BirdLife launched a groundbreaking guide Nov. 12 to help governments and civil society prevent the extinction of Asia’s birds, one in eight of which is under threat. Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado of Japan unveiled the blueprint, Saving Asia’s Threatened Birds, at a special international event attended by more than 100 people in Tokyo.
BirdLife International produced the guide with financial support from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) to help avoid the extinction of 324 threatened bird species, 12% of Asia’s total. Already 41 Asian bird species teeter on the brink of extinction. Of these, 11 may already be extinct. An important finding is that more than 100 sites critically important for globally threatened birds remain unprotected.
"Now, as environmental issues grow into global concerns, it is imperative that we act with intellectual integrity and I am pleased to be a part of the BirdLife Partnership in its efforts to guide the world in this direction," said HIH Princess Takamado, an honorary patron of BirdLife International’s Rare Bird Club and a keen birdwatcher.
"It is my sincere hope that the publication of this book and the launching of this strategy will give an added impetus to the conservation efforts to maintain the rich biodiversity that is our Asia."
A CEPF delegation of Conservation International, the Global Environment Facility and the World Bank participated in the Tokyo launch as part of an overall mission to Japan, which included a CEPF informational seminar for Japanese civil society organizations and meetings with a variety of government and civil society representatives. The Japanese government, which also participated in the launch, is a partner in the CEPF initiative as well.
"This guide launched today clearly articulates a major suite of key actions required to conserve the rarest bird species and most threatened avian habitats in Asia," CEPF Executive Director Jorgen Thomsen told the audience, which included ambassadors and embassy and other government representatives from across Asia.
Forest loss and degradation due to commercial logging, clear felling for paper production and plantation establishment are the biggest threats to Asia’s birds. Indonesia is home to more globally threatened species than any other Asian country, followed by Mainland China, India and the Philippines.
All organizations receiving support from CEPF for conservation projects in Asia will soon receive a complementary copy of the new guide.