BIRDS AND PEOPLE BirdLife Botswana’s Bird Conservation Newsletter March, 2013 No. 37
March, 2013 No. 37
BIRDS AND PEOPLE B I R D L I F E B O T S W A N A ’ S B I R D C O NS E R V A T I O N N E W S L E T T E R
E D I TO R I A L
IN THIS ISSUE: IBA Status Report
3
Crowned Crane Trade Suspended
6
Lake Ngami Management Plan
7
AEWA Conservation Guidelines
7
Photo Gallery
8-9
Waterbird count results
10
Look out for tagged birds
13
World Migratory Bird Day
13
Okavango WHS listing
14
Membership form
15
Front cover: Front cover: Yellow-billed Stork (Pete Hancock) Pink-backed Pelican This page: (Pete Hancock)
People from all walks of life connect with birds in one way or another. I don’t know anyone who isn’t moved by their beauty and vitality, and the dawn chorus of awakening birds is a great way to start the day. Some people are inspired by birds’ ability to fly so effortlessly, while others find their varied behaviours interesting and worth studying. The incredible feats shown by migratory species which fly vast distances and call the world their oyster, are a source of wonderment to us all. Many birds are valued as food, and the bright feathers of some species are used for decoration or ceremonial purposes. Whatever your interest, birds share the planet with us and it will be a vastly impoverished world without them. Pete Hancock (Editor)
Yellow-billed This page: Stork landing (Ken Oake) Pied Kingfisher (Miles Kamakama) Ken Oake is thanked for
assistance with layout and design of this newsletter.
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I B A S TAT U S R E P O R T
“IBAs are a network of sites critical for the conservation of the world’s birds and wider biodiversity�
Botswana has a network of protected areas (National Parks, Game Reserves, Forest Reserves, and Wildlife Management Areas), some of which overlap with Important Bird Areas. Although some are on communal/ tribal land, they are all protected by the government for their ecological integrity, aesthetic quality and for long term maintenance and sustainable flow of ecosystem services. BirdLife Botswana has been collaborating with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks since 2008 to implement biodiversity monitoring in Protected Areas (PAs) and Important Bird Areas. This was one of the initiatives aiming to meet the requirements of the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the target of reducing biodiversity loss by 2010. Agencies concerned with natural resources management were engaged on an annual repetition of activities for capacity building, co-ordinating, collecting, analysing, storing and sharing information nationally, regionally and internationally. Annual status reports were produced to summarise the status, threats and conservation response at the various protected areas. Findings from the 2011 Protected Area/ Important Bird Area Status Report (which summarises the results from 2008 to 2011), suggest that veld fires have been the most
prominent environmental threat, exerting pressure on the quality and quantity of biodiversity within the protected area network. The most affected areas include the Forests Reserves (Chobe, Sibuyu, Kasane Extension, Maikaelelo, Kazuma and Kasane), Makgadikgadi Pans National Park and Central Kalahari Game Reserve. This is a concern as fire can have prolonged negative impacts on the breeding success of some wildlife species and on the vegetation. Another pressure related to human activities, has been the use of poisonous agricultural pesticides; in most cases the chemicals used are
Fires in reedbeds in the Okavango Delta can have devastating impacts (Photo: Donovan Drotsky)
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IBAS
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Carbofuran (Furadan) and Aldicarb (Temik). From 2008 to 2011, a large number of globally threatened vultures were poisoned in Botswana — a minimum of 182 Whitebacked, 14 Cape, 4 Hooded and 3 Lappetfaced vultures. Many more poisoning events would without doubt have gone unreported. The motives for the poisoning vary: in most cases, the vultures are innocent victims of attempts to kill ‘problem’ mammalian predators that prey on livestock. However, there have been events where vultures appear to have been deliberately targeted by poachers who kill large animals and bait the carcass with poisons to prevent circling vultures from alerting park authorities to such illegal hunting.
