Here`s - East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership

BirdLife Asia
newsletter
April 2015
Issue #4
UPCOMING EVENTS:
IN THIS ISSUE
9 – 10 May 2015
World Migratory Bird Day
1 – 9 June 2015
Ramsar COP 12 (Uruguay)
20 – 23 Jul 2015
International Ornithogical
Congress Southeast Asia
(Thailand)
World Forestry Congress
(Durban, South Africa)
Songbird Crisis meeting
27 – 29 Sept 2015
(Singapore)
7 – 11 Sept 2015
SG50’s National Butterfly
Campaign
Annual MigrantWATCH
event by Field Ornithology
Group of Sri Lanka
Spoonies’ Migration — A
Postcard Exchange Project
Flamingo Festival in
Mumbai
1 – 4 Oct 2015
Bali Mynah Meeting (Bali)
31 Oct – 2 Nov
2015
6th Asian Bird Fair
(Singapore)
UN Framework convention on
Climate Change COP21
(Paris)
30 Nov – 11 Dec
2015
S-PAPARAZZI!
Asian Songbird Migrants on
Decline
Forest Environment Lease
at Khe Nuoc Trong,
Vietnam
SPECIAL FEATURE:
Reflections of a
BirdLife Volunteer
BIRDLIFE ASIA PARTNERS
Male Asian Koel
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Big year for MNS!
Female Asian Koel
Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) has promoted I S Shanmugaraj to
Acting Executive Director with effect from 1st April 2015. Shan has been
with the society for 17 years and has gained extensive experience in his
work with the Environment Education Division.
MNS also celebrates its 75th anniversary this year – established in
1940, it has grown from a passionate group of British expatriates and
locals to a core group of society volunteers and a team of dedicated full
time staff. With a strong mission of promoting and ensuring responsible
environmental stewardship for Malaysia’s natural heritage, MNS will
continue to uphold this principal, Saving Today for Tomorrow!
BirdLife Asia congratulates Shan on his promotion and we look forward
to working closely with him and the society! Here’s to another great 75
years and more!
Image credits: Asian koel birds by © Zahidi Hamid; Lecture on Migrants by © FOGSL
More often heard than seen, the
Asian Koel, Eudynamys
scolopaceusi is a large cuckoo
bird with a variety of calls,
including the commonly heard
loud, repetitive, high pitched
‘Ku-oo’ mating call. The species is
a brood parasite that lays its eggs
in the nests of other birds like the
House crows found in Singapore.
Asian Koels are found in China,
South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Read more: http://www.ava.gov.sg/docs/
default-source/tools-and-resources/
resources-for-businesses/
advisoryonasiankoels.pdf?sfvrsn=2
WELCOME TO THE BIRDS by Malaka Rodrigo
The Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL) continued
its annual program MigrantWATCH during the migratory
season 2014/15 in line with “Welcome to the Birds” initiative
of BirdLife Asia. The MigrantWATCH 2014/15 activities started
with a lecture by Prof. Sarath Kotagama on Bird Migration on
the last Saturday of month of August (30.08.2015) marking
the onset of migratory season.
The main event of the MigrantWATCH 2014/15 was held
on the last weekend of September with a lecture by
Prof. Devaka Weerakoon on 27th of September. A mini
exhibition on Migrants with few exhibition panels was
setup in line with the lecture. The special MigrantWATCH
T-shirt too has been manufactured by Dilly & Carlo to
support this year’s MigrantWATCH too has been made
available for sales at this event.
The FOG-KIDS session for junior birders of September
was conducted on the theme ‘Migrant Birds’. An
introduction to the common migrants that could be
spotted even on home gardens was given to these
Junior Birders who enjoyed the session.
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Lecture on Migrants - Prof. Devaka [30 Aug 2014]
Disclaimer:
Information gathered for this newsletter is
received from Partner organisations. The
editorial team reserves the right to select, edit
or re-write articles only for purposes of style,
accuracy or to conform to space restrictions.
Further, the team endeavours to provide
accurate information. If there are any
inaccuracies, please email to
[email protected] and corrections will be
made in the next issue.
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A birding session for migrants and other common
birds at Thalangama Wetland on 28th of
September was followed. Over 100 birders
participated in this birding event.
As a separate exercise, the migratory Barn
Swallow colony of Ratnapura was tracked for the
days they first arrive. It was discovered that the
first group of migrants arrived in Ratnapura on
08th of September. Along with the launch, an
online data capturing sheet in the form of
GoogleDocs were setup to record the data of the
sightings of the migrants
shared in the public domain
such as social media and the
records directly sent to
FOGSL.
