June 2007 |
This bimonthly newsletter includes news from April &
May. |
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Note from the Editor
June 1, 2007
Dear
Friends:
Two news items caught my attention over the past several
weeks: One, a novel way to educate children about wetlands:
a mobile wetland classroom on wheels; and the other....
(drum roll)... a breathtaking, record breaking, non-stop
flight by a Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica)
of 10,200 kilometers, known to us through satellite
tracking.
Click
here to learn more about a mobile wetland classroom.
Click
here for more details on the awe-inspiring migrations
of the Bar-tailed Godwit.
Best
wishes until August...
Heidi
Heidi
Luquer, Editor
Migratory Bird & Wetlands NewsLink |
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News from Sponsors
U.S. National Ramsar
Committee (USNRC)
For the full list of news click
here
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News from Friends
in alphabetical
order...
News from BirdLife International
Red
List Index to become UN Development Indicator
The
changing conservation status of birds and other species
will be used to track progress towards the UN's Millennium
Development Goals.
1,221
and Counting: More Birds than Ever Face Extinction
The
latest evaluation of the world’s birds has revealed
that more species than ever are threatened with extinction,
and that additional conservation action is critical
to reversing current declines.
Canadian Wildlife Service
Recommended
Protocols for Monitoring Impacts of Wind Turbines
on Birds
This report offers information on the types of protocols
likely to be useful for baseline studies and follow-up
monitoring at proposed wind energy sites to evaluate
impacts of wind turbines on birds.
The most appropriate protocols for a project depend
on the particular location and the risk factors at
that location. Only some of the protocols in this
document are likely to be required at any given site.
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News from Ramsar
- Mr Anada Tiéga,
of Niger, has been named the next Secretary General of the
Convention.
- The theme for
World Wetland Day, February 2, 2008 is "Healthy Wetlands,
Healthy People."
New Ramsar
Sites:
- Benin
brings Ramsar's total coverage to over 150 million hectares
- Czech Republic adds mountain mires site
- Guatemala names 7th Ramsar site
- Mexico designates 66th & 67th Ramsar sites
- Spain names 14 new sites
- Zambia designates portion of Lake Tanganyika
For more information
on Ramsar click here.
News from the Western Hemisphere Migratory Species
Initiative
“Hands
across the Hemisphere: Helping People to Help Wildlife: Conference
Proceedings are now available from the Second Western
Hemisphere Migratory Species Conference
News from Wetlands
International
- Global climate body: Peatland degradation more
significant than deforestation
- First Satellite Duck Crossed the Mediterranean
Click here to access
these articles on the Wetlands International website.
News from WHSRN
(Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network)
- WHSRN Executive Office names Xico Vega as Assistant Director;
Meredith Gutowski as Conservation Specialist
- Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences wins first NABCI
Bird Conservation Award
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Migratory Bird & Wetland News
in the news -
from around the globe
most recent
news listed first
34,000
Seabirds Killed Annually in Africa’s Benguela
Current
29 May
2007
BirdLife International - BirdLife South Africa and WWF
South Africa have released a report that for the first
time assesses the impact of longline fishing on vulnerable
species foraging in the Benguela Current Large Marine
Ecosystem, a rich and biodiverse ecosystem that stretches
up the west coast of South Africa and the entire of
the Namibian and Angolan coasts.
Earth,
Inc. Sliding Into Bankruptcy [Canada]
29 May 2007
Inter Press News Service, by Stephen Leahy
- Build a shrimp farm in Thailand by cutting down mangrove
forests and you will net about 8,000 dollars per hectare.
Meanwhile, the destruction of the forest and pollution
from the farm will result in a loss of ecosystems worth
35,000 dollars/ha per year.
GPS
Devices Implanted into Birds to Track Migratory Routes
[Taiwan]
28 May 2007
The China Post, by Erika Wang - For the first time in
Taiwan, wild birds have been fitted with global positioning
system (GPS) devices in an effort to track migratory
patterns.
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Hot
Spots for Birds in Johor Go Unnoticed [Malaysia]
28 May 2007
New Straits Time, by R. Sittamparam - The arrival of thousands
of migratory birds is not being tapped by the tourism industry.
A check on the Tourism Ministry’s e-tourism portal showed
that it did not list any of the premier bird-watching destinations
along Johor’s rivers and seafronts.