“But, there are pockets of positive news”, says Dr Kabelo Senyatso, BirdLife Botswana Director. “Conservation action is increasing as there are more interventions at most sites, as well as improvements in environmental policies and legislation within Botswana”, he stated. Indeed, government, communities living in and around these areas and other stakeholders have embarked on active conservation measures to curb these environmental threats. Such activities include education and awareness on best practices of natural resource management, publicity and communication to students and the general public by capacity-building and specific targeted events. It is the responsibility
of every citizen to ensure sustainability of biodiversity conservation and monitoring actions. Stakeholders need to be supported in data collection and management, compilation of reports and sharing of results. However, national stakeholders should utilize their available resources to ensure effective environmental practices (see next page opposite). Community members should participate in public awareness and educational programmes and disseminate information to other villages/ settlements e.g. World Wetlands Day, World Environment Day and International Vulture Awareness Day. Engaging in such events will generally increase awareness and understanding,
Uncontrolled fires and pesticide use rank as the most serious threats to biodiversity
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IBAS
“Conservation action is increasing, and environmental policies and legislation are improving”
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enabling community members to make informed decisions, and utilise culture and traditional knowledge for conserving biodiversity. Setswana culture is rich in concepts of environmental management which are dying out. The older generations should impart their wisdom to young ones. Govt. departments should increase the number of people who have an active role in biodiversity and natural resource monitoring. This will help in maintaining a momentum during staff transfers. In addition, they should aim to mainstream biodiversity conservation and management in all production sectors. Relevant departments should secure high level political and administrative support for
biodiversity conservation, and ensure that conservation measures are supported by many sectors. Non-Governmental Organisations should better engage the private sector and other stakeholders in biodiversity monitoring and management. They should strive to improve collaboration with stakeholders to maintain and strengthen working relations. This will enable exchange of lessons learned from projects, replication of best environmental practices, maximise use of available conservation funds and enhance synergies for biodiversity management. The project “Instituting effective monitoring of
Protected Areas (Important Bird Areas) as a contribution to reducing the rate of biodiversity loss in Africa” (2008–2011) was financed by a grant from the European Union, and received technical support from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (BirdLife in the UK) and BirdLife International. All project partners (government, Community Based Organisations, private sector, NGOs, individuals) are thanked for their efforts in coordinating, collecting, analysing, storing and sharing information nationally, regionally and internationally. The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) co-ordinated data collection within
Lake Ngami IBA — currently unprotected (Photo: Mel Oake)
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parks, while the Department of Forestry and Range Resources (DFRR) provided fire management information, and the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) publicized the project results (especially through uploading reports onto
the Environmental Information System (EIS). The Protected Area/ Important Bird Area Annual Status reports for the years 2008 to 2011 are accessible through the BirdLife Botswana website. Members, volunteers
and the private sector are reminded and encouraged to get IBA forms from their nearest BirdLife office whenever visiting sites to collect data. Mabifhi Lesego Ratsie IBA Co-ordinator
The Common Waxbill feeds on grass seeds (Photo: Ian White)
CROWNED CRANE TRADE SUSPENDED Beauty can be a disadvantage! The Grey Crowned Crane is a beautiful bird which has undergone serious declines in recent years due to demand for live birds as decorative items in gardens of the wealthy. For this reason, the species was recently
categorized as Endangered on the Red Data List. Research by the Endangered Wildlife Trust has shown that illegal trade is decimating wild populations of both the Grey and Black Crowned Cranes. Consequently, CITES, an international
convention regulating trade in endangered species, recently announced a suspension of trade in Black and Grey Crowned Cranes from several African countries. It is hoped that this will stop the decline in the numbers of this attractive bird.
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The IBA monitoring forms are available from BirdLife Botswana for those wishing to contribute to the project.
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LAKE NGAMI MANAGEMENT PLAN
Careful planning is needed at Lake Ngami if its potential is to be realised
BirdLife Botswana is participating in the development of a management plan for Lake Ngami as a way of securing the area for birds. It is one of our smaller but nevertheless most critical Important Bird Areas and, as such, has great avi-tourism potential.