FOG KIDS session on Migrants [27 Sep 2014]
MigrantWATCH Field Birding session
The awareness on migrant birds was given through print media and social
media throughout the season. The blog www.migrantwatch.wordpress.com too
has been used for outreach with the public and bird enthusiasts on migrant
Field visit to Thalangama [28 Sep 2014]
SINGAPORE’S NATIONAL BUTTERFLY
by Amy Tsang & Anuj Jain, NSS
What better time than Singapore’s 50th year to reflect on our
natural heritage, amidst the SG50 festivities? On 21st March 2015,
the Butterfly and Insect Group launched the National Butterfly
Campaign in conjunction with PUB’s (Singapore’s national water
agency) launch of World Water Week at the Sports Hub in Kallang.
NSS welcomes the alignment with PUB as it recognises the
importance of water to all living things.
The National Butterfly Campaign aims to raise awareness on the
importance of butterflies to the well-being of our environment.
There is a need to protect these painted wings and the forest
habitat where most live. The campaign also provided updates on
current losses and threats to Singapore’s butterflies. An exciting component was being able to vote to
select a National Butterfly that best represents the spirit of Singapore. Voters were invited to choose
from one of six shortlisted species, namely the Common Birdwing, Common Rose, Painted Jezebel,
Common Tiger, Common Tree Nymph and Knight. The voting period was for five weeks, ending on
30th April 2015.
Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan at the NSS booth on the
launch day [21st March 2015] understanding the
6 butterfly nominees.
The National Butterfly will be an icon for the butterflies of Singapore. It will also serve as a voice for
lesser-studied but environmentally-important insects, such as bees and beetles that share the same
habitats.
There is a dedicated website that facilitates voting as well as provide related information, such as the
selection criteria for the National Butterfly, photos of the six nominees, along with educational
information. NSS has placed 2000 posters and standees at key places to encourage online butterfly
education and voting.
We would like to thank all members, Singaporeans and Permanent Residents who had cast their votes
online! A vote for our National Butterfly is a vote for a better environment!
Kids walk titled 'Spot the national butterfly
nominees' led by Teong Seng (NSS junior
member) at Jacob Ballas Children's garden [8th
March 2015].
Look out for the results: http://www.nationalbutterfly.org.sg
FOLLOWING SPOONIES ON MIGRATION – A POSTCARD EXCHANGE PROJECT
by Vivian Fu, HKBWS
Image credits: Lecture on Migrants by © FOGSL; Butterfly Campaign by © NSS; SBS Postcard by © Vivian Fu, HKBWS;
Forest Lease by © Viet Nature Conservation Centre
A Hong Kong Bird Watching Society/Birdlife International China Programme
Postcards of Spoon-billed Sandpipers made by kids are now
following the real Spoonies’ migratory journey, to spread the
message about the importance of conservation of the
Spoon-billed Sandpiper and their habitats along the bird’s
migratory route. The idea is to send postcards of Spoon-billed
Sandpipers, prepared by kids from its wintering grounds in
South East Asia to the places along Spoon-billed Sandpipers’
migratory route, up to the breeding ground in Russia. The kids
will learn about the story of Spoon-billed Sandpipers and its
conservation before they prepare the postcards.
Kids from Myanmar (coordinated by BANCA) and Thailand
(coordinated by BCST) had made about 80 postcards and they
are already in the hands of kids in Southern China! Now the kids
in Guangdong and Guangxi Provinces in China are going to send postcards to people on the next stop-over site
along Spoony’s migratory route. So look out for the postcards!
Kids from Myanmar were preparing the postcards of the
Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
FOREST LEASE
Postcards of Spoon-billed Sandpiper
drawn by kids from Thailand.
by Viet Nature Conservation Centre
Forest environment lease at Khe Nuoc Trong, Vietnam
On February 5th 2015, a forest environmental lease contract was signed between Le Thuy District
People’s Committee, Dong Chau Watershed Protective Forest Management Board, and Viet Nature
Conservation Centre. This activity is part of the “Protection of biodiversity and enhancement of ecosystem
services of the Dong Chau – Khe Nuoc Trong Forest, Le Thuy District, Quang Binh Province” project, which
is planned to last 30 years, with funding initially secured from international NGOs, namely BirdLife
International (with funding from Aage V. Jensen Charity Foundation and BirdLife Tokyo Gala Dinner
2013), IUCN Netherlands, and World Land Trust.
