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Des Ibis chauves en Syrie !Envoyé par : Arthur Blink (Adresse IP journalisée)
Date : Wed 10 July 2002 01:31:23
On croyait l'Ibis chauve limité à de petites colonies au Maroc et en Turquie, mais Birdlife International nous apprend qu'une petite colonie de 3 couples vine t d'être découverte en Syrie : Cambridge, UK, 8th July 2002 - A new colony of critically endangered Northern Bald Ibises has been discovered in an Al Badia (desertic steppe) area of central Syria, BirdLife International announced today. [1,2]. The small colony contains three pairs which were discovered incubating eggs,and a seventh adult. This is the first evidence of the continued breeding of Northern Bald Ibises in the Middle East since a colony at Birecek in Turkey became extinct in 1989. Since then there have been sporadic sightings in Saudi Arabia and Eritrea, suggesting that a breeding population still existed somewhere in the region. [3] The new birds were found in spring 2002 by a team carrying out wildlife surveys on behalf of the Syrian Government?s Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform (MAAR) [1,4], and the news first reported in the latest issue of BirdLife's award-winning quarterly magazine, World Birdwatch, published today. Survey Team leader, Associate Professional Officer, Wildlife Expert, Gianluca Serra said, "Discovering this bird was like finding the Arabian Phoenix regenerated from the ashes. The survey work through remote and rough terrain was some of the most exciting and challenging fieldwork we had ever experienced. Throughout it all, my Syrian colleagues from MAAR, Ghazy Al-Qaim and Mahmoud Abdallah, were optimistic that Northern Bald Ibises still existed in the Al Badia or desertic steppe of central Syria because we had received reports of their presence from Bedouin nomads and local hunters, such as Mr Adib Assaed of Palmyra, who was instrumental in locating the birds." The project staff responded quickly to the important discovery. Two guards, Talal Fayad and A. Abdallah, both trained as birdwatching and eco-tourist guides at the Al Talila reserve, were appointed to watch over the colony 24 hours a day and collect data on the breeding cycle. Joint funding and advice has been provided by the RSPB, the BirdLife International Partner in the UK, who have considerable expertise in the conservation of Northern Bald Ibis in Morocco. Dr Michael Rands, Director of BirdLife International, said "This fascinating species, once common throughout much of the Middle East and southern Europe, is now on the brink of global extinction, despite much conservation effort in Morocco and Turkey. This fantastic discovery gives new hope that the Northern Bald Ibis can be saved, and the BirdLife Partnership will do all it can to assist the Syrian authorities to conserve this amazing threatened species for future generations to enjoy." Further details from Michael Szabo on +44 (0)1223 279 903. NOTES FOR EDITORS 1 The discovery was made within the framework of a "Range Rehabilitation and Establishment of a Wildlife Reserve in the Syrian Steppe" project, funded by the Italian Government through a co-operation programme aimed atdeveloping countries and implemented by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The project is assisting the efforts of the Syrian Government to promote and implement natural resource and biodiversity conservation within the country. 2 BirdLife International is a global alliance of national conservation organisations working in more than 100 countries who, together, are the leading authority on the status of the world?s birds, their habitats and the issues and problems affecting bird life. 3 The Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) was formerly widespread across the Mediterranean region, but has suffered a long-term decline and now has an extremely small population. The reasons behind decline include human persecution, loss of steppe or unintensive agricultural areas, pesticide poisoning, human disturbance and dam construction. Until this recent discovery, the total world population was put at 220 individual birds, confined to two colonies in north-west Morocco. The Northern Bald Ibis is classified as Critically Endangered according to the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List criteria. This means it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future. See BirdLife International (2000) Threatened Birds of the World. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife. 4 The discovery was made at the end of an extensive two-year programme of wildlife surveys aimed at producing a biodiversity inventory for Al Talila Reserve, the first Syrian protected area and which will soon be open to visitors. Options : Repondre à ce message | Citer ce Message
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