The BirdLife Partnership presents THE KILLING 2.0 — the second installment in their ongoing series of scientific reviews led by BirdLife exposing the scale and scope of the illegal killing of birds across critical regions. The first installment, published in August 2015, shocked many by revealing the brutal extent of the bird crime taking place in the Mediterranean. To those results, we now also add the results compiled from Northern Europe, Central Europe and the Caucasus.
Lack of monitoring and data
The illegal killing and taking of wild birds remains a major threat on a global scale. However, there are few quantitative data on the species and countries involved. In order to build a more complete understanding of the issue in the whole African-Eurasian flyway, the group extended the geographic scope of the previous review of the illegal killing and taking of birds in the Mediterranean to Northern and Central Europe and the Caucasus. The quantified the approximate scale and scope of this issue using a diverse range of data sources and incorporating expert knowledge. It is estimated that 0.4 – 2.1 million individual birds per year may be killed or taken illegally in this region.
The study also highlights the paucity of data on illegal killing and taking of birds in the region. It is therefore a priority to implement systematic monitoring of illegal killing and taking of birds and to collate robust data, allowing stakeholders to set priorities, track trends and monitor the effectiveness
of responses. Markedly increased effort is required to ensure that existing legislation is adequately
implemented and complied with/enforced on the ground.
IMPEL’s work on combating illegal birds killing
Under the umbrella of IMPEL, a long term project on contributing to the elimination of illegal killing of birds is being carried out. The IMPEL team is closely working together with all stakeholders involved in combating these illegal activities. IMPEL also established a dedicated website and communication system (IMPEL-ESIX) to share and exchange information on this matter and to protect birds covered by the EU Birds Directive.
Further information
- Download report
- BirdLife campaign site
- Best practice guide for monitoring illegal killing and taking of birds
- Project report: Assessing the scope and scale of illegal killing and taking of birds in the Mediterranean, and establishing a basis for systematic monitoring