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Leasing forest environments in protection forests for scientific research and long-term
biodiversity conservation is a pioneering model, applied for the first time in Vietnam. According
to the forest environmental service supply contract, Le Thuy District People’s Committee and
Dong Chau Watershed Protection Forest Management Board will provide Viet Nature
Conservation Centre with a 30-year (from 2015 to 2019) forest environmental lease of 768 ha of
lowland broadleaved evergreen forest of Forest Compartment 528 within Dong Chau Watershed
Protection Forest for scientific research and biodiversity conservation. Forest Compartment 528
was chosen because it supports moist evergreen forest at low elevations, which is suitable
habitat for Edwards’s Pheasant – a Critically Endangered species endemic to Vietnam, being on
the verge of extinction in the wild – and it is potentially a good site for its reintroduction if
deemed necessary. In the last 3 years, biodiversity surveys using camera traps by Viet Nature
The Dong Chau Watershed.
Conservation Centre have recorded 63 species, many of which are globally Endangered or
Critically Endangered such as Saola, Pangolin, Large-antlered Muntjac, Red-shanked Douc Langur, etc. in Dong Chau – Khe Nuoc Trong.
Mr. Le Trong Trai – Director of Viet Nature Conservation Centre – said: “Despite the relatively small scale of the forest environment lease,
the 30 year duration shows our long term interest and commitment in supporting biodiversity conservation in Truong Son Key Biodiversity
Area, which spreads from south-western Quang Binh to north-western Quang Tri provinces”.
Mr. Nguyen Quang Nam, Chairman of Le Thuy District People’s Committee said: “Protecting the forest of Dong Chau – Khe Nuoc Trong with
its unique biodiversity for our future generations is the pride and responsibility of Le Thuy people and authorities. The Le Thuy district
People’s Committee commits itself to investing the funds received from leasing the forest environment of Forest Compartment 528 in the
protection of Khe Nuoc Trong forest”.
Mr. Pham Hong Thai, Deputy Director of Quang Binh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, cum Director of Quang Binh Forest
Protection Department emphasized: “For effective implementation of the project, Le Thuy District People’s Committee and Dong Chau
Watershed Protective Forest Management Board should develop and effectively implement a plan
to protect not only Forest Compartment no. 528 but also the entire Dong Chau – Khe Nuoc Trong
forest estate; maintaining the lowland forest ecosystem of Dong Chau – Khe Nuoc Trong region
in its entirety. On Viet Nature Conservation Centre’s side, in parallel with scientific research and
biodiversity conservation activities as approved, Viet Nature should try to mobilize more
resources to effectively support forest protection and management, improve the livelihoods of
local communities in the project area, ensuring the sustainability of the project”.
The contract signing ceremony has assertively confirmed the parties’ commitment for long-term
collaboration in managing Khe Nuoc Trong as a nature reserve in effect, as its unique biodiversity
values deserve.
Read more: http://www.birdlife.org/asia/news/new-hope-vietnam’s-forests
FLAMINGO COUNT
by Atul Sathe, BNHS-India
The sprawling wetlands in Sewri-Mahul area of Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra are designated
as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) by BNHS and BirdLife International, with
presence of nearly 150 bird species recorded over the past decade. This 10 km stretch of a
mosaic of habitats such as mudflats, mangroves, creeks and adjoining terrestrial vegetation,
annually host thousands of Lesser and Greater Flamingo during the winter and summer for six
months. The mudflats, fringed with a thick mangrove forest, appear in sharp contrast to the
industries in the background. The elegant movements of flamingos as they forage for food and fly
around in flocks are a marvelous sight. Visitors also get a chance to see and photograph other
resident and migratory water birds such as Little Egrets, Striated Herons, Black Ibis, Caspian
Terns, Black-tailed Godwits and many more.
For the past decade, BNHS has been organizing an annual Flamingo Festival, which is free and
open for all for an entire day. Numerous other half day events are also conducted. The Festival has gained immense popularity over the
years with 10-15,000 visitors on the day of the Festival on the Sewri Jetty, despite signs of approaching summer. For the past two years, it
has been organized in association with the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT). Visitors of all age groups and from all walks of life are enthusiastic
to see and learn about the waders through binoculars and spotting scopes at this “nature fair” and to experience an exhibition of colourful
illustrated flamingos. A variety of exciting activities for youngsters including stalls displaying wildlife publications and education material
are also set up for the event.
