EDITORIAL
P.12
HOW DID THE
STORK HELP US
UNLOCK THE
SECRETS OF
MIGRATION?
UP, UP AND AWAY
We have lift-off! After months of tireless planning and consultation with BirdLife Partners the length and breadth the
African-Eurasian Flyway, our “Flight For Survival” campaign took flight this spring. Created by the BirdLife Europe & Central
Asia team to raise awareness of the shocking size and scale of the illegal killing of birds across this flyway, “Flight For
Survival” achieves this through storytelling. Over the last few months, we’ve invited the public to follow via social media the
spectacular journeys of seven iconic species as they risk life and wing to arrive at their breeding grounds.
In doing so, the campaign shines a light on some of the region’s blackspots; areas where geography conspires to create a
migratory bottleneck which irresponsible hunters and poachers can and do exploit with devastating consequences. But it
also highlights the positive action taken by BirdLife Partners since we first lifted the lid on the issue back in 2015 [page 12],
both in improving capacity on the ground to ensure better enforcement of laws, and, just as importantly, in the classroom,
where we work to connect the next generation with nature for lasting changes in attitudes and behaviour. Our 18-page
deep dive into the campaign begins on page 18.
Enjoy the issue,
Alex Dale, Editor
CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE
RORY CRAWFORD
Rory is part of BirdLife’s Marine Programme,
overseeing and supporting grassroots seabird
bycatch mitigation work in southern Africa, South
America, the North Atlantic and beyond. On page 38
Rory examines why seafood carrying a well-known
ecolabel may not be as sustainable as you’d think…
APR-JUN 2019 • BIRDLIFE
AWATEF ABIADH
As Programme Officer for North Africa for our
CEPF-funded work in the Mediterranean, Awatef
has overcome many challenges – not least,
cultural attitudes in the region, where women are
not expected to lead. On page 42, other female
pioneers share their experiences with her, and us.
JAMES CASEY
James is the Fraser River Delta IBA program
manager for Bird Studies Canada (BirdLife
Partner). The Fraser River Delta is where the
glacial waters of the Rockies flow into the Pacific
Ocean, and page 54, James explains the estuary’s
global importance to migratory shorebirds.
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