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Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs): the development and characteristics of a global inventory of key sites for biodiversity
- PAUL F. DONALD, LINCOLN D. C. FISHPOOL, ADEMOLA AJAGBE, LEON A. BENNUN, GILL BUNTING, IAN J. BURFIELD, STUART H. M. BUTCHART, SOFIA CAPELLAN, MICHAEL J. CROSBY, MARIA P. DIAS, DAVID DIAZ, MICHAEL I. EVANS, RICHARD GRIMMETT, MELANIE HEATH, VICTORIA R. JONES, BENJAMIN G. LASCELLES, JENNIFER C. MERRIMAN, MARK O’BRIEN, IVÁN RAMÍREZ, ZOLTAN WALICZKY, DAVID C. WEGE
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- Journal:
- Bird Conservation International / Volume 29 / Issue 2 / June 2019
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 23 October 2018, pp. 177-198
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Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) are sites identified as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations on the basis of an internationally agreed set of criteria. We present the first review of the development and spread of the IBA concept since it was launched by BirdLife International (then ICBP) in 1979 and examine some of the characteristics of the resulting inventory. Over 13,000 global and regional IBAs have so far been identified and documented in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems in almost all of the world’s countries and territories, making this the largest global network of sites of significance for biodiversity. IBAs have been identified using standardised, data-driven criteria that have been developed and applied at global and regional levels. These criteria capture multiple dimensions of a site’s significance for avian biodiversity and relate to populations of globally threatened species (68.6% of the 10,746 IBAs that meet global criteria), restricted-range species (25.4%), biome-restricted species (27.5%) and congregatory species (50.3%); many global IBAs (52.7%) trigger two or more of these criteria. IBAs range in size from < 1 km2 to over 300,000 km2 and have an approximately log-normal size distribution (median = 125.0 km2, mean = 1,202.6 km2). They cover approximately 6.7% of the terrestrial, 1.6% of the marine and 3.1% of the total surface area of the Earth. The launch in 2016 of the KBA Global Standard, which aims to identify, document and conserve sites that contribute to the global persistence of wider biodiversity, and whose criteria for site identification build on those developed for IBAs, is a logical evolution of the IBA concept. The role of IBAs in conservation planning, policy and practice is reviewed elsewhere. Future technical priorities for the IBA initiative include completion of the global inventory, particularly in the marine environment, keeping the dataset up to date, and improving the systematic monitoring of these sites.
Preliminary assessment of the scope and scale of illegal killing and taking of birds in the Mediterranean
- ANNE-LAURE BROCHET, WILLEM VAN DEN BOSSCHE, SHARIF JBOUR, P. KARIUKI NDANG’ANG’A, VICTORIA R. JONES, WED ABDEL LATIF IBRAHIM ABDOU, ABDEL RAZZAQ AL- HMOUD, NABEGH GHAZAL ASSWAD, JUAN CARLOS ATIENZA, IMAD ATRASH, NICHOLAS BARBARA, KEITH BENSUSAN, TAULANT BINO, CLAUDIO CELADA, SIDI IMAD CHERKAOUI, JULIETA COSTA, BERNARD DECEUNINCK, KHALED SALEM ETAYEB, CLAUDIA FELTRUP-AZAFZAF, JERNEJ FIGELJ, MARCO GUSTIN, PRIMOŽ KMECL, VLADO KOCEVSKI, MALAMO KORBETI, DRAŽEN KOTROŠAN, JUAN MULA LAGUNA, MATTEO LATTUADA, DOMINGOS LEITÃO, PAULA LOPES, NICOLÁS LÓPEZ-JIMÉNEZ, VEDRAN LUCIĆ, THIERRY MICOL, AÏSSA MOALI, YOAV PERLMAN, NICOLA PILUDU, DANAE PORTOLOU, KSENIJA PUTILIN, GWENAEL QUAINTENNE, GHASSAN RAMADAN-JARADI, MILAN RUŽIĆ, ANNA SANDOR, NERMINA SARAJLI, DARKO SAVELJIĆ, ROBERT D. SHELDON, TASSOS SHIALIS, NIKOS TSIOPELAS, FRAN VARGAS, CLAIRE THOMPSON, ARIEL BRUNNER, RICHARD GRIMMETT, STUART H.M. BUTCHART
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- Journal:
- Bird Conservation International / Volume 26 / Issue 1 / March 2016
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 03 March 2016, pp. 1-28
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Illegal killing/taking of birds is a growing concern across the Mediterranean. However, there are few quantitative data on the species and countries involved. We assessed numbers of individual birds of each species killed/taken illegally in each Mediterranean country per year, using a diverse range of data sources and incorporating expert knowledge. We estimated that 11–36 million individuals per year may be killed/taken illegally in the region, many of them on migration. In each of Cyprus, Egypt, Italy, Lebanon and Syria, more than two million birds may be killed/taken on average each year. For species such as Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla, Common Quail Coturnix