Image credits: Forest Lease by © Viet Nature Conservation Centre; Lesser Flamingo by Siddhesh Surve;
Flock of Flamingos by Noor Khan; Yellow-breasted Bunting by Abdelhamid Bizid
BNHS conducts a variety of allied nature education activities in the run up to the Festival, including competitions for school children such as
painting, slogan writing, poetry and activities on social networking sites such sharing flamingo
pictures, cartoons and experiences. Prizes are given away on the day of the Festival. Numerous
exciting activities are also conducted on the venue, including face painting, quizzes, ‘span your
wings’ and ‘flamfie’ – selfie with a flamingo mannequin. On some occasions release and reading of
books on wildlife are also conducted at the Festival venue.
Flamingo Festival serves the twin objectives of introducing the people to the world of wetland
birds and conveying the need for their conservation, since they are threatened with numerous
pressures such as industrial pollution, city sewage, solid waste dumping, mangrove cutting,
poaching, encroachments and infrastructure projects. The message gets effectively passed on to
various stakeholders including corporates, businessmen, salaried class, teachers, students,
government employees and media. This will go a long way to help safeguard the coastal wetlands.
ASIAN SONGBIRD MIGRANTS IN TROUBLE
Migratory songbirds in East Asia are in trouble, according to new research. The
study calls for national action and international cooperation to deal with threats,
as well as more monitoring and research to help understand and protect this
unique migration system.
The East Asian-Australasian Flyway, running from Siberia and Alaska down to
South-East Asia and Australia, supports the greatest diversity of migratory birds
on the planet, with 170 long distance migrant songbirds and over 80 short
distance migrants. However, it is also one of most poorly studied of the world’s
major migration routes. Remarkably little is known about the populations and
ecology of many of its songbird migrants, which rely on habitats along the
migratory route for their survival.
Lead by scientists from the Australian National University and Sun Yat-sen
University and published in BirdLife’s journal Bird Conservation International,
The once-abundant Yellow-breasted Bunting.
‘Migratory songbirds in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway: a review from a
conservation perspective’ draws together what is known and highlights gaps where more study is urgently required.
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Flyway-scale protection
The study reveals many migratory songbirds are declining in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, owing to a range of threats operating
across many countries. The paper makes a strong case that both national action and international cooperation are needed for effective
conservation.
“The flyways concept can help promote collaborative conservation actions between many countries”, said Becky Rush, BirdLife’s Asia
Flyways Policy Officer. “More governments are recognising that conservation in their own territory is not enough and that they need to
encourage protection for species throughout their migratory range”.
According to Ding Li Yong, the paper’s lead author, migratory songbirds in Asia have received less attention from conservationists
compared to waterbirds even though many songbirds have lost considerable wintering habitat and are in decline. “Ecologically, these
songbirds are important because they connect the ecosystems of Asia’s boreal, temperate and tropical biomes”, he said.
Small birds, large threats
Migration is tough enough for birds, and especially for small birds
weighing only a few grams and needing to refuel often, so any threats
that affect them along their migratory route can add up and take their
toll on whole populations. Currently available evidence suggests that
habitat loss and hunting are the two most significant threats on the East
Asia flyway, while other threats like invasive species, climate change and
collision with man-made structures can also have a big impact.
Some species, like the Vulnerable Izu Leaf-warbler Phylloscopus ijimae
and Pleske’s Grasshopper-warbler Locustella pleskei are particularly at
Vulnerable Izu Leaf-warbler, P. ijimae.
risk not just because of their small breeding ranges, but that their entire wintering ranges remain
unknown to scientists, thus hampering effective conservation. The Endangered Yellow-breasted
Bunting used to be abundant, but have drastically declined as large numbers are trapped annually for
food in South-east Asia and southern China.’
Pleske’s Grasshopper-warbler L. pleskei.
Dealing with the threats
The study highlights ways in which these declines can be stopped. Conservation of key habitats,
better protection of key breeding, migration and wintering sites, and better enforcement of
national legislation will all be needed. Additionally, international and national treaties and
legislations need to be extended to include migratory songbirds.
One priority identified in the paper is to expand and standardise monitoring and increase research
to better understand populations and threats in more detail. This will need to target some of the
most poorly known migratory songbirds in Asia, including the Vulnerable Rufous-headed Luscinia
ruficeps and Black-throated Blue Robin L. obscura.
“There is a need for more monitoring, and especially more
coordinated monitoring, across Asia,” said Rush.
Vulnerable Rufous-headed L. ruficeps.
