NBI situation in Siria

Read it at http://www.ibtimes.com/

A rare bird in Syria is at risk of extinction after Palmyra, one of the country’s most ancient cities, was captured by the Islamic State group earlier this month, BBC reported, citing experts. The bird, called the northern bald ibis, was declared extinct in Syria over 70 years ago until seven of them were found near the city of Palmyra in 2002.

Despite being protected, the bird's numbers in Syria declined to four, and three of them were abandoned last week when their guards fled Palmyra after ISIS seized the city, BBC reported. Officials have offered a reward of $1,000 for information about the whereabouts of a fourth bird, called Zenobia, as it is the only bird that knows the species' migration route to Ethiopia.“Culture and nature they go hand in hand, and war stops, but nobody can bring back a species from extinction,” Asaad Serhal, head of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon, told BBC, adding that finding Zenobia is critical because without this bird, other captive birds cannot be released, raising threats of the species’ extinction in Syria.

The northern bald ibis is large, glossy and black, measuring about 30 inches in length, with a wingspan of about 53 inches. According to satellite tagging of 13 Syrian birds in 2006, three adults in the group and a fourth untagged one wintered together from February to July in the highlands of Ethiopia.

ISIS seized Palmyra, which is considered by UNESCO to be “one of the most important cultural centers of the ancient world,” on Wednesday, after days of fighting Syrian army forces. According to U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), ISIS now holds over half of Syrian territory after its seizure of Palmyra. The future of the centuries' old ruins in Palmyra is also at stake as the Sunni extremist group has been known to destroy local cultural artifacts that do not conform to its hardline views of Islam.

“There are no forces to stop them [entering the ruins]… But the important thing also is they now control 50% of Syria,” Rami Abdul Rahman, director of SOHR, said, according to the Guardian.

Last week, ISIS also reportedly beheaded at least four people in Palmyra, with some reports saying that the executed men were fighters with the Syrian regime, while other activists in Palmyra said the men were from a Sunni tribe called the Shaitat. Palmyra’s capture came just days after ISIS took the major Iraqi city of Ramadi, handing the Iraqi government its biggest defeat since last summer.

On Monday, however, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told BBC that Ramadi would be taken back from ISIS “in days” if Iraq received more support from international coalition partners. Al-Abadi’s remarks came after U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Sunday that Iraqi military lacked the will to fight ISIS militants.

“[Carter] was very supportive of Iraq and I am sure he was fed with the wrong information,” BBC quoted al-Abadi as saying. “[Iraqi forces] have the will to fight but when they are faced with an onslaught by [ISIS] from nowhere... with armored trucks packed with explosives, the effect of them is like a small nuclear bomb - it gives a very bad effect on our forces.”

Last Northern Bald Ibis in Syria?

The events in Syria fill us with great sadness and grief. In spite of the crisis, the local team has continued to monitor the ibis, and has reported the sad news that only one of the Northern Bald Ibis has returned to the breeding site at Palmyra this spring. Unfortunately, there are no signs of any more birds so far returning from their migration to Ethiopia. The returning female Zenobia was last year paired to Odeinat, the last male, which was fitted with a small satellite tag that stopped transmitting in southern Saudi Arabia in July 2012. It has not been possible to search for Odeinat, as the last signals did not give an accurate location. Subsequently, a total of four birds was seen briefly in January this year by Yilma Abebe and Tariku Dagne (a visit supported by the Ethiopian Natural History Society and the Culture and Tourism Office of Ethiopia, with funds from RSPB) at the usual Ethiopian highland wintering site, but it now seems clear that only one of these birds has returned to the breeding area.

Last Syrian ibis among bedouin khaimahs 
(Photo M.S. Abdallah)

This looks ominously like it may be the end for the relict eastern population of the species, having been rediscovered in 2002 when there were 3 breeding pairs. Despite huge efforts the colony dwindled to just one pair in the past two years and now it seems to just the one bird. This comes at a time when coordinated efforts are strengthening and indeed after the establishment of the new International Working Group was held in Jazan, Saudi Arabia in November 2012.

Among the hopes for maintaining the eastern population are further releases from the former colony site at Birecik in SE Turkey where a semi-wild population persists.


