大型鸟类正从西非的荒漠草

大型鸟类正从西非的荒漠草 16-01-2007

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“过度狩猎，过度放牧导致和林地的退化是造成这些鸨消失的原因，野生有蹄类动物的几乎灭绝，大规模的牛群，增长的人为干扰以及中毒是导致兀鹫下降的原因。”西非好几种兀鹫都在今年第一次列入了国际鸟盟受胁鸟种红皮书。

Jean-Marc Thiollay travelled the same 3,700 mile routes in 1971-73 and 2004. Birds still relatively common in the 1970s –including Nubian Neotis nuba and Arabian Bustards Ardeotis arabs, Ruppell’s Griffon Gyps rueppellii and Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotus- had entirely disappeared by 2004. Thiollay says the once widespread Ostrich Struthio camelus is now extinct west of Chad.  Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus numbers over a large section of the route had dropped from 75 in the early survey to just one.

He adds “An effective hunting ban, updates on the status of threatened species, reintroduction of Ostrich, enforcement of existing nature reserves and design of a new one in northern Mali are among the most urgent steps to take if the large birds of the vast subdesert areas of West Africa are to be conserved.”

The “slow but continued” desertification of the Sahel identified by Thiollay may have an impact on overwintering Palearctic warblers, according to the authors of  the paper, How robust are Palearctic migrants to habitat loss and degradation in the Sahel? recently published in the journal Ibis [2]. The study suggests that Common and Lesser Whitethroat and Subalpine Warbler can cope with all but the most severely degraded habitat.

Bird Conservation International is the official journal of BirdLife International. It provides stimulating, international and up-to-date coverage of bird conservation topics important in today's world. For more information: BirdLife: Bird Conservation International

[2] How robust are Palearctic migrants to habitat loss and degradation in the Sahel?  Ibis (2006) 148:289-800

这使我想起2005年在乌干达的

一想到西非就难受。。。。想起那个穿着传统服装黑黑的非洲鸟类学家站在台上声嘶力竭的说：南半球有占世界80％的鸟类，却只有不20％的鸟类研究者。。。。。。中国何尝不是如此啊。。。