Joint Action Plan for the Conservation of the Pygmy Cormorant

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Joint Action Plan for the Conservation of the Pygmy Cormorant Work Package 3 - Transnational joint strategy and tools for the better management and implementation of Natura 2000 sites Activity 3.2 - Definition of Joint Transnational Action Plans for common habitats/group of habitats and species Joint Transnational Action Plan for the Pygmy Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmeus Pallas, 1773) Final version, 15 January 2013 Stefano Volponi Massimiliano Costa Partners Associated Partners Nimfea – Environment and Nature Development Agency Lake Balaton Development University of Klagenfurt Conservtion Association (LP) (HU) for South Epirus - Amvrakikos (GR) Coordination Agency (HU) – Department of Economics (AT) Province of Ravenna (IT) Strandja Nature Park Directorate (BG) Danube Delta National Institute Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Consortium of Management Veneto Region - Commissions’ for Research and Development (RO) Authority (RO) of Torre Guaceto - Brindisi (IT) Coordination Project Unit (IT) Vienna University of Technology, Agricultural Research and Education Timis County Council (RO) Department of Public Finance Centre Raumberg-Gumpenstein (AT) and Infrastructure Policy (AT) Municipality of Cacak (RS) Introduction The Pygmy Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmeus is a colonial waterbird that has a limited breeding range in the southeast of the Western-Palaearctic region. The species is poorly-known (Cramp & Simmons 1977, Jonhsgard 1993, Nelson 2006) and was considered for a long time vulnerable because suffered a large-scale decline since the second half of the 19th century due to drainage and degradation of wetlands, persecution by fishermen and destruction of breeding colonies (Cramp & Simmons 1977, Collar & Andrew 1988). The species was first classified by IUCN as globally threatened in the category Insufficiently Known (Groombridge 1993). Later, according to the new criteria developed by IUCN (Mace & Stuart 1994), it has been re-classified as near threatened (Collar et al. 1994) and, at the European level, considered as Vulnerable (Tucker & Heath 1994) and listed in category 1 of Species of European Conservation Concern (Tucker & Heath 1994, Birdlife International 2004a). Since the 2005 and nowadays it is listed in the IUCN Red List as species of Least Concern. The Pygmy Cormorant is listed on Appendix II of the Bern Convention, Annex I of the EU Wild Birds Directive (2009/147/EC), Appendix II of the Bonn Convention and in the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds Agreement (AEWA) developed under the Bonn Convention. This action plan includes c. 32,5-52,1% of the species' European breeding population. This action plan is a framework document which identifies the main threats and the main actions to be taken in order to enhance the population of this species and restore its habitat. It is therefore recommended that a body is designated in each country to prepare a detailed national action plan for the species; the same body will also be responsible for implementing this. The preparation of such a plan will provide an opportunity to further develop objectives involving integrated and interdisciplinary work as well as specific policies. Partners Associated Partners Nimfea – Environment and Nature Development Agency Lake Balaton Development University of Klagenfurt Conservtion Association (LP) (HU) for South Epirus - Amvrakikos (GR) Coordination Agency (HU) – Department of Economics (AT) Province of Ravenna (IT) Strandja Nature Park Directorate (BG) Danube Delta National Institute Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Consortium of Management Veneto Region - Commissions’ for Research and Development (RO) Authority (RO) of Torre Guaceto - Brindisi (IT) Coordination Project Unit (IT) Vienna University of Technology, Agricultural Research and Education Timis County Council (RO) Department of Public Finance Centre Raumberg-Gumpenstein (AT) and Infrastructure Policy (AT) Municipality of Cacak (RS) 1. Current status This chapter briefly summarises the status report. 1.1 Distribution and population The Pygmy Cormorant breeds in south-east Europe (east from Italy and Austria), Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzebekistan, and winters primarily in Albania, Greece, the Balkan states, Turkey, Cyprus, Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan and also in Israel, Italy Bulgaria, Romania and Syria (Cramp & Simmons 1977, Voskamp et al. 2005, BirdLife International 2012). The estimated European population (75-94% of the global breeding range) has evaluated in 28,000-39,000 pairs, considerably higher than the 13,000 pairs estimated in 1996, with an estimated 8,000-12,000 breeding pairs in Azerbaijan and 11,500-14,000 breeding pairs in Romania (BirdLife International 2004). In their overview Voskamp et al. (2005) estimated in 22,715 – 