BirdLife glasnik 2.2.2017.

Laureline Chassaing and Pauline Loubat from LPO (BirdLife in France) tell us about their efforts to help mussel farmers protect their stocks from hungry gulls on the island of Olèron – an inspiring example of how conservationists can work with farmers to make the aquaculture industry more sustainable. Mussels and chips or ‘moules-frites’ is more than just a dish – it’s an iconic part of French gastronomic culture. Polls frequently rank this steaming pot and all its variations (marinière, à la crème, à la bière, à la-everything) amongst the top three ‘most popular French dishes’ and, accordingly, tens of thousands of tonnes of mussels are cultivated every year to feed the nation’s appetite. And people are not the only ones with a taste for this delicacy…

In a process that has been six years in the making, the Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Sen, has approved plans to divide Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary’s 250,000 hectares of land into four different zones, with added protection for areas that are significant to globally threatened species. It’s a move designed to ensure that the sanctuary’s most vital forest habitats are protected from illegal logging and human disturbance, while simultaneously making provisions for sustainable land use and development for local communities that depend on the protected areas’ land for their livelihood. Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary is one of Cambodia’s largest protected areas, and is among the first to be zoned in accordance to The Law on Nature Protection. This came into effect in February 2008 and requires protected areas to be divided into four different management zoning systems:

At 45 miles (70km) long and 15 miles (24km) wide, Mar Chiquita in Argentina is the biggest salt lake in South America and the fifth biggest in the world. This hugely important wetland holds outstanding numbers of migrating and resident waterbirds, including half a million Wilson´s Phalarope Steganopus tricolor, tens of thousands of Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes, White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis and American Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica.

Jessica Irwin (BirdLife Malta) fills us in on the latest ‘celebrity’ sensation to grip Malta – a flock of Mute Swans that have sought refuge from the recent cold snap in the shelter of Marsalforn Valley. As the first dawn of 2017 broke across the Maltese Islands, who could have guessed that a flock of unexpected visitors were already on their way? The next day, they were spotted in Gozo’s Marsalforn Valley, unleashing a frenzy of excitement amongst locals. As news quickly spread, it suddenly seemed like everyone in Malta wanted to catch a glimpse of these rare guests – a small flock of majestic Mute Swans! Mute Swans in flight – Gozo, Malta (c) Roland Vella

Studies have shown that children learn to love and connect much more easily with nature than adults because they naturally explore and learn through social engagements. In an effort to get children interested in bird conservation and provide practical and sustainable solutions that will benefit nature and people in the future, BirdLife International experts and other conservation stakeholders in Senegal have given kids the opportunity to develop a lasting interest in bird science. On 15 January 2017, during events marking the International Waterbird Count Day in Senegal, ornithologists invited 16 students to participate and connect with nature. The children were selected from four schools in the Kalissaye Ornithological Nature Reserve in southern Senegal and they accompanied rangers to the field where they identified and counted birds in the Casamance area.

When human activity in biodiverse forests is uncontrolled, the survival of plants, animals and other micro-organisms is at risk. In a bid to secure Zambia’s Chisamba Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA), a safe haven for endangered vultures, BirdWatch Zambia (BirdLife Partner) has educated farm owners, managers and workers who operate within the IBA on why it is important to protect natural habitats from man-made threats.

Alcyon? It is, in fact, a legend borrowed from Greek mythology. Alcyon is a fabulous seabird, with plaintive song (often identified with the kingfisher, gull, petrel or swan), which is considered a good omen by Greeks and poets because according to legend it only builds its nest on a calm sea. We had hoped at the start of the Alcyon project that seabirds and all marine and coastal biodiversity of our sub-region, threatened by various pressures, would nest, just like Alcyon, on the calm marine environment of West Africa. This is what this project, named Alcyon by my former colleague Julien Semelin sets out to achieve.

Awaken to the sound of the rooster. Hard work and good fortune are ahead. Celebrate the Chinese New Year by recognising the only bird in the Chinese zodiac. It’s a “cock-a-doodle-do” in the USA, a “konkoliirikoo” in Ghana, “kuckelikuuu” in Sweden, “chicchi-ri-chììì” in Italy, “O-O” in China… as dawn breaks around the world, somewhere, everywhere, there is a rooster waking up a human. There’s probably no other bird that is so much part of human life. For the world’s 7.5 billion people, there are over 12 billion chickens – making them the world’s most abundant bird. But they are much more than that biologically, culturally and spiritually, and the 28th of January marks the start of the Year of the Rooster, which, according to the Chinese zodiac, will bring good luck, wisdom, bravery, and hard work.