BirdLife: The Magazine July - Sept 2019 | Page 3

EDITORIAL P.40 HOW IS SOCIAL MEDIA PROVIDING INSIGHT ON IBA HEALTH? NEW WRAPPING, SAME COMMITMENT They don’t make magazine wrapping like they used to – thankfully. Subscribers who receive a physical copy of our magazine will have noticed a change for the better when this issue flumped onto their doormat; we’ve done away with the heinous plastic packaging, and replaced it with a compostable wrapper made from natural potato-starch and other biologically-sourced polymers. Unlike its predecessor, our potato-packets aren’t built to last – they have been designed to disintegrate in an industrial compost unit in less than 90 days. The complexity of international logistics meant that we happened on this solution later than we’d like, but I’m delighted we are now in a position to bring it to your door. Compostable packaging and metal straws are great and all, but scale matters. If we’re really going to make a dent in our efforts to meet our global targets to save nature [p.16] , it can’t be business as usual for big businesses, who will, after all, have to change their practices sooner or later – preferably before we’re all underwater. This issue shows the way, with inspiring stories from across the Partnership that show how commodities such as rubber [p.30], rice [p.36] and even chocolate [p.26] can be harvested with respect to our environment. Finally, I’d like to congratulate the Partnership on the inscription of China’s Yellow Sea as a World Heritage Site – more on this incredible achievement next issue. Alex Dale, Editor CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE NOELLE KUMPEL With over 20 years of experience in conservation and research, Noelle is perfectly-placed to lead BirdLife’s Policy team through a critical period in our planet’s history. Noelle kicks off our issue on page 12 by exploring how public perception of the biodiversity crisis has shifted in recent months… JUL-SEP 2019 • BIRDLIFE ALICE REISFELD Alice works for SAVE Brasil (BirdLife Partner), overseeing their Forest and Preventing Extinctions Programmes. SAVE are one of many Partners who are using the Forest Landscape Sustainability Accelerator model to facilitate impactful forest conservation. Our coverage begins on page 20. DING LI YONG The East Asian-Australasian Flyway is one of the more perilous bird migration routes, so there is plenty to keep Ding Li, BirdLife Asia’s Flyways Coordinator, busy. On page 42, Ding Li examines an innovative solution to rising sea-levels, which are depriving shorebirds of room to roost. 3