Historical note:
Zenobia was the last empress of Palmyra, Odeinat's widow, who, after expanding his kingdom to Egypt and Anatolia, was defeated and captured by Aurelian in 272.

Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation renews its engagement to NBI conservation

Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, which is the species champion for Northern Bald Ibis, has renewed its conmitment towards the conservation of one of the most endangered birds in the world.

PA2MF has been funding mainly the wardens' expenditures (salaries and equipment), as well as other functioning costs. This is essential to the monitoring and surveillance in the colonies, and allow us to know about their behaviour, how they use their range or what are their breeding performances.

With this contribution, PA2MF is one of the most important partners for the conservation of this critically endangered species both the Moroccan and the eastern population.

1st meeting of the AEWA NBI International Working Group

The first meeting of the AEWA Northern Bald Ibis International Working Group will take place at the Jazan University in Jazan, Saudi Arabia on Monday the 19th to Thursday the 22nd of November 2012 at the kind invitation of the Saudi Wildlife Authority and Jazan University.

After convening the Working Group in 2011 as foreseen in the AEWA International Single Species Action Plan for the Conservation of the Northern Bald Ibis, a first face to face meeting with the appointed representatives from all the seven range states as well as other international experts will take place.

Following the Terms of Reference for the Working Group, the meeting will focus on setting up and agreeing on Working Group functions (electing a Chair country, confirming observers to the Working Group and discussing budgetary issues) and identifying international priority measures for the Northern Bald Ibis on the basis of the AEWA International Single Species Action Plan.

Since its adoption in 2005 the plan has become largely outdated and this meeting presents an excellent opportunity to launch its revision process.

Different conservation actions resulting from the identified priority measures will also be discussed.

US Fish and Wildlife Service supports NBI

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded Northern Bald Ibis conservation project with US$24,821 through its Wildlife Without Borders programme.

This is one of only twelve selected for funding, out of one hundred proposals received.

Those funds will be used to improve knowledge about movements of NBI as well as for improving breeding habitat and roosts, as well as trying to attrack birds to deserted colonies.

Another recent contribution from the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund will also help to improve knowledge about the movements of the species.

NBI among the 100 most endangered species in the World

IUCN and the Zoological Society of London  have just published a book, Priceless or Worthless?, including the 100 most threatened species, both flora and fauna.

Northern Bald Ibis is among the ten birds included in this book.

In addition to that, other sections in the book include recent extinctions as well as speies that, thanks to conservation efforts, have improved their conservation status.   This book can be read or downloaded  on-line.

You can pull Northern Bald Ibis back from the brink contributing to NBI conservation project.

The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund supports NBI conservation in Morocco

The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund has granted SEO/BirdLife with US$5,000 in order to mark some NBI with GPS tags.

The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund is a significant philanthropic endowment established to do the following:

1- Provide targeted grants to individual species conservation initiatives
2- Recognize leaders in the field of species conservation; and
3- Elevate the importance of species in the broader conservation debate 

NBI video

A video on the work that is been done by the Souss Massa National Park authorities with the support of BirdLife.

Björn Welander and Neil Owen coproduced the film and both together with Danielle Calenti present and narrate the story. There's a website where they tell quite a lot on NBI and on their project and also have more links to some video fragments.

NBI data on 2011 breeding season

En español

Breeding activity of the NBI during 2011 in the Souss-Massa-Tamri area was very good,  following on from similar results in 2010. Breeding success (1.3 fledgling/nest) was the same as during the previous year.
The survival of chicks in the Souss-Massa National Park was 82%, which is much higher than in the unprotected area of Tamri, where it's only 43%. This may be due to differences in the quality of the feeding sites and perhaps also to disturbance in Tamri, although the final ratio of fledglings/nest is similar (1.4 in SMNP; 1.2 in Tamri).

Evolution of breeding pairs numbers in Souss-Massa-Tamri area

The breeding population remains stable and no new sites have been colonised. Nevertheless, the potential for expansion is very important. 

Group of adults and youngsters, July 2011

The total number of ibis, before and after the breeding season, based on regular counts, are shown in the graph below.

