狩猎危害极危种黄颊麦鸡
最近在哈萨克斯坦举行的一个黄颊麦鸡会议中,确认了在叙利亚的狩猎对极危种黄颊麦鸡有很大威胁。估计黄颊麦鸡最多也只是一万只多一点。自90年代以来,它的种群数量减少了90%,故被列极危种。
http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2009/03/sociable_lapwing.html
Hunting danger to one of the world’s most threatened birds
30-03-2009
Hunting in the Middle East has been recognised as a major threat to one of the world’s most threatened birds. A joint survey mission by RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) and the Syrian Society for Conservation of Wildlife (SSCW) have uncovered new dangers in Syria to Sociable Lapwing Vanellus gregarius.
Alarming news shows that Critically Endangered Sociable Lapwings have been shot by hunters in north-east Syria, one of the bird's most important migration sites.
Conservationists from Europe, Africa and Asia are today (March 30) attending a Sociable Lapwing meeting in Kazakhstan and the newly identified threat will be top of the delegates' agendas.
The RSPB's Rob Sheldon leads a research team studying Sociable Lapwing, funded by the UK Government's Darwin Initiative. Speaking from the meeting he said: "Thankfully, Syrian Government rangers moved rapidly to the area and were able to negotiate with the hunters and avert a worse disaster, which could have affected the hundreds of Sociable Lapwings passing through Syria on migration."
The birds migrate through the region between their north-east African wintering areas and the bird's only nesting site - the Central Asian steppe grasslands, principally Kazakhstan. The bird's wintering grounds have only been recently confirmed when an RSPB satellite-tracking project tracked the movements of birds from Kazakhstan to Sudan. The species is thought to have declined by 90% since the 1990s; the world population of this bird is now thought to number no more than 11,200 individuals.
Rob Sheldon added: "We have been striving to protect and understand more about this rapidly-declining species. Sociable Lapwing faces many threats and clearly hunting is emerging as a key danger. We are however heartened by the quick response of the Syrian authorities and by the evidence that hunters are willing to spare them, if they are made aware of the bird's plight."
Osama Al Nouri, general secretary of SSCW said: "We will be striving to protect these birds now that we have more understanding of the threats they face. This understanding will allow us to draw up protection plans for the next year."
"During our visit we've met with government officials, police chiefs and religious leaders and everyone we've spoken recognises the plight of this bird and is keen to take action to prevent further deaths." —Martin Scott, RSPB (BirdLife in the UK)
A team of RSPB bird surveyors have been in Syria looking for Sociable Lapwings on migration. Working with members of the Syrian Society for Conservation of Wildlife SSCW, the team joined forces with the government (the General Commission for Al Badia Management and Development) who reacted immediately to the problem and dispatched rangers to monitor Sociable Lapwings in the area and stop hunting.
The RSPB's Martin Scott is a member of the Society's survey team which has been based in Syria. He said: "It seems clear that hunting could be a major threat to the species. During our visit we've met with government officials, police chiefs and religious leaders and everyone we've spoken recognises the plight of this bird and is keen to take action to prevent further deaths."
The Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity in Kazakhstan (ACBK) is the group hosting the Sociable Lapwing workshop. Vitaliy Gromov, ACBK's director, said: "Sociable Lapwing is the most threatened bird to occur in Kazakhstan, but its conservation relies on international co-operation. We are delighted to welcome delegates from Europe, Africa and Asia who all have a key stake in protecting this delightful bird."
The UK Government's Darwin Initiative has part-funded two Sociable Lapwing projects. The first a three-year project ending next month, funded research establishing reasons for the bird's decline, while the second which starts next month will start to seek to understand more about the bird's migration and wintering sites.
Sociable Lapwing is one of the species benefitting from the BirdLife Preventing Extinctions Programme. In August 2008, the RSPB and Swarovski Optik became Species Champions for Sociable Lapwing. The programme is spearheading greater conservation action, awareness and funding support for all of the world’s most threatened birds, starting with the 190 species classified as Critically Endangered, the highest level of threat.
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