The management plan has been contracted to EcoSurv (Pty) Ltd, a consulting company with a long and respected track record. Apart from a Project Manager, the team also includes an Ecologist, Tourism Planner, Fisheries Biologist and Bird
Specialist. The team’s work is overseen by a Reference Group comprising all relevant stakeholders. The plan is progressing well and is due to be completed during this quarter. It will need to be actively implemented!
Birdlife at Lake Ngami is spectacular, but the area is sensitive to disturbance (Photo: K Oake)
A E WA C O N S E RVAT I O N G U I D E L I N E S The African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) regularly produces guidelines on relevant conservation topics, and the latest is “Guidelines on the Development of Ecotourism at Wetlands”. These guidelines examine a wide range of issues relating to nature-oriented tourism in general and offer practical advice for the development of responsible ecotourism in wetlands important for migratory birds. For more information please visit: http://www.unep-aewa.org/publications/ conservation_guidelines.htm Birds and People No. 37
PHOTO
Photo I Whit e
A celebrat
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GALLERY
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tion of LBJs
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WAT E R B I R D C O U N T R E S U LT S
The January waterbird counts have been successfully completed and the results submitted to Wetlands International. Of note was the relatively high number of birds counted in southeastern Botswana compared to other areas. However, the scattered discrete dams and sewage ponds are easy to access and to count compared with the vast areas of wetland in the north, so much being inaccessible to observers. In northern Botswana, the usual wellmotivated team led by Phil Zappala and Mark Vandewalle covered the Chobe River and
floodplain between the old park entrance gate and Ngoma Bridge. January counts there are always lower than winter counts but a respectable 3,489 birds were noted. Species in the highest numbers were Cattle Egret (818), Egyptian Goose (395) and Blacksmith Lapwing (779). A good range of species was seen with 2 Slaty Egrets, 6 Whitecrowned Lapwings, a Wattled Lapwing and 3 Ringed Plovers amongst those of particular interest. Counts in early January at Kasane Seep turned up 4 White-fronted Plovers and a Western Osprey. Gavin and Marjorie Blair managed to
check 12 pan complexes in Chobe National Park as well as Savuti Marsh and Channel, part of the Chobe River between Kavimba and Kachikau and part of the Linyanti River. Water levels in Savuti Channel and Marsh were lower than in January 2012 so there were many fewer birds. An Osprey was seen in the Channel. At the 12 pans there were almost 2,000 waterbirds of 36 species; Blacksmith Lapwings were the most numerous species (429) but other good counts included 68 Woolly-necked and 198 Abdim’s Storks, 161 Comb Ducks and 180 Egyptian Geese, 243
Three Southern Pochard fly past in formation (Photo: Ian White)
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The well-motivated Chobe River team conducted another thorough count of this spectacular area
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Abdim’s Stork, an intra-African migrant, featured in many of the counts (Photo: P Hancock)
Collared Pratincoles and 11 Lesser Moorhens.