Evolution of pre and postnuptial numbers

The 2011 breeding repport  shows that 110 pairs were formed from the 251 individuals counted before breeding. Taking into account the 138 fledglings, we can see that a large number of additional birds were counted after the breeding season. This suggests that there are many more birds spread throughout the region,  which is where satellite tagging can play an important role, by helping to identify previously unknown sites that could be important for the conservation of northern bald ibis .

The breeding repport is available in French.

Genetics

As far as we know, just two studies have been made on Northern Bald Ibis genetics. They approache two different levels: 

- the differences between eastern and western populations

- the differences between an extinct and an extant populations in Morocco.

The first of them (Pegoraro et al., 2001) examined two segments of the mitochondrial genome of Moroccan and Turkish Bald Ibises. One point mutation was consistently discovered in a 307 bp (base pairs) portion of the cytochrome b gene (widely used in phylogenetics and population genetics) . This mutation was population specific, that is, it shows differences of an isolation of both populations. This finding has big consequences for the conservation of the highly endangered species and reinforces the idea that in captive breeding and releasing programmes, only birds of known origin should be used. Some physical differences had been previously detected.

The other work analysed 882bp of mitochondrial DNA control region sequence from 30 individuals, 19 wild birds from recent mortalities (1996 onwards) in the Souss-Massa area and eleven founders from Rabat Zoo. Those last birds were caught from the Middle Atlas Mountains in 1976-77.

The sequencing revealed 15 closely related haplotypes (groups of DNA that is transmitted together), nine from Souss-Massa and eight from Rabat with only two haplotypes shared at low frequency between these two populations.  Preliminary analyses indicate that these two populations are significantly different on haplotype frequencies.  That is, the Souss colony and the now extinct Middle Atlas colonies were demographically isolated exchanging few individuals. 

Those preliminary results were very interesting.

The Middle Atlas colonies have either gone extinct in situ or emigrated to the Souss-Massa colony.  The genetic data is inconsistent with a mass influx of birds into this last population because, if this were the case, the two colonies should share more haplotypes. 

Most of the captive population of northern bald ibis around the world originates from collections made from the Middle Atlas colonies. That means that the genetic resources of this extinct population are well represented in captivity, but Souss-Massa population probably is not.

It is very important to develop deeper and wider studies including captive populations of known origin and also skins and other biological material in scientific collections. This will allow to improve our knowledge of the relationship among the extinct and the extant populations.

Broderick, D. & Korrida, A. 2001. Latest genetic evidence for historical population structuring among colonies of Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) in Morocco. In Bowden, C. I.A.G.N.B.I. Newsletter 1.

Pegoraro, K. ; Föger, M. & Parson, W. 2001. First evidence of mtDNA sequence differences between Northern Bald Ibises (Geronticus eremita) of Moroccan and Turkish origin. Journal of Ornithology, 142 (4): 425–28.

BirdLife International Species Champions

from http://www.birdlife.org/extinction/champions.html

Taking a stand and making a difference...

BirdLife Species Champions are a growing community of companies, institutions and individuals that support the conservation which prevents bird extinctions.

As well as providing the funding that brings threatened birds back from the brink of extinction, Species Champions also draw attention to the plight of the species they support and all the other threatened species the BirdLife Preventing Extinctions Programme embraces.

Saving threatened birds from extinction is neither simple nor straightforward. It is often expensive and always takes time. BirdLife Species Champions recognise this and are taking a stand now in the knowledge they are providing a last hope for the world’s most threatened birds.

100% of your money is used where it matters most...

When you or your organisation becomes a Species Champion you can be assured your support is quickly channelled where it is needed most. 100% of every contribution goes to help prevent extinctions.

In addition to funding BirdLife Species Guardians who carry out conservation on the ground, a small proportion of every contribution also helps protect the ‘orphaned’ species for which no champion has yet stepped forward. In this way we are putting conservation in place where it doesn’t exist today - before it is too late.

For many Critically Endangered birds time is running out...

Recruiting new BirdLife Species Champions is imperative. The average annual cost of turning around the fortunes of a Critically Endangered Species is over £20,000. It also requires sustained investment which is why we are asking all our Species Champions to make a three year commitment.

