New Task Force Set to Stop Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds

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On World Migratory Bird Day a new intergovernmental coalition aims to end the illegal killing, taking and trade of millions of migratory birds, starting in the Mediterranean

9 May 2016 –The Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) announced today the creation of the Intergovernmental Task Force on Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds in the Mediterranean composed of Governments and the European Commission.  UN organizations such as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), international environmental treaties, INTERPOL, law enforcement and judiciary organizations, hunting communities and nongovernmental organizations will also be part of the coalition.

The announcement was made on the eve of the 2016 World Migratory Bird Day, celebrated around the world on 10 May under the slogan "…and when the skies fall silent? Stop the illegal killing, taking and trade!" to highlight how  wildlife crime affects  numerous species of migratory birds.

According to BirdLife International, an estimated 25 million birds, including endangered species of waterfowl, songbirds and raptors are killed illegally each year around the Mediterranean Sea alone, undermining efforts to protect them.

World Migratory Bird Day is co-organized by CMS and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA), international treaties administered by UNEP.

Bird hunting has been traditionally practiced in the Mediterranean for centuries, but the recent surge in illegal activities, such as poaching and trapping, is endangering many threatened  species that are already subject to other pressures, such as climate change and habitat loss.

Each year, up to 6.2 million exhausted birds, migrating between their breeding and wintering grounds, are caught in illegally set nets stretching for hundreds of kilometres along the North African coastline. The less lucky ones suffer an agonizing death on lime stick traps – twigs covered with extremely sticky glue. It is estimated that up to 2 million Blackcaps die in such traps each year.

The Intergovernmental Task Force announced today will add new momentum to international efforts to tackle the illegal killing, taking and trade in birds by agreeing on new guidelines, recommendations and action plans to address the causes of poaching.

The Task Force will work towards changing the hunting practices in the region to make them compliant with national and international laws. It will also aim to enhance the enforcement of these laws through training of local police and judiciary, information exchange, promoting deterrence and prevention policies to end the large-scale killings of migratory birds taking place today.

The Task Force, which will hold its first meeting in Cairo from 12 to 15 July 2016, is expected to be replicated in other major flyways across the world. The socio-economic study on Hunting and Illegal Killing of Birds along the Mediterranean Coast of Egypt, which will be released by BirdLife International on World Migratory Bird Day will give important input to this meeting.

Tackling illegal killing and trade in wildlife, including birds, and mobilizing global action around the issue will also be the focus of the 2016 World Environment Day, which takes place on 5 June and is hosted by Angola, under the slogan "Go Wild for Life."  A global United Nations campaign to garner support for stopping the trade in many species and their products will also be launched.

Related links:

• World Migratory Bird Day - @WMBD
• Mediterranean Intergovernmental Task Force on Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds (MIKT)
• CMS Resolution 11.16 on the Prevention of Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory BirdsStatements to mark World Migratory Bird Day 2016
• World Migratory Bird Day 2016 Events around the world
• CMS Migratory Landbirds Action Plan in the African-Eurasian Region
• The Killing a report by BirdLife International