Session: OS-B4
Migratory Birds and Human Effects Beyond National Borders in the African-Eurasian Flyways Region

Session Objective: The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (also known as CMS or the Bonn Convention) aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range. It is an intergovernmental treaty concerned with the conservation of wildlife and wildlife habitats on a global scale. Protecting migratory birds along their flyways is one of the challenging subjects under this treaty as... [ view more ]

Session Objective: The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (also known as CMS or the Bonn Convention) aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range. It is an intergovernmental treaty concerned with the conservation of wildlife and wildlife habitats on a global scale. Protecting migratory birds along their flyways is one of the challenging subjects under this treaty as birds encounter various human-induced risks. Such risks can be direct (such as illegal hunting and poaching) or indirect (e.g. habitat loss from land use changes – agriculture, water management, and energy development) in their nature. While ecological effects are usually known, the human dimensions perspective is often less considered under these circumstances. In addition, conservation work across borders requires the ability to work in cross-cultural environments and thinking in transdisciplinary contexts. Against this backdrop, we would like to illustrate the challenges and successes in international bird conservation projects along the African-Eurasian flyways. The session will consist out of two segments. The first one will allow the invited speakers to focus on “regional”, human dimension-related problems along the African-Eurasian flyways. This is in order to demonstrate the scope of challenges in this field as well as achievements, and will be delivered through five flashlight presentations, each about ten minutes long. The second segment of the session will be a moderated panel discussion with the five speakers. Each speaker will get a one-minute opening statement, and after this, the floor will be opened to questions from the audience. The discussion will be documented and is aimed at providing a basis for a needs assessment focusing on improving integrated approaches for bird conservation along the African-Eurasian flyways. [ view less ]