It is possible to support the BirdLife Preventing Extinctions Programme at several different levels. Major donors can become a Species Champion for a Critically Endangered bird, or support the entire Birdlife Preventing Extinctions Programme. It is also possible to become a BirdLife Species Champion, supporting the programme, at lower funding levels.

It’s a cliché, but every little does help...

Any contribution, whatever size, makes a difference. Together, the many smaller donations we have already received are collectively funding species recovery already.

Join with us now so that together we can turn the tide on bird extinctions and give otherwise condemned species like Siberian Crane, Bengal Florican and Spoon-billed Sandpiper, a last chance to avoid becoming just a distant memory for ourselves and unimaginable for our children. 

To find out how to become a Birdlife Species Champion or Preventing Extinctions Programme Supporter please contact us today:

Email: species.champions@birdlife.org

Telephone:             +44 1223 277 318      

Or write to us at BirdLife Species Champions, BirdLife International,Welbrook Court, Girton Road Cambridge, CB3 ONA, United Kingdom.

Species Champion for NBI is HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco

Last data on the Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) in Algeria

Version française

A contribution by Amina FELLOUS 

Agence Nationale pour la Conservation de la Nature

The National Agency for Nature Conservation (ANN) works to study and monitor threatened species of fauna and one of our latest projects is investigating the last breeding site of the NBI in Algeria.

Current data on the NBI in Algeria:

Morocco and Algeria have been recognised over the last few decades as being important sites for the NBI but there was very little data on the current status of this species in Algeria.

The NBI is classified as a critically endangered species. At the international level, the main threats are:

 - Direct persecution

 - The use of pesticides (antilocust campaigns in Morocco and DDT in Turkey)

- Disturbance and loss of foraging areas due to human activities

- Disturbance of breeding sites

Algeria

In Algeria, most of the data on the historic distribution of birds or colonies date back to the 1950's, when a dozen NBI colonies were known to exist in semi-arid zones of the country. Another colony was discovered by ornithologists in 1974, in the north-west  of the country, in the El Bayadh region, which persisted until the 1990's. 

Recent distribution of Northern Bald Ibis in Algeria

Our research started in 2000 and focused on this site, aiming to establish the main causes of the NBI decline in the region. Our investigations involved local people, to get as much information as possible on this bird and also to get their perspective on the rehabilitation of the NBI in the area.

Data from the questionnaire: 
We designed 20 different questions to ask the older members of the main tribes living near the nesting site in the El Bayadh region. The tribes were Ouled Aissa, Zwa and Ould Moumen. These questionnaires were carried out by technical staff from the UCD (Conservation and Development Unit) in El Bayadh.

The questions related to:

- Past and/or recent distribution of the species

- Data on species biology (e.g. arrival/departure periods, the use of foraging areas)

- Main causes of declining numbers (hunting, predation, drought etc)

First results

The most interesting result from the questionnaires have revealed that in Autumn 2004, two NBI were seen flying at Thiet Ould Moumen, two km north of the last known breeding site for this species.

Habitat around the last nesting site

The symbolism of the species

The older people who were interviewed referred to the NBI as Aicha El Garaa, which translates as Aicha the Bald. Their responses to the questions confirmed the symbolic value of this bird and its' relation to religious beliefs on the region, as the birds choiced nesting sites facing Mecca. 
As the species disappeared during the 1990s, when political events disrupted the country, the presence of the NBI was seen by the local people as a symbol of peace, serenity and richness. 

Species Biology
- NBI generally arrived in the area towards the end of Winter (February and beginning of March) and departed around the end of the summer. 
- Juveniles arrived and left with the adults
- The birds arrived and left in large groups
- Foraging areas were always located close to the breeding site or close to water
- No data on the reproductive biology of the NBI were obtained from the questionnaires (start of nesting period, number of eggs etc)

Estimation of Numbers: 
- The colonies were composed of 300-400 birds and the initial signs of population declines were noted in the 1950's
- The last birds (12-18 individuals) were observed up until the end of the 1980's

Northern bald ibis ar El Bayadh, spring 1985 (photo  Koen De Smet)

Causes of the Declines:
- Direct hunting of the birds by French soldiers during the French occupation (El Bayadh city was a garrison town)
- Persistant periods of drought during the 1970's and 1980's 
- Divine causes were also mentioned by the local people

Other causes which were suggested to the local people but which they didn't agree with:
- Natural predation at nesting sites by raptors or corvids
- Disease
- Disturbance due to the cliff being used as a hermitage site 
- Loss of foraging areas due to overgrazing
- The use of supposed pesticides in the region
- The impact of new agricultural activities close to the breeding site

Last nesting site

The last question asked the opinion of the local people on reintroducing the NBI to the region: all the answers were very positive and some people put themselves forward as protectors of Aicha the Bald, a role which their ancestors had taken on in the past. 

