and illegal. Globally, a better definition might be
unsustainable killing and trapping.”
When this magazine wrote about illegal
bird killing in the eastern Mediterranean in
2015, Richard Grimmett, BirdLife Director
of Conservation, stressed that the issue had
reached “a scale where we cannot stand back
and let it continue. The killing is undermining
conservation efforts taken elsewhere on the
African-Eurasian flyway.” The array of BirdLife
achievements in the four subsequent years is
characterised by this zero-tolerance attitude to
illegal killing.
Many good things are happening all along the
African-Eurasian flyway to save migratory birds
from an untimely death by shotgun, limestick
or mist-net. The BirdLife Partnership has been
at the forefront of changing the political culture
around illegal bird killing. They have worked with
the CMS task force to ensure that European and
North African governments take responsibility
for illegal killing happening in their countries.
The pressure appears to be working. “The
Killing changed the attitude of the Italian and
Cypriot governments,” says Van den Bossche.
“Italy took our findings seriously and is now
implementing a national action plan.”
In Cyprus, thanks to covert surveillance and
effective enforcement, illegal trapping on a UK
military base dropped to a 10-year low in 2018,
with a 75% reduction in the number of songbirds
caught since 2016.
And then there’s Lebanon. With so many
hunters in the Lebanese electorate, it would
take a politician as rare as a Northern Bald Ibis
APR-JUN 2019 • BIRDLIFE
to make a stand. One came along. In 2017,
Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun spoke out in
heartfelt terms against the illegal killing of birds.
He called for a “peace treaty between Man
and birds, because we continue to transgress
on them”. If birds can have hope in Lebanon,
perhaps they can have hope everywhere.
There remains plenty to be done, of course.
There always is. Whether for food, fun or
finance, birds are still being hunted in defiance
or ignorance of the law.
“Illegal bird killing is difficult to wipe out as
the drivers are strong and enforcement often
too weak. It’s crucial that governments maintain
a zero-tolerance approach,” says Van den
Bossche.
BirdLife’s Flight for Survival campaign aims
to make the issue concrete for people. And
“people” includes us. If we care, if we truly prefer
life in our birdlife, if we have had enough of
stork and oriole corpses – then we too have a
responsibility. As more and more people speak
out about illegal bird killing, conservationists and
governments will get the support they need to
finish the work they have started. Over to us.
As recently as seven
years ago, hundreds
of thousands of
migrating Amur Falcon
Falco amurensis were
slaughtered as they
travelled over Nagaland,
India. Today, locals grant
them safe passage– a
textbook example of how
engagement and education
can change attitudes and
make real impact
Photo Conservation India
4
Common Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebs
Photo Shutterstock
0
Serene it may seem, but
annually half a million
birds are illegally killed as
they fly over Lake
Burullus, Egypt
Photo arapix
4
17