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Birdlife International for the Input of Analyses, Technical Information, Advice, Ideas, Research Papers, Peer Review and Comment

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Birdlife International for the Input of Analyses, Technical Information, Advice, Ideas, Research Papers, Peer Review and Comment UNEP/CMS/ScC16/Doc.10 Annex 2b CMS Scientific Council: Flyway Working Group Reviews Review 2: Review of Current Knowledge of Bird Flyways, Principal Knowledge Gaps and Conservation Priorities Compiled by: JEFF KIRBY Just Ecology Brookend House, Old Brookend, Berkeley, Gloucestershire, GL13 9SQ, U.K. June 2010 Acknowledgements I am grateful to colleagues at BirdLife International for the input of analyses, technical information, advice, ideas, research papers, peer review and comment. Thus, I extend my gratitude to my lead contact at the BirdLife Secretariat, Ali Stattersfield, and to Tris Allinson, Jonathan Barnard, Stuart Butchart, John Croxall, Mike Evans, Lincoln Fishpool, Richard Grimmett, Vicky Jones and Ian May. In addition, John Sherwell worked enthusiastically and efficiently to provide many key publications, at short notice, and I’m grateful to him for that. I also thank the authors of, and contributors to, Kirby et al. (2008) which was a major review of the status of migratory bird species and which laid the foundations for this work. Borja Heredia, from CMS, and Taej Mundkur, from Wetlands International, also provided much helpful advice and assistance, and were instrumental in steering the work. I wish to thank Tim Jones as well (the compiler of a parallel review of CMS instruments) for his advice, comment and technical inputs; and also Simon Delany of Wetlands International. Various members of the CMS Flyway Working Group, and other representatives from CMS, BirdLife and Wetlands International networks, responded to requests for advice and comment and for this I wish to thank: Olivier Biber, Joost Brouwer, Nicola Crockford, Carlo C. Custodio, Tim Dodman, Roger Jaensch, Jelena Kralj, Angus Middleton, Narelle Montgomery, Cristina Morales, Paul Kariuki Ndang'ang'a, Paul O’Neill, Herb Raffaele and David Stroud. Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY........................................................................................................... 1 EXTENDED SUMMARY ........................................................................................................... 3 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................3 MIGRATION, FLYWAYS AND FLYWAY CONSERVATION...........................................................................3 STATUS AND TRENDS .............................................................................................................................4 THREATS TO MIGRATORY SPECIES .........................................................................................................5 KNOWLEDGE GAPS.................................................................................................................................7 PRIORITIES FOR MIGRATORY BIRD CONSERVATION................................................................................9 KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE REVIEW ............................................................... 10 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 15 THE CONVENTION ON MIGRATORY SPECIES .........................................................................................15 STUDY BRIEF .......................................................................................................................................16 MIGRATORY BIRDS ..............................................................................................................................16 MIGRATORY PATTERNS .......................................................................................................................17 North–south migration..................................................................................................................18 South–north migration ..................................................................................................................18 Longitudinal migration .................................................................................................................18 Loop migration..............................................................................................................................19 Moult migration ............................................................................................................................19 Leapfrog migration .......................................................................................................................19 Walk migration..............................................................................................................................19 Swim migration .............................................................................................................................20 FLYWAYS ............................................................................................................................................20 MIGRATORY TECHNIQUES AND CRITICAL SITES ...................................................................................24 FLYWAY CONSERVATION.....................................................................................................................26 STATUS AND TRENDS.......................................................................................................... 27 INCLUDED SPECIES...............................................................................................................................27 GLOBAL STATUS AND TRENDS .............................................................................................................27 REGIONAL STATUS AND TRENDS ..........................................................................................................31 REGIONAL STATUS IN THE AMERICA FLYWAYS ...................................................................................32 REGIONAL STATUS IN AFRICAN–EURASIAN FLYWAYS.........................................................................33 REGIONAL STATUS IN EAST ASIAN–AUSTRALASIAN FLYWAYS ...........................................................34 KEY THREATS ....................................................................................................................... 35 LAND-USE PRESSURES .........................................................................................................................38 HABITAT DESTRUCTION AND DEGRADATION AT SPECIAL SITES ...........................................................39 HUNTING AND TAKING.........................................................................................................................40 Hunting .........................................................................................................................................40 Trade in wild birds........................................................................................................................43 Falconry........................................................................................................................................43 DISEASE AND PARASITES .....................................................................................................................44 Botulism ........................................................................................................................................44 Avian influenza..............................................................................................................................44 THREATS FROM NON-NATIVE SPECIES..................................................................................................45 Non-native birds............................................................................................................................45 Non-native animals .......................................................................................................................46 Invasive plants ..............................................................................................................................47 HUMAN DISTURBANCE.........................................................................................................................47 MORTALITY OWING TO ARTIFICIAL STRUCTURES.................................................................................48 Wind turbines................................................................................................................................48 Powerlines ....................................................................................................................................49 Glass and other reflective materials .............................................................................................50 SPECIFIC THREATS IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT...............................................................................50 Pollution........................................................................................................................................50 Overfishing....................................................................................................................................51 Bycatch..........................................................................................................................................52 CLIMATE CHANGE................................................................................................................................53 Increasing temperatures ...............................................................................................................53
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