State of Africa’s Birds
INTRODUCTION: The Importance of birds and biodiversity
BirdLife International is partnering with other non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations and government agencies to achieve its aim of conserving birds, their habitats and global diversity by working with people towards the sustainable use of Africa’s natural resources. Through the four main pillars of BirdLife’s strategy – Species; Sites and Habitats; Ecological Sustainability and People – the BirdLife Africa Partnership emphasizes developing positive linkages between birds, biodiversity and the livelihoods of people. In addition, BirdLife’s strategy 2013-2020 supports the CBD Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, and BirdLife has been working with the CBD towards the Plan’s implementation through various COPs. The BirdLife Partnership also supports the parties to the CBD to develop and implement the NBSAPs in order to attain the 20 Aichi biodiversity targets. Using birds as indicators of the environment, and BirdLife data, many African Partners have contributed to the development of their countries’ NBSAPs. For example, BirdWatch Zambia (BirdLife Partner) successfully advocated inclusion of information from Zambia’s 42 IBAs into the country’s second NBSAP (2015-2025), implying that IBA conservation will be mainstreamed into future environmental conservation policies in the country. SOURCE The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) retrieved from https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/zm/zm-nbsap-v2-en.pdf
Shoebill Balaeniceps rex, one of the rare and localised species in Africa. (PHOTO: ©Helene Hoffman)
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