BBC
Springwatch: Wetland recovery [United Kingdom]
24 May 2007
As part of his BBC Springwatch series on changing habitats
in the UK, Nick Higham reports on efforts to restore a vanished
landscape. [2.44 minute video.]
Sewage-filled
Salvador Lake a Magnet for Birds
Scientists mystified by attraction waste sump has
for migratory flocks
18 May
2007
Reuters, by Luis Galdamez, Cerron Grande Resevoir, El Salvador
- An artificial
lake in El Salvador brimming with sewage and industrial waste
is mystifying scientists by attracting thousands of migratory
and sea birds.
Global
Warming Changes Bird Migration Routes [China]
15 May 2007
The Standard, by Arthur Max - Like the canaries that once
warned of gas danger in mine shafts, migrating birds are becoming
harbingers of another risk - climate change. Confused and
disoriented by erratic weather, birds are changing migration
habits and routes. Failure to adapt risks extinction, experts
say.
Uganda:
Wetlands Vanish as Nema Watches [Uganda]
15 May 2007
The Monitor, by Robert Mwanje, Kampala - Developments on wetlands
in Bugolobi, Banda and Munyonyo show that the environmental
watchdog, the National Environment Management Authority (Nema)
is either increasingly becoming toothless or has just gone
to sleep.
Saving Wetlands [Bangladesh]
14 May 2007
Financial Express, by Dhaka Rayerbazar - Wetlands and water
resources of the country are reducing fast due to unscrupulous
acts of many people. It is said that 90 per cent of the country's
rural population is directly or indirectly dependent on wetlands
and water resources.
Environmentalist
Makes Case for Migratory Birds [Tanzania]
14 May 2007, Daily News, Theopista Nsanzugwanko - An environmentalist
with the Tanzania Wildlife Conservation Society, Mr Paul Nyiti,
said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that Tanzania must conserve
water sources with greater dedication because the country
was still hosting a variety of migratory birds.
REFILE-South
Korea Land Reclaim Starves Shore Birds
14 May 2007
Reuters, by Jon Herskovitz, Seoul - Migratory shore birds
are starving and at least two species face extinction as a
result of a huge South Korean land reclamation project, two
environmental studies said.
Secretary
Kempthorne Announces $3.9 Million in Grants for Neotropical
Migratory Bird Conservation
[USA]
11 May 2007
United States Fish & Wildlife Service Press Release -
This announcement was made on International Migratory Bird
Day to provide aid in the United States, Canada and 14 Latin
American and Caribbean countries.
North
Rupununi Plotting 'Smart' Development of Wetlands
[Guyana]
6 May 2007
Stabroek News, by Johann Earle - "The Wetlands is our
supermarket. Whenever we want something we can get it there.
If I don't have sugar at home I could use honey which I can
get in the Wetlands..."
Let
My River Go
Unleashing Mississippi River could be key to restoring
Louisiana wetlands
1 May 2007
Grist - Painfully aware that their state is sinking, Louisiana
politicians are pushing a $50 billion plan to fight wetlands
erosion by unleashing the Mississippi River.
Dutch
Minister Cramer: Exclude all Bio-fuels from Peatlands
27 April 2007
Wetlands International - The commission of the Dutch Minister
Cramer has today presented its report with sustainability
criteria for bio-fuels. An important element in the report
is to end all support to bio-fuels which are produced on carbon
rich soils like peatlands because of the CO2 emissions.
Training
on Wetlands Begins in Entebbe [Uganda]
24 April 2007
The Monitor, by Salome Alweny - At the Uganda Wildlife Education
Centre in Entebbe, an intensive training on wetlands and poverty
reduction strategies took place. "The training is aimed
at equipping the practitioners with skills to promote wise
use of wetlands. If wisely used, wetlands can help people
out of poverty."
India’s Migratory Birds a Threat to Native UK
Flock
23
April 2007
Indo-Asian News Service, by Prasun Sonwalkar, London - Parts
of Britain are facing an immigration problem from an India
link with a difference; parakeets originally from India have
multiplied in such large numbers that they are threatening
native birds such as robins and woodpeckers. The rose-ringed
parakeets are native to the Himalayas and are reported to
number over 30,000 in UK.
Wetlands
a Big Barometer [Canada]
23 April 2007
Sun Media, by Jennifer O'Brien - It's a twist on the old canary-in-a-coal-mine
test -- only the birds aren't canaries and the mine is a marsh.
