BirdLife Europe e-news, Vol XI, Issue 3, March 2015

If Spring turns into bird-Hell


By Luca Bonaccorsi

Hands and feet glued to a tree. Only able to shake and agitate. Unable to drink, feed and, probably, to even understand what is happening. The only possibility being a restless motion that leads to a slow, agonising death.

How does it feel? Impossible to understand.

What is understandable though, it is why this is such an emotional issue for birds, animals and generally nature lovers.

With Spring millions of migratory birds return to Europe and fill our skies with life, colours and sounds. Unfortunately in some places they find the kind of hospitality you see depicted in our cover. But that is not what the March issue of birdseye, almost entirely dedicated to the illegal killing of birds, is about. 

Emotions aside, this is a serious conservation issue. You will read an objective and factual analysis of the current situation in Europe and the Mediterranean. 
 
That is why we start with the preliminary results of a landmark study by 27 BirdLife Partners in the Mediterranean region, plus Georgia. Willem Van Den Bossche reports that: “Early results show that at least 10 million wild birds are illegally killed and taken in the Mediterranean region each year, including many threatened or declining species”. 
 
Of course the problem is particularly bad in Southern Europe, for a number of reasons addressed in the article dedicated to Leaving is living, a joint project of our Italian, Spanish and Greek Partners, Lisa Benedetti reports. But severe problems are also witnessed in countries such as Serbia, writes Marko Tucakov, adding to the incredible recent reportage by Newsweek.

And problems do exist even in the supposedly bird-friendly UK. Bob Elliot reports that: ”In the northern part of the stunning Peak District National Park in Derbyshire, an area renowned for two iconic species, the goshawk and the peregrine falcon, these species have seen catastrophic declines. Continuous bird-persecution is preventing the recovery of several priority species, such as the golden eagle and the hen harrier”.
 
But as gruesome and upsetting these occurrences are, we must not forget the bigger picture. And that’s exactly what Ariel Brunner does in his article when he reminds us that: “Europe has never been as safe for wild birds as it is today, and levels of persecution are orders of magnitude lower than those seen thirty years ago. Much of the improvement is thanks to one of Europe’s most successful pieces of legislation - the Birds Directive. At a time when this landmark legislation is under attack, it is important to remember the road we have travelled”.
 
Fair rules that work (when enforced) allow alliances in the least obvious quarters. And to prove it, this month we host Filippo Segato, Secretary General of the European Hunters Association FACE, and his firm words: “The killing of birds outside the legal provisions is a crime. FACE has a firm position in condemning illegal activities. FACE abides by the European-wide framework upholding the principle of “sustainable use of wildlife resources”, i.e. that must have no prejudice to the conservation status of birds”.
 
And this is what is needed today - unity among all those who care about the future of the living world - to defend the rules (the Birds Directive) we have, and to have them thoroughly enforced. 

P.S.
A special thank you goes to the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) for letting us use their picture on our cover. 


 
In this issue
• EU Policy news                 
• Featuring: FACE
• Illegal Killing of Birds: Facts and Figures
• Discover spring migrations with us
• Partnership stories
• Events I Jobs
EU Policy news
The Birds Directive has made Europe safer for wild birds. And now it is under attack.
The illegal killing of birds is still a big problem across Europe and in some regions it is still at epidemic levels. Outrage is justified, but it sometimes risks drowning out the good news. Europe has never been as safe for wild birds as it is today, and levels of persecution are orders of magnitude lower than those seen thirty years ago. Much of the improvement is thanks to one of Europe’s most successful pieces of legislation - the Birds Directive. At a time when this landmark legislation is under political attack, it is important to remember the road we have already traveled, and look at the road we have ahead. By Ariel Brunner
 
Featuring: FACE

The European Hunters Association stands up against illegal killing of birds 
When German travellers visited Italy in the 18th and 19th century they were not only fascinated by the sights of ancient archaeologic sites but remained impressed by the lines of nets adorning the beaches facing Africa. Today this unsustainable practice has disappeared from the coasts of Italy. This is due to the prohibition of nets adopted in 1969 which was enshrined ten years later in the Birds Directive.
By Filippo Segato

 
Illegal Killing of Birds: Facts and Figures
First ever pan-Mediterranean study reveals scale of wild birds massacre
Early results show that at least 10 million birds are illegally killed and taken in the Mediterranean region each year, including many threatened or declining species. 27 BirdLife Partners in the Mediterranean region, plus Georgia, are now undertaking for the very first time, a much needed scientific review.
By Willem Van den 
Bosch
 
Italy, Spain and Greece join forces to change culture that supports illegal killings
In most countries the Illegal killing of protected wild birds would seem rather uncivilized and the methods used barbaric, so you might be surprised that it is still quite common in some regions of Italy, Greece and Spain. Leaving is Living is an ambitious three year campaign run by LIPU, SEO/BirdLife, and HOS to raise awareness and change local attitudes about this serious issue. By Lisa Benedetti
 
Another killing season in Cyprus?
If what was seen during the 2014 autumn in Cyprus is any indication, most birds passing through will have little chance against the 16 km of mist nets and more than 6,000 limesticks they could face. l.b.
 
