human–tiger conflicts and poverty in Sumatra. Land use changes and habitat fragmentation are driving the tiger closer to humans and thus creating human–tiger conflicts”.
As a recent show of commitment, the President of the Republic of Indonesia launched the Conservation Strategy and Action Plan of Sumatran Tiger 2007–2017 during the 2007 Climate Change Convention in Bali.
Sumatra's remaining few tigers are also under threat from rampant deforestation by the pulp and paper and palm oil industries. The combined threats of habitat loss and illegal trade—unless tackled immediately—will be the death knell for Indonesian tigers.
“The Sumatran tiger is already listed as Critically Endangered on IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species, the highest category of threat before extinction in the wild,” said Jane Smart, Head of IUCN’s Species Programme. “We cannot afford to lose any more of these magnificent
creatures”.
“The Sumatran tiger population is estimated to be fewer than 400 to 500 individuals. It doesn’t take a mathematician to work out that the Sumatran Tiger will disappear like the Javan and Bali tigers if the poaching and trade continues” Julia Ng adds.
As Indonesia currently chairs the ASEAN-Wildlife Enforcement Network, TRAFFIC National Co-ordinator Dr Ani Mardiastuti suggested the country “demonstrate leadership to other ASEAN countries by taking action against illegal trade, including in tiger parts.”
Posted by Surfbirds at 6:45 AM | Comments (0)
Wintering Spoon-billed Sandpipers found in Myanmar
Sightings of 84 Spoon-billed Sandpipers Eurynorhynchus pygmeus at two coastal wetland sites in Myanmar have cast new light on the winter distribution of this endangered species, and confirmed that these wetlands are of international importance for their biodiversity.
The known global population of Spoon-billed Sandpiper has plunged alarmingly in the last few years to only 200-300 pairs.
Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Thailand © Mark Andrews, from the surfbirds galleries
“The number of breeding pairs in Chukotka, Siberia, fell by 50 percent between 2006 and 2007, and no birds have been seen this year at their traditional wintering sites in Bangladesh”, says Evgeny Syroechkovskiy, Vice President of the Russian Bird Conservation Union (BirdLife in Russia).
The Spoon-billed Sandpiper Recovery Team which found the birds included staff from Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association (BANCA), BirdLife International’s Partners in Russia and Thailand, and members of ArcCona Consulting (Cambridge, UK and Kiel, Germany) and the Japan Wetlands Action Network (JAWAN).
Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Thailand © Mark Andrews, from the surfbirds galleries
ArcCona’s analysis of satellite images, combined with the experience of previous surveys in India, Bangladesh and Thailand, and with historical records of the species in Myanmar, suggested that potentially suitable habitats existed in the south-western state of Arakan (Rakhine) in the Bay of Bengal, and Martaban (Mottama) Bay near the Thai border.
“The Arakan coast has never been surveyed before, and Martaban Bay only marginally in 2003,” explained Christoph Zöckler of ArcCona Cambridge.
Thirty-five Spoon-billed Sandpipers were counted at one high-tide roost in Arakan, including one juvenile ringed at the breeding ground in Chukotka last summer. The team at Martaban found a total of 48 Spoon-billed Sandpiper, scattered over the huge mudflats of the bay but included a flock of 39 birds.
“Our surveys have covered only a small section of the promising Arakan coast,” Christoph Zöckler added. “Although small-scale reclamation of the mudflats for prawn ponds has been observed, the coastal zones are largely healthy ecosystems, which provide both crucial habitat for tens of thousands of arctic waders, and livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of people.”
Htin Hla of BANCA said he was surprised and delighted by the findings. He said that BANCA will work with the international community to provide a more secure future for the species.
“This is an important piece of the jigsaw,” said Simba Chan, Senior Conservation Manager at BirdLife’s Asia Division. “If present trends continue, Spoon-billed Sandpiper faces extinction in the next few years. If we are to save the species, we need to identify and conserve not only its breeding sites, but its migration stopover sites and wintering grounds too.”
Simba Chan added: “The coast of myanmar is still relatively intact, but most of the tidal area along the eastern asia flyway is under very heavy development pressure. This work provides further illustration of the global importance of Myanmar for biodiversity conservation.”
Posted by Surfbirds at 6:38 AM | Comments (0)
Greater marine protection needed
The RSPB believes that a major study highlighting the environmental damage done to the world’s oceans provides further scientific evidence of the increasing pressures that man is putting on the marine environment.
The study, published in Science, shows that 40 per cent of the world’s oceans have been heavily affected, with the seas around north-west Europe suffering some of the worst impacts of man-induced damage, such as overfishing, pollution and coastal development.
Dr Sharon Thompson, an RSPB senior marine policy officer, said: 'Some of the most heavily used seas on the globe are around the UK. However, we still have some wonderful and beautiful marine species, such as seahorses, and habitats such as cold-water coral reefs, while the waters around our shores support millions of breeding seabirds every year.
Black Guillemot, Isle of Man © Pete Hadfield, from the surfbirds galleries
'So, now is the time to act to protect this wildlife from the pressures we put on the marine environment. The RSPB is urging UK Governments to deliver strong legislation to protect marine wildlife and habitats in the forthcoming Marine Bills. If this legislation is not strong enough then Government will have missed the opportunity to protect our natural marine heritage.'