Conservation and rehabilitation of the NBI in Algeria

NBI is a protected bird in Algeria, although  there is no current national action plan for its protection. Nevertheless, with  the recent data we are opbtimistic and looking forward the "the return" of the NBI.

This bird can be used as a symbol of peace and prosperity for the region and the country as a whole.

We have several ideas to focus further on this important, threatened bird in Algeria, by:
- Attracting local ornithologists and encouraging them to consider the NBI as a research priority.

- Establishing a national action plan for the rehabilitation of the species through an objective and scientific evaluation of the current status of the NBI in Algeria

- Researching further information and investigating other possible nesting sites

- Collaborating with laboratories, specialised institutions, local government, local and national NGO's - IUCN, Birdlife, IAGNBI etc

(More information in French)

_____________________________________________

Note:  Between December 2004 and March 2005 there were reports of some untagged NBI in  Avila and Cáceres provinces, Spain, and the origin of the birds has been under discussion. 

Two bald ibis fitted with satellite tags

After being fitted with individual transmitters, two bald ibis can now be tracked by satellite. This project was made possible by a collaboration between the High Commission for Water and Forests and the Fight Against Desertification and SEO/Birdlife, along with the participation of other organisations. An adult will carry a transmitter donated by Dublin Zoo and a young fledging will carry one donated by the RSPB. Both will be automatically recharged using sunlight, which will enhance their lifespan. This activity is considered a priority in the Species Action Plan, both nationally and internationally and all the required permits have been obtained.

Group of northern bald ibis in a foraging area

One expert from the wildlife management unit, from the General Directorate of the Natural Environment and Forest Policy of the Spanish Ministry of Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs, travelled to Agadir to support us in this project. The birds were caught with special traps, which had been designed for this particular species and habitat, to prevent any harm to the birds. The team was compossed by staff from Morocco Country Program of BirdLife and from the Souss Massa National Park. The knowledge and experience of the local wardens was particularly invaluable in determining the best location for catching the birds.

On July 19^th, the first bird was captured in an area north of Agadir. This adult was thought to be a female and was released without any problems, carrying a 30g GPS tag. At dusk, Mahdi Boujmaa, one of the guards, confirmed that the bird had gone to roost and was in perfect condition. The next day we tried (unsuccessfully) to catch in an area further north but the ibis had moved further south to feed. On day 21 we tried again in the first area but the ibis seemed suspicious and we spent most of the day trying to catch them. We also saw the bird which had been fitted with a tag a couple of days earlier. It can be seen in the picture below – it was feeding normally and the tag didn’t appear to be causing any discomfort. 

Aylal, hunting (PhotoVíctor García Matarranz)

You can see the transmitter and antenna in the photo, on the leg and resting on the ground, and the PVC ring for remote reading. 

Have you seen how they catch their prey? Look in the picture below how it grabs the scorpion by the sting. Undoubtedly this is a skill learned when they’re young, demonstrating the importance of learning in these birds. And to think that we’d been sitting on that ground all day!

(PhotoVíctor García Matarranz)

Finally we managed to catch another ibis. This one was a young one, which fitted perfectly with our plan. The adult, equipped with the GPS transmitter will allow us to monitor feeding and resting areas within the National Park, while the young bird, which will probably travel over much greater distances, was fitted with a tag which will provide less detailed information, but will still be sufficient to enhance our knowledge of juvenile dispersal patterns. 

In this photo, you can see our conservation officer, Adel Abouajaja, releasing Nader (PhotoVíctor García Matarranz)

The adult was named Aylal, which means bird in Amazigh, and the juvenile was named Nader, which means rare in Arabic, and both perfectly describes the status of this species. While we were handling the juvenile ibis, the rest of the group, about 20 birds, waited nearby. When Nader was released, the whole group flew off and circled around, waiting for the juvenile to join them. We couldn’t help but feel a deep emotion, seeing the social character of this species and the care given to their young.