For the 12th year, hundreds of volunteers across Southwestern
Ontario are about to descend on marshes and swamps to gauge
the health of local wetlands by checking on the health of
the birds and amphibians that live there.
'Drastic'
Wetlands Measure Gets NSW Backing [United Kingdom]
22 April 2007
ABC News OnLine - The New South Wales Government says while
it is a drastic measure, it supports plans to drain eight
wetlands along the Murray-Darling river system, in a bid to
shore up drinking water supplies. The State Government says
it is a temporary measure and the wetlands will survive.
Migratory Birds Poisoned by Pesticides in South
[Canada]
21 April 2007
CTV.ca, by Nicole Tomlinson - Little birds told Bridget Stutchbury
their days may be numbered, and the Canadian biology professor
listened. In her book Silence of the Songbirds, the Ontario
resident and bird enthusiast says some North American birds
that spend their winters in Latin America aren't making it
back.
Birds
to Become Latest Indicators of Climate Change [Global]
20 April 2007, BirdLife International - Birds have
long been used as indicators of the state of the world’s
ecosystems, providing insights into habitat loss, deterioration,
and pollution. Now a new project will use models to assess
the possible impacts of climate change on bird distributions.
With this information, conservationists will then examine
the resulting effect this may have on Africa’s network
of Important Bird Areas (IBA).
Altered
Channel Causing Louisiana Coast to Disappear
16
April 2007, Traverse City Record-Eagle, by Dan Nienaber -
Victimized by Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005, Watson
and other longtime residents here (from the Lower Ninth Ward)
admit they've given up on rebuilding in this low-lying neighborhood.
There is too much reliance on man-made structures that might
collapse again in the next big storm; the forces of nature
are just too risky.
None
Listening as Wetlands Agency Says Pull Down EM Bypass Hoardings
to Invite Birds [India]
15 April 2007
Kolkata, by Debarati Chakraborty - Making a mockery of Chief
Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s “do it now”
motto, civic bodies have put on hold an order of the Wetlands
Management Authority to save the EM Bypass stretch. The authority
had ordered for removal of 126 advertisement hoardings (billboards)
that dot the EM Bypass. It had reasoned that the hoardings
remain illuminated all night and thereby prevent birds from
perching in adjoining wetland areas.
Thousands
of Cattle Dying as Dar Relocates Herders from Wetlands
[Tanzania]
9 April 2007
The East African, by Wilfred Edwin - Civil-society groups
have charged the Tanzanian government with having “grossly
violated human-rights” during an operation to relocating
thousands of families and their livestock from Mbarali in
Mbeya to Lindi and Mtwara in southern Tanzania. The relocation
was meant to protect the Ihefu wetlands...
Long-distance Godwit Sets New Record
5
April 2007
BirdLife International - A satellite-tracked Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponica has set a new record for long-distance non-stop
flight. The bird flew from North Island, New Zealand to Yalu
Jiang, at the northern end of the Yellow Sea in China –
a distance of 10,200 kilometres.
Resources
on the Web
Birds
of the World
This website supplements the book Birds
of the World, Recommended English Names,
by Frank Gill and Minturn Wright. Princeton University
Press, 2006. Tthis book seeks to promote the use of
a standard set of the English names for the birds of
the world on behalf of the International Ornithological
Congress (IOC).
The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) Announces Watershed
Plan Builder Tool and Planning Website Now Avaiable
for Comment
This
site is designed to assist with the development and
implementation of effective watershed management plans.
The EPA requests comments, suggestions, and corrections.
Submissions should be received by September 30, 2007.
Send comments to: OWOW-WPB@epa.gov Click
here to see the website.
Rice
and Waterbirds
Rice-Birds
is a new discussion group for people interested in promoting
the conservation of aquatic birds using habitats associated
with rice cultivation. It is international and multilingual.
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Launch
of Earth Portal
The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE)
is pleased to announce the formal launch of the Earth Portal,
a comprehensive, free and dynamic resource for timely, objective,
science-based information about the environment built by a
global community of environmental experts.
Essays
on the Supreme Court's Clean Water Act Jurisprudence as Reflected
in Rapanos v. United States
Available on-line thanks to Kinvin Wroth, Professor of Law
and Director at the Land Use Institute of the Vermont Law
School.
Five Steps to Successful Ecological Restoration of Mangroves
Mangrove
Action Project's Restoration Manual
64 pages in PDF format.
