Saving Threatened Birds in Africa by using Sound Information to Mobilize Action
Sound information can conserve birds, with concerted effort – even those on the brink of extinction. Experience has shown that carefully prepared action plans make real contributions to single-species conservation. But we must act now, monitor our efforts, and evaluate our success.
 Roger Fotso
Grey-necked Picathartes Picathartes oreas
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In an innovative project, the BirdLife Africa Partnership is currently planning conservation action for eight Globally Threatened Birds that cross national boundaries and that are not well conserved through BirdLife's Important Bird Area programme. The species are Spotted Ground Thrush Zoothera guttata, Grauer's Scrub-warbler Bradypterus graueri, Rufous Fishing-owl Scotopelia ussheri, Blue Swallow Hirundo atrocaerulea, Grey-necked Picathartes Picathartes oreas, White-necked Picathartes Picathartes gymnocephalus, Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotus and the African populations of the Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis undulata.
BirdLife Partners in 17 countries are participating: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Seychelles, Tunisia, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Rwanda and Burundi. By pooling their knowledge, information, data, ideas, contacts and enthusiasm, at a series of workshops and training sessions, they aim to achieve maximum benefits from the generally small resources usually available and to increase the chances of success.
Fieldwork
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By adopting a single-species focus, but with a multi-national approach, BirdLife is building capacity for participative action planning for globally threatened birds in Africa, targeting species interest groups, BirdLife Partners and government officials. The idea is that other globally threatened species will benefit from similar plans in the future.
African BirdLife Partners have nominated National Species Action Plan Coordinators who are acting as key individuals for the project in their respective countries. Overall, the project is coordinated, on behalf of the BirdLife International African Partnership, by NatureUganda (Uganda Partner) and the RSPB (UK Partner). It is supported and implemented by the 17 African BirdLife Partners and the RSPB, and is co-funded by the UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) under the Darwin Initiative.