Lake Xau had over 3,000 waterbirds, including good numbers of pelicans and flamingos
In the Okavango Delta, counts were made by Steph Tyler & Felicity Burge along the Okavango River between the Namibian border to Mohembo, from Mohembo to Shakawe Camp and down to Palm Island. In Moremi Game Reserve the same observers counted along transects between South Gate and Third Bridge and between Third and Fourth Bridges, as well as on the Xini Lediba Loop. Over 1,500 waterbirds were noted between South Gate and Third Bridge, including 429 Cattle Egrets and 385 Woollynecked Storks. Other sites covered included Dombo Hippo Pool in Moremi, Maun Sewage
Ponds, Xigera lagoon, and two short (4 km) sections of the Boteti River between Dikgathong and Samedupi. No full count was made at Lake Ngami but a visit to a short stretch (500m) of wooded shoreline showed how rich the birdlife was there. Martin Kays and Antony Mulligan covered the Jao and Kwetsani Flats and saw among other waterbirds, 12 Saddle-billed Storks, 9 Slaty Egrets and 13 Wattled Cranes. As usual a wide range of species (69) was seen within the Okavango system including 4 Whitebacked Night-Herons, 9 Wattled Cranes, 15 Slaty Egrets and 4 African Skimmers, the latter at Xigera Lagoon. Nonetheless only a tiny fraction of
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the delta was visited. At the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans, Steph Tyler & Felicity Burge surveyed the eastern shore of Lake Xau near Mopipi from the inflow to Kedia. There they found more than 3,000 waterbirds including 750-800 White Pelicans, 219 Greater Flamingos and 39 Lesser Flamingos. Other species of interest included 95 Black Herons, a Whitefronted Plover, a Common Ringed Plover, 11 Greyheaded Gulls and 21 Caspian Terns. The southwest corner of Rysana Pan had 840 Greater and 54 Lesser flamingos but unfortunately heavy rain prevented access around the whole pan. Four members of DWNP staff from Serowe were unable to
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WAT E R B I R D C O U N T S count at Mmeya Pan, Nata Sanctuary and Zibanana Pan because of floods preventing access. In eastern Botswana, DWNP staff did visit Shashe, Letsibogo, Ntimbale and Bonwakatlhako Dams and made partial counts. Numbers of birds at all the dams were remarkably low but a flock of 114 White Pelicans and 8 Pinkbacked Pelicans were seen at Letsibogo Dam and a Black Stork at Shashe Dam. Over 100 Lesser Flamingos were at Bonwakatlhako. Near the Limpopo on the border of Botswana a new large dam called Thune Dam which is 25 km long, was counted a few weeks after it first filled with water by Helena Fitchat and David Hancock. Not surprisingly numbers of birds were low but already there were 13 species of waterbird at the dam, including 12
CONTD.
African Spoonbills, 35 Abdim’s Storks and a Fish Eagle. In southeast Botswana there was excellent coverage of 13 dams, sewage ponds and pans. The highest count came not from Bokaa Dam, but from Thagale Dam 50 km north of Gaborone, where 3,000 White Storks and 1,200 Abdim’s Storks were seen. The count at Thagale Dam (4,875) even if the White Storks are subtracted, is the highest since records began there, the previous highest being in January 2012 when 1,481 waterbirds were noted. Counts at Bokaa Dam of Cattle Egrets, Egyptian Geese and Blacksmith Lapwings exceeded the previous highest totals of these species. Other highlights in the southeast included a Little Bittern and 12 Wattled Lapwings at Lobatse Sewage Ponds, 7 Lesser Moorhens at
Ramotswa Sewage Ponds, 90 Greater Flamingos at Ngotwane Dam and 100 at Bokaa Dam with 8 Lesser Flamingos, 2 Black Ducks at Nnywane Dam and 1 at Jwaneng Sewage Ponds, 15 Maccoa Duck at Jwaneng S.P. and 6 at Mosupa Dam, 54 Black-crowned Night Herons at Gamoleele Dam, 34 Yellow-billed Storks and 2 Fulvous Ducks and a flock of 250 Black-winged Pratincoles at Bokaa Dam. At Mokolodi Nature Reserve a count of birds roosting on an island in Gwithian Dam was made; 44 Darters, 63 Reed Cormorants, 5 Little Egrets, 1,061 Cattle Egrets and 62 Sacred Ibis were counted although numbers may have been more than twice those counted as the whole island was not visible and birds were still arriving as the observers left. Stephanie Tyler
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Waterbirds are already colonizing the new Thune Dam in eastern Botswana
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L O O K O U T F O R TA G G E D B I R D S
Report sightings of tagged birds to your nearest BirdLife Office
There have been frequent sightings in the past of vultures, storks, pelicans and other birds that have been marked by scientists studying these birds. These sightings have contributed to our understanding of the movements of these species, as well as providing data on survival rates and causes of mortality. Most of the marked
birds have come from neighbouring countries or further afield. Recently however, we have fitted a number of birds with patagial (wing) tags while capturing Lappetfaced Vultures to fit them with satellite tracking devices. These tags are illustrated in the photograph below — they are all yellow and have a black number
engraved on them. Please look out for these tagged birds, noting the species, date, locality and tag number. If you are able to photograph the bird, this would be very valuable. Please send all information to Pete Hancock (e-mail address at the back of this newsletter). Thank you!