coturnix, Eurasian Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs, House Sparrow Passer domesticus and Song Thrush Turdus philomelos, more than one million individuals of each species are estimated to be killed/taken illegally on average every year. Several species of global conservation concern are also reported to be killed/taken illegally in substantial numbers: Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata, Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca and Rock Partridge Alectoris graeca. Birds in the Mediterranean are illegally killed/taken primarily for food, sport and for use as cage-birds or decoys. At the 20 worst locations with the highest reported numbers, 7.9 million individuals may be illegally killed/taken per year, representing 34% of the mean estimated annual regional total number of birds illegally killed/taken for all species combined. Our study highlighted the paucity of data on illegal killing/taking of birds. Monitoring schemes which use systematic sampling protocols are needed to generate increasingly robust data on trends in illegal killing/taking over time and help stakeholders prioritise conservation actions to address this international conservation problem. Large numbers of birds are also hunted legally in the region, but specific totals are generally unavailable. Such data, in combination with improved estimates for illegal killing/taking, are needed for robustly assessing the sustainability of exploitation of birds.
Key conservation issues for migratory land- and waterbird species on the world's major flyways
- Jeff S. Kirby, Alison J. Stattersfield, Stuart H. M. Butchart, Michael I. Evans, Richard F. A. Grimmett, Victoria R. Jones, John O'Sullivan, Graham M. Tucker, Ian Newton
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- Journal:
- Bird Conservation International / Volume 18 / Issue S1 / September 2008
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 07 August 2008, pp. S49-S73
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An estimated 19% of the world's 9,856 extant bird species are migratory, including some 1,600 species of land- and waterbirds. In 2008, 11% of migratory land- and waterbirds were classed by BirdLife International as threatened or near-threatened on the IUCN Red List. Red List indices show that these migrants have become more threatened since 1988, with 33 species deteriorating and just six improving in status. There is also increasing evidence of regional declines. Population trend data show that more Nearctic–Neotropical migrants have declined than increased in North America since the 1980s, and more Palearctic–Afrotropical migrants breeding in Europe declined than increased during 1970–2000. Reviews of the status of migratory raptors show unfavourable conservation status for 51% of species in the African–Eurasian region (in 2005), and 33% of species in Central, South and East Asia (in 2007). Land-use change owing to agriculture is the most frequently cited threat affecting nearly 80% of all threatened and near-threatened species. However, while agricultural intensification on the breeding grounds is often proposed as the major driver of declines in Palearctic–Afrotropical migrants, some species appear to be limited by the quantity and quality of available habitat in non-breeding areas, notably the drylands of tropical Africa. Forest fragmentation in breeding areas has contributed to the declines of Nearctic–Neotropical migrants with deforestation in non-breeding areas another possible factor. Infrastructure development including wind turbines, cables, towers and masts can also be a threat. Over-harvesting and persecution remain serious threats, particularly at key migration locations. Climate change is affecting birds already, is expected to exacerbate all these pressures, and may also increase competition between migratory and non-migratory species. The conservation of migratory birds thus requires a multitude of approaches. Many migratory birds require effective management of their critical sites, and Important Bird Areas (IBAs) provide an important foundation for such action; however to function effectively in conserving migratory species, IBAs need to be protected and the coherence of the network requires regular review. Since many migratory species (c. 55%) are widely dispersed across their breeding or non-breeding ranges, it is essential to address the human-induced changes at the wider landscape scale, a very considerable challenge. Efforts to conserve migratory birds in one part of the range are less effective if unaddressed threats are reducing these species' populations and habitats elsewhere. International collaboration and coordinated action along migration flyways as a whole are thus key elements in any strategy for the conservation of migratory birds.