Numbers
and Distribution of Waterbirds and Wetlands in the Asia-Pacific
Region
The Asian Waterbird Census 2002–2004 provides
count results from 2,032 sites in 22 countries. Altogether,
a total of 274 species of waterbirds and 61 other wetland-dependent
species were recorded and approximately 8 million waterbirds
counted each year. Click on the title to download this report
in 5 parts.
The
Global Restoration Network
The Society for
Ecological Restoration (SER) International offers an innovative
industry tool — a free, online hub for comprehensive
information on ecological restoration at GlobalRestorationNetwork.org.
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Jobs [in
order by deadline]
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Seeks
Project
Manager for the Organizational Unit of
the National Resources Management and Environment Department
Deadline: 5 June 2007
Based in Luanda, Angola (Grade Level P-4). Duration
12 months with possibility of extension.
Shorebird
Partnership Coordinator for State of Florida [USA]
Deadline: 15 June 2007
A grant-funded
three-year position in Florida working to develop a
network of shorebird and beach-nesting bird partners.
Contact Nancy Douglass, Regional Nongame Biologist,
Southwest Region, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commissions: Nancy.Douglass@MyFWC.com
Ramsar
Seeks Senior Regional Advisor for the Asia/Pacific Region
Deadline: 13 July 2007
This post holder will be responsible for advising on
and supporting the strategic development and effective
implementation of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
in the Asia and Pacific regions. For more details click
here.
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Opportunities
Pacific Seabird Group
Conservation Small-Grant
Program
The
Pacific Seabird Group has started a small grants program
for conservation and restoration activities that benefit
seabirds in the Pacific Ocean. It is open primarily
to individuals from developing countries, although in
some limited circumstances individuals from elsewhere
may be eligible.
Research
Fund for Endangered Birds
The
British Birdwatching Fair and the Royal society for
Preservation of Birds (RSPB) are pleased to announce
a fund that provides grants of up to US$2,000 for researchers
working on birds classified by IUCN as Endangered or
Critically Endangered. Priority is given to those working
with or for BirdLife Partners where they exist and to
researchers working in their own country. The closing
date is 30 September 2007.
Protected
Areas Management Course in Austria
A Master of Science Programme at the University
of Klagenfurt
This course begins in September 2007 (running over two
years through a number of specific 15-days modules,
essentially open to European and Ugandan students).
The Ramsar Secretariat participates in the advisory
board of the course, and Ramsar staff members have participated
in some of the lectures.
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International Calendar
for 2007 & beyond...
June
3 June
Western State Workshop: Strengthening the
Roles of Land Trusts and Local Governments in Protecting
and Restoring Wetlands and Riparian Areas
Park city, Utah, USA. Treasure Mountain Inn. Hosted
by The Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc. Click
here
10 - 15 June
2007
Society of Wetland Scientist International Conference:
Water, Wetlands and Wildlife - Resolving Conflicts
and Restoring Habitats
Sacramento, California. Click
here
19 - 23 June
The Cooper Ornithological Society: Endangered
ecosystems and the species therein
Moscow, Idaho, USA. Click
here
24 - 30 June
7th
Bi-annual Wetlands Institute (of the British Colombia
Wildlife Federation) offers a one week
course on wetland mapping, inventory, and restoration
techniques.
Canal Flats, British Columbia. Click
here
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International
Conference on Multi Functions of Wetland Systems
Legnaro (Padova), Italy. Organized by the Department of Environmental
Agronomy and Crop Production University of Padova. Click
here
July
1 - 7 July
21st Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation
Biology
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth,
South Africa. The conference will be hosted by the Terrestrial
Ecology Research Unit (TERU) of the NMMU. Click
here
2 - 6 July
6th International Convention on Environment and Development:
For a Sustainable Future: Caring and Humanist Integration
Havana, Cuba. Havana International Conference Center. Organized
by The Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment of
the Republic of Cuba and other. Click
here
August
5 –- 10 August
92nd Annual Meeting of The Ecological Society of America
San Jose, California, USA. San Jose McEnery Convention Center.
8 - 11 August
The American Ornithologists' Union Meeting
Laramoie, Wyoming, USA. University of Wyoming. Click
here
9 - 14 August
12th Congress of the International Society for Behavioral
Ecology
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. Click
here
15 - 23 August
International Ethological Conference, IEC 2007
Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Click
here
26 - 30 August
2nd International Field Symposium West Siberian Peatlands
and carbon Cycle: Past and Present
Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. Click
here
28 - 30 August
Association of State Wetland Managers 2007 Conference:
"Watershed Strategies to Protect and Restore Wetland
Ecological and Social Services."
Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. Click
here
September
3 - 6 September
International Conference on Environmental Flows
Brisbane,
Australia. The Nature Conservancy and the River Symposium
are co-conveners. Click
here
12 - 16 September
2007 Joint Meeting of the Raptor Research Foundation
and the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA)
Fogelsville, Pennsylvania, USA. Click
here
16 - 20 September
WETPOL 2007 - 2nd International Symposium on Wetland
Pollutant Dynamics and Control
Tartu, Estonia. Click
here
New
12 September - 23 October
The International Course on African Wetland Management
(ICAWM) 6-week Course
Naivasha, Kenya, by the Kenya Wildlife Service Training Institute.
ICAWM is designed for middle-level managers who are actively
involved in either inland or coastal wetland management. Participants
may be wetlands, wildlife, environment, water resource, forestry
or fisheries officers as well as resource planners in the
county councils and officers from non-governmental organizations
within or outside Africa. Click
here.
22 - 26 September
The 14th Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society
Tucson, Arizona, USA. Click
here
27 - 29 September
26th Annual Meeting of the Society of Canadian Ornithologists
Lake Opinicon, Ontario at the Queen's University
Biological Station. Click
here
New
28 September – 1 October
International
Water Study Group Annual Conference
La Rochelle,
France. Two workshops on Black-tailed Godwits and Oystercatchers
are possible.
October
Updated
1 - 17 October
International
Course on Environmental Impact Assessment and Strategic Environmental
Assessment for Wetland Management
Panama City, Panama. This is a an intensive seventeen-day
course as part of the Regional Training Program for Wetlands
in the Western Hemisphere. The course is intended for decision-makers
and mid-level officials from governmental and non-governmental
organizations, the private sector and international agencies
who are involved in wetlands-related activities. The course
is taught in Spanish. Click
here
5 - 6 October
Peatland Management and Climate Change
Freising, Germany. Click
here
New
22 - 26 October
The 8th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation
and Protected Areas, "Conservation Serving Communities"
Alotau, Papua New Guinea. Click
here
28 October - 2 November
12th
World Lakes Conference
Jaipur (Rajasthan), India. Organised by the Ministry of Environment
and Forests, Government of India, New Delhi, and co-hosted
by the Government of Rajasthan. The Conference will be held
at Jaipur (Rajasthan) the Pink City, 260 km from New Delhi.
Click here
31 October - 4 November
World Owl Conference: Owls, Ambassadors for the Protection
of Nature in their Changing Landscape
Groningen, The Netherlands. Hosted by Birdlife International
in The Netherlands, the Global Owl Project and the World Owl
Trust. Click
here
December
2 - 5 December
Australasian Ornithological Conference
Perth, Western Australia, held jointly between Birds Australia
and the Ornithological Society of New Zealand at the University
of Western Australia. Click
here
2008
Updated
October 28 - November 4
10th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention
Changwon, Republic of Korea. Click
here
February 2008
13 - 16 February 2008
4th International Partners in Flight Conference:
Tundra to Tropics
McAllen, Texas. McAllen Convention Center. Contact Terry rich
for more information: terry_rich@fws.gov.
April 2008
17 - 20 April 2008
The Wilson Ornithological Society and the Association of Field
Ornithologists Annual Meetings
Hattiesburg, Mississippi, USA, at the University of Southern
Mississippi. Click
here
May 2008
12 - 16 May
10th International Conference on Salt Lake Research
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Hosted by The International Society
of Salt Lake Research (ISSLR). Co-sponsors include FRIENDS
of Great Salt Lake, Utah State University, The University
of Utah, and U.S. Geological Survey. Click
here
June 2008
9 – 15 June
2008
13th International Peat Congress After Wise Use:
The Future of Peatlands
Tullamore, Ireland. Click
here
14 June - 14
September 2008
Expo
Zaragoza 2008: Water and Sustainable Development
Zaragoza, Spain. For more informat about this three-month
public event, featuring a specially-constructed “Water
Tower” click
here
July 2008
13 -
18 July 2008
22nd Annual Meeting of the Society
for Conservation Biology
Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. Hosted by the University of Tennessee
at Chattanooga’s Department of Biological and Environmental
Sciences. To be held at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
More information to come.
The End
1 June 2007
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