A tagged White-backed Vulture W073 seen along the Boteti (Photo: L Hutchings)
W O R L D M I G R ATO RY B I R D D AY This year’s theme is “Networking for migratory birds”.
Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day on 11 and 12 May
We invite everyone to join us to celebrate, conserve and raise awareness of migratory birds on 11-12 May 2013 by holding bird-watching events, educational programmes, lectures, art exhibitions, competitions and other public events. More information is available through the World Migratory Bird Day website, which is in English, French and Spanish: www.worldmigratorybirdday.org/ Birds and People No. 37
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O K AVA N G O W H S L I S T I N G The Botswana team working on the World Heritage Site listing for the Okavango Delta has been hard at work. The procedure to be followed to get a site listed is quite onerous, and hinges firstly on the submission of a comprehensive dossier outlining why the site is of Outstanding Universal Value. This dossier must also unequivocally spell out the Botswana Government’s commitment to managing the site in perpetuity and meeting the WHS criteria. Happily, the dossier has been accepted by UNESCO, so this hurdle is now behind us! Another important feature of the listing process is widespread consultation with stakeholders, particularly communities associated with the site proposed for listing — it is quite
unacceptable during the evaluation process to find that people on the ground know nothing about the process or, worse still, are against it! To this end, all dikgosi (chiefs) have been consulted and kgotla meetings held in every village in and around the Delta, with general consensus that it is important to have the site formally recognized by the international community. High level diplomatic consultations have also been held with the other Okavango Basin states viz. Angola and Namibia. In addition, during March this year, an international workshop was held to provide representatives from both countries with details of the implications of the listing. The workshop was opened by
the Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, the Hon. Tshekedi Khama, who reiterated the Botswana Government’s commitment to the Okavango WHS listing. We were surprised to hear that the Namibians are now already considering listing their stretch of the Okavango River (we shouldn’t have been though, as they already have several World Heritage Sites, and are quite familiar with the process). The workshop was very successful, and we are now awaiting a visit from the Evaluation team from IUCN. As can be seen from the above, WHS listing is not a joy-ride; it requires commitment and perseverance, but if the prescribed steps are followed, they eventually lead to success!
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The listing of the Okavango Delta as a World Heritage Site is progressing slowly but steadily.
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Membership Form Membership is due in January of each year, as the subscription runs from January to December. Rates • Standard - P120.00 • Corporate - P2000 • Professional – Rangers, Guides and SSG members - P60.00 • Life - P2000 • • • •
Students studying in Botswana – P15 Schools/Clubs – P50 plus P5 per club member with a minimum of 10 members per club SADC Region – P350 Overseas (and outside SADC) – P450
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P H O TO O F T H E M O N T H
Is it possible to get a great photo of an ugly bird in filthy surroundings? We are quite happy to see scavenging birds cleaning up after lions and other predators, but are generally turned off when they help with our waste disposal! (Photo: Pete Hancock)
CONTACT ADDRESSES
Contact us
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Tel: 3190540 6865618 Fax: 3190540 Physical address: Unit C1 Old HOORC site Kgale Siding off Disaneng road Plot 1069 KO (the old TEBA complex near St Joseph’s College) Visit our website http://www.birdlifebotswana.org.bw/ BIRDLIFE BOTSWANA MISSION BirdLife Botswana aims to conserve birds and important bird habitats, by creating awareness, carrying out research and promoting beneficial relationships between birds and people.