Dark shadows over world famous Peak District National Park
In its 23rd annual Birdcrime report launched last October, the RSPB demonstrates that continuous bird-persecution is leading to have a conservation level impact on several priority species, such as the golden eagle and hen harrier. By Bob Elliot
 
The Balkans bird mafia
«Resting on one knee, the man poses for the camera, his kill laid out in front of him in rows of 20... before the end of the day, they will be skinned, packed and frozen in preparation for smuggling over land into Italy. Within 48 hours, many will have already been sold on the black market to Italian restaurants who offer them up as traditional Italian cuisine». Adding to Newsweek gruesome reportage from Serbia.
By Marko Tucakov

 
Seabird bycatch: the accidental slaughter of thousands of seabirds
Sometimes humans can slaughter birds on a similar scale to the one described so far, but accidentally. Such is the case of the incidental catch of seabirds, also known as seabird bycatch. EU decision makers are in the middle of a debate on how to manage Baltic commercial fish stocks and the impact of fishing activities on the wider environment, including seabird bycatch. But how can this be achieved concretely in the Baltic? And why are the decisions taken for the Baltic region so important for the rest of European countries? By Bruna Campos
Discover spring migrations with us

The 2015 Champions of the Flyway race will take place 25th March 2015 – THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO GET INVOLVED!

This annual race aims to raise funds to tackle the illegal killing of birds in Europe. The best birdwatchers worldwide will compete to observe the highest number of bird species within a 24 hour period in Eilat, a birdwatching hotspot in southern Israel. Read more...

We want you to Spring Alive for birds this year

Nature is preparing for spring and providing everything that birds will need: thawing frozen lakes; waking animals from hibernation; budding leaves and berries; and taking insects to the air. Millions of birds fly enormous distances every year to feed and breed in Europe and Asia, and they need your support too. Read more...
Partnership activities and success stories

International Nature Film Competition - Apply Online by 10th March!

The first International Nature Film Festival will be held this 14-17 May in Gödöllő, Hungary. This event, supported by BirdLife Hungary, will give nature film makers from around the world a chance to show their work and raise environmental awareness, especially for younger generations. It will also be a great opportunity for your work to become recognized at an international scale. Read more...

Breathing New Life into a Quarry

Across northwest Europe, quarries cover about 250,000 hectares; this is about the size of Luxembourg. They are good for the economy and business because the minerals that are extracted are essential to many industries. But what happens when a quarry reaches the end of its working life? Well, it's one of those great cases where with some tender love and care these abandoned places can be transformed into havens for people and nature. Read more...

100,000 Dutch Call to Preserve Meadow Landscapes and their Birds

This past February, Fred Wouters, Director of VBN (BirdLife in the Netherlands), presented a petition signed by 100,000 concerned Dutch citizens to the State Secretary Dijksma of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. Read more...
BirdLife Partners working across the Mediterranean to protect seabirds
Seabird and marine conservation experts are gathering this week in Hammamet, Tunisia to discuss the current knowledge of seabirds and the key threats they are facing. Read more...
Events

21 May 2015, Rome: Leaving is Living Conference on Illegal Killing of Birds, hosted by LIPU.

January - June 2015: Latvian Presidency of the EU. Learn more about BirdLife Europe' s recommendations for a successful Presidency on our website.
Jobs
 
Wiss. Mitarbeiter/in in Brüssel EU-Naturschutzpolitik
Für unser Büro in Brüssel suchen wir zum 1. April 2015 eine/n wissenschaftliche/n Mitarbeiter/in für das zweijährige Projekt "EUNaturExchange" sowie weiterer Aufgaben (vorbehaltlich Projektbewilligung). More details
• Closing date: 27 March 2015

Wiss. Mitarbeiter/in EU-Naturschutzpolitik
Für unser Team in der Bundesgeschäftsstelle Berlin suchen wir zum1. April 2015 eine/n wissenschaftliche/n Mitarbeiter/in für das zweijährige Projekt "EU-NaturExchange"(vorbehaltlich Projektbewilligung). More details
• Closing date: 27 March 2015

BirdLife International Admin/Event Intern
• Location: Brussels, Belgium
• 6 month paid internship
The intern will assist the administration and event departments in the BirdLife Europe Secretariat Office in Brussels. Contact us for application information.


 
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