Migratory Soaring Birds Project Overview Red Kite - Flickr - Tony Hisgett
Migratory Soaring Birds Project Overview
Red Kite - Flickr - Tony Hisgett
The Rift Valley / Red Sea Flyway
Each year, over 1.5 million
soaring birds migrate through the
Middle East and East Africa along the
Rift Valley / Red Sea Flyway between
their breeding grounds in Europe
and wintering areas in Africa.
Eurasian Crane - Flickr - Tomas Caspers
The Rift Valley / Red Sea Flyway
SYRIA
LEBANON
JORDAN
PALESTINE
EGYPT
SUDAN
ERITREA
ETHIOPIA
DJIBOUTI
SAUDI ARABIA
YEMEN
• > 1.5 Million MSBs belongs to 37 species = 2nd most important flyway in the world
• 5 Globally threatened species (IUCN)
• 37 species with unfavorable conservation status (CMS)
• 35 species on CITES
• 23 globally important bottleneck sites (IBAs)
• Cross-cutting flyway/landscape importance
Importance and Significance of the Rift Valley/Red Sea Flyway
• Energetically Costly
Activity
• Flyway Bottlenecks
• Unpredictable Landing
sites
Soaring Birds Migration Characteristics
LESSER KESTREL - male, Dave Nye. 01
RED-FOOTED FALCON - male, Dave Nye. 03
• Hunting, Persecution,
Harvesting, Falconry
• Pesticides , Herbicides ,
Agricultural Wastes
• Solid and Liquid Wastes
• Collision with Power Lines
and Wind Farms,
Electrocution, Habitat Loss
Threats on Migratory Soaring Birds along the Flyway
Eurasian Griffon - Flickr - Alejandro Monge
• Biological Value → Top of the food chain and hence play a crucial role in the balance of ecosystems
• Economical Value → Ecosystem services → Create niche markets
• Cultural Value → Part of European and African mythology → National Emblems
• Aesthetic Value → Show the wonder of migration
Why conserve soaring birds?
Eurasian Crane - Flickr - Sergey Yeliseev
Each country along the Flyway is a link in a chain of countries through which
the soaring birds migrate
The flyway is a single unit and actions taken in one country have knock-on
effects beyond country borders, and therefore there is a joint responsibility for
the conservation of these birds.
The Flyway Concept
Eurasian Crane - Flickr - Sergey Yeliseev
Project’s Objective
To make the Rift Valley / Red Sea flyway a safer route for
migratory soaring birds
White Pelican - www.dereliev-photography.com - Sergey Dereliev
Innovative concept of ‘Double Mainstreaming’
To successfully reach the objective, the project adopts an innovative
approach:
Double Mainstreaming
1. MSB conservation mainstreamed into vehicle project 2. Vehicle project targets specific productive sector → As a result MSB conservation mainstreamed into productive
sector
Threatening Sectors
• Hunting
• Energy
• Agriculture
• Waste Management
Opportunity Sector
• Tourism
The Targeted Sectors
WindFarm - www.dereliev-photography.com - Sergey Dereliev 10
www.nowlebanon.com
http://naturescrusaders.wordpress.com
http://postconflict.unep.ch/sudanreport/sudan_website/index.html
http://www.luxuryistanbul.com/
• Tens of thousands of MSBs
are killed along the flyway
each year
• Hunting is excessive and
indiscriminate
• Raptors and storks are
particularly vulnerable
Hunting Sector
Juvenile Imperial Eagle and Fan-tailed Raven, Yemen, January 2011. RFPorter. 1285
RSCN
• Death due collision, electrocution
and habitat loss
• Major economical losses
• Estimation of wildlife-caused
power cuts cost between US$32
million and US$317 million
Energy Sector
WindFarm - www.dereliev-photography.com - Sergey Dereliev
A-Alsuhaibany
• Pesticide poisoning through
ingestion of prey
• Water contamination by
agricultural runoff
• Benefits through ecological
functions
• Creation of niche markets
Agriculture Sector
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
• Ingestion of toxic substances
• Entanglement in plastic, wire, and other
debris
• Drowning, entrapment in sludge
• Infection by contaminated water
• Provision of important and safe habitat
for MSBs when managed properly
Waste Management Sector
• Huge economic benefits
• Opportunities in terms of awareness of MSBs issues and conservation needs.
• US$ 31M into the local economy at Cape May bottleneck site, New Jersey from
more than 100,000 birdwatchers annually
Tourism Sector
Raptor watching, Upper Akkar, September 2011, RFPorter.0643 Flickr - Philip Whittaker
• Cost effective
→ MSB project benefits from the existing funds mobilized by the “vehicle project”
• Time effective
→ MSB project benefits from the basis and previous mainstreaming achievement
of the “vehicle project” into the targeted sector
• In keeping with migratory soaring birds characteristics
→ Project conservation actions impacts the overall range of targeted sector and
are not limited to specific sites
Benefits of the ‘Double Mainstreaming’ Approach
• Djibouti
• Egypt
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• Jordan
• Lebanon
• Palestinian Authority
• Saudi Arabia
• Sudan
• Syria
• Yemen
Participating Countries
Egyptian Vulture- Flickr - doevos
Project’s Outcome 1. Raised awareness & alter
behaviours by key target audiences
2. Increased capacity for mainstreaming flyway concept
3. Flyway sensitive practices mainstreamed into sectors
4. Lessons learned and shared
Thank You
For Further Information Kindly Visit our Website:
www.birdlife.org/migratorysoaringbirds
Common Kestrel - Flickr - Le No