“The number of birdwatchers in Asia is increasing rapidly, and in some cases their data are already
contributing to our understanding of songbird distribution and status”. One promising development
is a new project which BirdLife Asia is helping to develop in China, South Korea and Japan, to
promote international cooperation on the monitoring and conservation of migratory landbirds.
Black-throated blue robin, L. obscura.
While data from citizen science and more formal monitoring schemes will definitely help to improve
knowledge, conservation action is needed now to address the immediate threats to migratory
songbirds that have already been identified.
SPECIAL FEATURE
by Gabriella Church
Reflections from a BirdLife Volunteer
Image credits: Asian songbird migrant illustrations by BirdLife Datazone;
Forests of Hope Forum team with Gabby by © Gabriella Church
Conservation internships are hard to come by, therefore
when Dr. Sultana Bashir, the Forests of Hope Programme
Coordinator at BirdLife International, expressed interest in
having me work with her on this intriguing programme, I
was understandably elated. On my first day in the office the
nerves quickly subsided as I was immediately made to feel
welcome by everyone present. The phone discussions with
Sultana prior to starting regarding the current goings on in
the FoH programme, their goals for the near future, and in
what areas I could be of most help, meant that I was already
clued up and could quickly be put to work.
In the six months that followed I came to feel like a key
member of the team, regularly updated, invited to sit in on
meetings and always asked for my opinion. I was introduced
to people from a number of departments within BirdLife and
to a range of partners via email, enabling me to contact
them directly with queries regarding what I was working on.
I became very familiar with the ins and outs of grant writing,
and was given the opportunity to produce my own
communications materials with the aim of raising awareness Meeting the team at the Forests of Hope Forum in Malaysia. Taken at the Belum-Temengor Forest Complex,
Malaysia Forests of Hope site. From left to right: Yeap (MNS), Gabby, Noel (Haribon) & Vosak (Cambodia)
of the FoH programme, skills crucial for any job in applied
conservation. I helped to generate proposals for several
community-based conservation projects, which aimed to encourage the sustainable production of certain commodities within FoH sites in
order to generate revenue from the forest, and opened my eyes to a potential means of sustainably financing conservation efforts.
Additionally, as part of the broader movement to ‘remove deforestation from supply chains’, I was able to help synthesize a project
concept that aimed to reduce the social and environmental impacts associated with the production of a widely cultivated agricultural
commodity.
I was also fortunate enough to be invited to the ‘Belum-Temengor Forest Complex’ Forum on Conservation Investments in a ‘Forest of
Hope’ in Peninsular Malaysia. My role as a rapporteur kept me on my toes, but ultimately this experience enabled me to better understand
the real-life issues jeopardizing the long-term conservation of a key forest site in Asia, and the pragmatic projects proposed as a means for
conserving the sites forest and wildlife. However, the highlight of the trip was without a doubt the post-forum expedition to BelumTemengor itself.
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Myself, Vorsak and Noel were guided by Yeap through the waterways that infiltrate
the dense, speciose forest while scanning (with success!) for the 10 resident
Gabby joined us in September 2014 for a 6-month internship
at the BirdLife Asia office in Singapore to work with Dr Sultana
hornbill species, and up a waterfall to admire a flowering Rafflesia, which
Bashir
on
BirdLife's global Forests of Hope Programme.
had sadly withered. It was an unforgettable experience that was shared with
Affectionately called ‘Gabs’ by Sultana and team, she was an
a fantastic group of like-minded conservationists.
The knowledge and skills that I have obtained during my experience with
BirdLife will undoubtedly shape my opinions and decisions as a
conservationist long into the future. However, I believe that the most
important lesson I have learnt is the vital importance of partnering with
people on the ground and engaging with people at all levels in order to
successfully bring about positive change.
absolute delight to have around and also extremely hardworking,
making valuable contributions to the further development of the
Forests of Hope Programme.
Gabby leaves us to continue on her conservation journey, she
will be taking up her Masters in Conservation and Biodiversity with
the University of Exeter in the UK.
BirdLife Asia and the Forests of Hope team wish her all the
best! We will miss her!! 
PHOTO GALLERY
SINGAPORE’S NATIONAL BUTTERFLY
NSS Butterfly & Insect Group members with one of
their sponsors (Shell) on the launch day [21st March
2015]. Keppel Land is the other sponsor in the
project.
Image credits: Butterfly Campaign by © NSS; Annual MigrantWATCH by © FOGSL
Compilation by: Thiviya Nair, volunteer with BirdLife Asia
ANNUAL MIGRANTWATCH 2014/15 BY FOGSL
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For comments and suggestions, contact: [email protected]
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