24,353 pairs the total number of pygmy cormorants breeding in all known colonies in the area comprising the Mediterranean basin, the Black Sea and Caspian Sea areas. The sum of all maximum estimates of known colonies listed above is 24.353; considerably less than the maximum estimate of the species’ breeding population (up to 37,323 breeding pairs in Delany & Scott 2002). This discrepancy can almost fully be accounted to the unknown situation in the Caspian area, with high estimates for Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation but lacking information on the existence of colonies and the number of breeding pairs for many areas. In Central Asia the species suffered the dramatic reduction of the Aral Sea and the associated habitat degradation and the population that formerly occurred in the Aral Sea and Amudarya Delta declined rapidly. However, since the mid-1980s, immigration and colonisation of new sites has occurred in SW, S and central Uzbekistan, linked to the recently-constructed irrigation reservoirs that were essential to support agricultural development. The establishment of new geographical sub-populations continues, enabling the species to to expand its breeding, migration and wintering ranges. Latest data indicate that in Uzbekistan the numbers of wintering birds have increased from 4,000–4,500 individuals in 2000 to 15,500 in 2006, while in neighbouring countries estimates produce further 8,300–10,000 birds. This allows to estimate the total population of Pygmy Cormorants in Central Asia to count at least 15,000– 25,000 pairs (Kreuzberg-Mukhina 2008). Latest values of the global population estimated 85,000-180,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2006). Partners Associated Partners Nimfea – Environment and Nature Development Agency Lake Balaton Development University of Klagenfurt Conservtion Association (LP) (HU) for South Epirus - Amvrakikos (GR) Coordination Agency (HU) – Department of Economics (AT) Province of Ravenna (IT) Strandja Nature Park Directorate (BG) Danube Delta National Institute Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Consortium of Management Veneto Region - Commissions’ for Research and Development (RO) Authority (RO) of Torre Guaceto - Brindisi (IT) Coordination Project Unit (IT) Vienna University of Technology, Agricultural Research and Education Timis County Council (RO) Department of Public Finance Centre Raumberg-Gumpenstein (AT) and Infrastructure Policy (AT) Municipality of Cacak (RS) 1.2 Life history The species occurs in reedbeds, ecotone between reedbeds, flooded woods and open waters, extensively grazed or mowed shores and wet meadows and, in winter, in coastal wetlands, along rivers and inland lakes (del Hoyo et al. 1992, Johnsgard 1993, Crivelli et al. 2000, BirdLife International 2004). The preferred nesting habitat is willow Salix trees but, in some colonies birds breed in Tamarix (Crivelli et al. 2000, Volponi unpubl. data), or even on Eucaliptus trees as in SE Italy at the Lago Salso colony (Caldarella & Albanese 2012). The nest is a deep cup of sticks, reeds and willow/poplar leaves built near or over water in trees, bushes, reedbeds or on floating islets of vegetation (del Hoyo et al. 1992, Johnsgard 1993, Nelson 2006). The species breeds between April and July in large mixed-species colonies, starting courtship and mating already in March (Italy, Romania), leaving the breeding grounds towards the end of August and returning by April. The species is sedentary over much of its range with some populations migrating over short distances (del Hoyo et al. 1992). Throughout the year it normally feeds singly or in small groups, social feeding was not reported in literature, but was occasionally observed in the south Po Delta close to the colony of Punte Alberete . Diet consists predominantly of fish up to 15 cm long (Cramp & Simmons 1977, del Hoyo et al. 1992), but locally the invasive exotic crustaceans Procambarus clarkii may account for a large proportion of the food of nestling and breeding adult (Volponi & Emiliani unpubl. data). Breeding Pair-bonding activity takes place in the wintering areas (Straka 1990), and eggs are eventually laid between the end of March and early July (Cramp and Simmons 1977, Johnsgard 1993). Pygmy Cormorants breed in colonies, often with other species (Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo, herons and egrets, Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia, Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus, etc.). Nests are in dense trees or bushes on medium to high branches or in thick reedbeds from 1–1.5 m above water- level (Cramp & Simmons 1977, Johnsgard 1993). At Lake Kerkini in Greece, birds nest in mixed colonies in flooded forest; nests are 2.2–5.5 m above ground (Nazirides & Papageorgiou 1996). Clutch size is 2–8 (Cramp & Simmons 1977). Mean hatching success is 77.1% (74.0–78.7%), and the mean survival rate to three weeks old is 69.1% (68.1–69.9%)
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