A recent analysis has shown that UK seas regularly support 18 species of fish, mammal, bird or reptile that are considered at risk of global extinction. This compares with only three such endangered species on land or freshwater: two species of bat and a non-breeding migrant warbler.
The UK’s coastline is home to 18 exclusively coastal species of seabird, including puffin, gannet, kittiwake and guillemot.
The great skua, Manx shearwater, gannet and shag have their most important populations in the world in the UK. Within the European Union, nine species of exclusively coastal seabird also have their most important breeding populations around our shores: fulmar; Leach’s storm-petrel; Arctic skua; great black-backed gull; kittiwake; puffin; razorbill; guillemot and black guillemot.
Posted by Surfbirds at 6:32 AM | Comments (0)
Vultures on the brink
The Indian government has a big job on its hands. It is accused today of ‘overseeing’ the decline of tigers. Another iconic creature, the vulture, is also on the brink of extinction and the government is now under pressure to do more to help.
Three species of vulture have crashed in number by 99 per cent in the last 15 years. Yes, 99 per cent – they are close to oblivion. A paper being published soon will detail even greater declines more recently. India is a hair’s breadth away from a national catastrophe. These birds are crucial to the health and wellbeing of millions of its people.
Griffon Vulture, at risk from Declofenac poisening © Slawomir Dabrowski
Vultures clean carcasses quicker and better than anything else. That used to mean that farmers could leave the bodies of dead livestock on carcass dumps knowing they would be cleared within hours, assured that there was no risk of disease from the remnants of putrid flesh, confident that the bone collectors and leather tanners dependent on those carcasses for their livelihoods were safe.
It doesn’t mean that any more. Too few vultures mean carcass cleaning is being left to dogs and rats, both of which have soared in number. The risk of rabies and other disease has vastly increased. Those who used to rely on clean bones and sparkling hides can do so no more.
The Parsi community, which uses sky burials to dispose of its dead, is in trouble too. Vultures would consume bodies placed for that purpose on top of Towers of Silence. Those bodies fester now because the vultures don’t come. Other means of disposal are out of the question because the Parsis believe those methods pollute sacred land and water.
Manufacture of the livestock drug diclofenac, which is responsible for the vultures’ demise, is now banned in India, Pakistan and Nepal. But there are still thousands, perhaps millions, of rural area where diclofenac is still on sale.
A replacement, meloxicam, is just as good a treatment and causes no harm to vultures.
The challenge for the Indian government is to ensure meloxicam is available just as readily as diclofenac, at the same price to farmers and in the same quantities. Without this, and without this quickly, India will lose its vultures for good.
The problem of diclofenac
Vultures are being found sick and dead across India and in neighbouring Pakistan and Nepal.
Most cattle in India are left to die naturally, with their carcasses left in the open, and vultures have played an important role in cleaning them up.
Vultures that eat meat from carcasses containing diclofenac quickly die from kidney failure and gout. It has been shown that, even if less than 1% of animal carcasses contain lethal levels of the drug, it is enough to have caused the almost total collapse of vulture numbers.
Vultures can reduce the carcass of a cow to a pile of bones in an hour, but if it contains sufficient diclofenac, the vultures will die soon afterwards.
We have been working with our BirdLife Partner in India, the Bombay Natural History Society, and the Zoological Society of London, to confirm that the drug is the major cause of declines in India and Nepal.
The effects of diclofenac on birds of prey remind us of the devastating impact of DDT on birds worldwide. It took years for governments to remove DDT and associated chemicals from use.
Diclofenac is so devastating that we do not have years if the vultures of India are to be saved. And we must ensure that the vultures of Europe, Africa and other parts of the world don’t face the same threats.
Posted by Surfbirds at 6:23 AM | Comments (0)
February 2, 2008
Congo Wetlands reserve to be world’s second largest
WWF has welcomed the World Wetlands Day announcement of the world’s second largest internationally recognized and protected significant wetlands reserve in the Congo“as a clear sign of the world’s increasing interest in the green heart of Africa.”
“This underlines the importance of the Congoregion as an area that is vital to global climate regulation, biodiversity, and the rights and welfare of indigenous peoples,” said WWF International Director General James Leape.
Around 300,000 people live in the 5,908,074 hectare Grand Affluents RAMSAR wetland, with the four major tributaries to the Congoflowing through it being the origin of its name as well as making the area an important transport network.
African Elephant © Jeff Hazell, from the surfbirds galleries
The world’s largest RAMSAR wetland is the 6,278,200 ha Queen Maude Gulf Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Canada.
Other Congoarea RAMSAR sites declared on World Wetlands Day included wetlands on major Congotributaries such as the Libenga and the Sangha in The Cameroons and two coastal wetland reserves important to migrating birds at Cayo-Loufoualeba and Conkouati-Douli.
"WWF lauds the effort in this, the second driest continent, to secure clean and abundant water for millions of people. Wetlands are a critical source of water and other countries would do well to take Africa's lead," said Richard Holland, WWF's Freshwater Director.
WWF International’s wetlands manager Denis Landenbergue, a veteran of the long and challenging process of achieving the declarations, said they were “an outstanding achievement” of the governments and agencies concerned.
"This will help secure water and livelihoods for millions of people and the conservation of important water features, forests and habitats,” he said. “Areas of these wetlands are particularly important dry time refuges for elephants, hippopotamuses and buffalos and for many migratory bird species.”
Posted by Surfbirds at 12:46 PM | Comments (0)