FreeLists / va-richmond-general / [va-richmond-general] Some good bird news!

[IE Ries <feathermom_chirpling@xxxxxxxxx>]

Found this in an article today:
   
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6295729.stm
   
               
   
  Boost for Iraq bird populations
   

                 The Basra reed warbler may be doing better than expected

The first comprehensive survey of bird populations in Iraq seems to show that 
conservation efforts are working, but some species remain threatened.   
Conservationists have had grave concerns for birds in Iraq since the drainage 
of 90% of Iraq's marshes by former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.   The 
marshes were one of the Middle East's most wildlife-rich areas and supported 
important bird populations.   Details will appear in a field guide and in 
several scientific papers.                  Clearly, Iraq has a responsibility 
for their protection 


    Richard Porter, BirdLife International

So far, three winter surveys and two summer surveys have been conducted by 
Iraqi biologists.   But the paucity of other data on birds in the country makes 
it difficult to compare the present situation with anything else, in order to 
determine how numbers have shifted up or down over the past few decades.   
However, the researchers can make some broad statements about the health of 
bird populations in Iraq.   "We have got some surveys that were carried out in 
1979. We can't say the numbers have changed, but we can say no species has 
disappeared. That's the good news," said Richard Porter, Middle East adviser 
with Birdlife International.   "In fact, birds like the Basra reed warbler, 
which were thought to be globally threatened, may no longer be globally 
threatened simply due to the fact that they have been found in good numbers."   
Marsh recovery   This might be down to two factors, said Mr Porter. Firstly, 
the researchers say the two summer surveys could be the first of
 their kind ever carried out in Iraq.                The marshes are undergoing 
a recovery

Secondly, the re-flooding of the marshes after the US-led invasion of 2003 may 
already be delivering benefits to bird populations in the region.   About 40% 
of the marshlands area of Iraq has been restored to its 1970s condition.   
Large areas were drained in the 1990s to punish the Marsh Arabs for rebelling 
against former leader Saddam Hussein. Diversion of water further upstream by 
some of Iraq's neighbours also hit the wetlands.   Sometimes identified as the 
site of the Garden of Eden, the Mesopotamian marshes have been home to the 
Marsh Arabs for at least 5,000 years. They once covered an area of 
20,000-15,000 sq km - twice the size of the Florida Everglades. By 2001, only 
one-tenth of the marshlands remained intact.   There is an international effort 
to restore the network of watercourses which provided inhabitants with water 
for drinking and farming, and supported the region's unique ecology.   
Conservation responsibility   This includes bird populations of national
 and international importance.   The survey recorded 150 or more species of 
birds, including six globally threatened species - among them the marbled teal, 
the white-headed duck, the Basra reed warbler and the greater spotted eagle.    
            Birds like the marbled teal are globally threatened

But there are many others considered to be of "conservation significance", such 
as bitterns, corncrake and several species of duck.   "Clearly, Iraq has a 
responsibility for their protection. And indeed the marshes offer a tremendous 
haven for them," said Mr Porter.   "Birds such as the African darter and the 
sacred ibis have been breeding [in the marshes] and that is the only site they 
are known to breed in the Middle East.   "We're a bit concerned about birds 
like the white-headed duck. We would have expected to see more in winter. But 
when you're counting birds, you just have to be there on the wrong day or on 
the wrong marsh and you have missed them."       




"Hope is the thing with feathers                                                
              That perches in the soulAnd sings the tune without the words      
    And never stops at all." --Emily 
Dickensonhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheParakeetPerch/
 
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