Two days later, Boujmaa called us to say that Aylal had been seen feeding Nader, so it is the parent, probably the mother – what a coincidence! And this may allow us to learn about the family life of this species as well.

Soon we will be able to provide more information on Aylal and Nader, as the data from the satellite tags becomes available.

Mohammed EL Bekkay (Director of PNSM), Victor Matarranz (expert on wildlife from MMARM), Adel Bouajaja (conservation officer) with Aylal , Widad Oubrou (biologist, responsible for monitoring and research at SMNP) and Imad Cherkaoui (responsible for BirdLife International Morocco Country Programme)

The funds raised through donations helps to enhance activities such as this, both by funding the daily work of the wardens, and to fund similar tagging projects in the future. Help us to preserve Northern Bald Ibis. 

Water supply

En español

Although NBI are get probably most or the water they need from their food, they obviously need to drink and can usually be seen on the natural sources of water, like in Wed Tamri mouths.

Water point for NBI, detail and general view

 with seven ibises drinking 

In particular, chicks seem to need some water while in the nest. Between 1998 and 2002, the Souss-Massa National Park and BirdLife team monitored the use of some artificial water points close to the colonies and the subsequent impact on reproductive success. 

It was showed experimentally that the small-scale provision of fresh water near the breeding colonies led to an increase in the survival of chicks. 

The increase in productivity was highest in years with low natural rainfall but was positive throughout the wohle period. The supplementary fresh water appears to help buffer productivity against the impacts of low rainfall. 

Since 2003, water provision is a part of the ongoing conservation measures for this species.

Smith, K. W., Aghnaj, A., El Bekkay, M., Oubrou, W., Ribi, M., Jimenez-Armesto, M. and Bowden, C. G. R. (2008) The provision of supplementary fresh water improves the breeding success of the globally threatened Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita. Ibis, 150: 728-734.

2010 breeding season

Breeding monitoring is ensured by the guards from the Bald Ibis Conservation Project and supervised by Souss-Massa National Park staff. This allows you to record all the parameters related to reproduction, as the number of couples, the number of chicks hatched and the number of chicks that flew. In 2010, the NBI started nesting in the second week of February and finished in early June. Throughout the region 118 pairs were formed, of which 69 were in the national park and 49 in the Tamri colony.

However, only 105 came to lay eggs, of which 57 were in the park and 48 Tamri. This is probably explained by the inexperience of some young couples and sometimes by the lack of space in certain colonies.
A total of 138 chickens left the nest, that is,  10 chicks more than in 2009. 80 arrieved to this age in SMNP and 58 inTamri; the productivity en Massa is 1.4 chicks /pair in Massa and 1.2 in Tamri. The average of 1.3 chicks / pair have left the nest in 2010 represents an improvement over 2009 when reproductive success was only of 1.1chicks / pair.

The monitoring of reproduction has allowed to register an increase in the number ofbreeding pairs.

At the beginning of the conservation NBI conservation project, in 1994, the number of breeding pairs was 65. It grew significantly until 77 in 1996. That year, the unexplained mortality of 38 adults caused a reduction in the number of pairs to 59. The population didn't recover from that loss was until 2000, which again reached the initial number of pairs. Since 2007, this number exceeds one hundred.
The graph also shows that the number of chicks flown also follows a positive trend and the season of 2010 broke the record of 138 fledgings. There is some interannual fluctuations, probably dependent on environmental conditions. However, it is clear that actions undertaken within the project have encouraged this trend.Surveillance of colonies prevents discomfort and the establishent of some habitat management measures such as cleaning and widening of nesting platforms or supplying fresh water near the colonies helps improve nesting and survival.

May 15th 2010 ten fledgings

The NBI population in the region of Souss-Massa has grown in recent years also in the total number of individuals that, at present, is around 490 birds. These increases have been boosted, no doubt, by monitoring and conservation measures particularly during the critical period of reproduction.


In 2011 the season seems to have been also productive.