Workshop to Strengthen Waterbird Monitoring in North Africa Held in Tunis

Final Workshop of First Phase of IWC Support Programme in the Mediterranean Basin (DIOE-MED) – Focus on North Africa

Guest article by Tour du Valat

Tunis, Tunsia, 21-25 November 2014 - A programme in support of the International Waterbird Census (IWC) has been initiated in the Mediterranean region by Tour du Valat, the Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage (ONCFS - national office of hunting and wildlife) and Wetlands International with the backing of the French Environment Ministry (MEDDE) and the MAVA Foundation. Following consultations with North African AEWA Parties in El Kala in June 2013, the Mediterranean IWC programme aims to improve the amount and quality of data on waterbird populations available for North Africa (priority objective 3.1.1 of the AEWA Plan of Action for Africa) by creating synergies between existing national and international programmes, developing tools for the exchange of information between local, national and international organizations, reinforcing national networks of observers and by completing inventories of wetlands of national and international importance.

The Association Les Amis des Oiseaux (the BirdLife Partner in Tunisia), the Research Group for the Protection of Birds in Morocco, the Directorate-General of Forests in Algeria, the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, the Tour du Valat and ONCFS met in Tunis at the end of November 2014 to analyse the results of recent IWC-related counts and to consider the follow-up to this programme, the first phase of which was coming to an end.

The workshop carried out an unprecedented regional analysis, of national IWC-related counts in five North African countries. In addition to providing a better understanding of factors affecting the geographical distribution of waterbird populations in North Africa, this regional analysis should eventually form the basis for the further assessment of populations of Marbled Teals (Marmaronetta angustirostris), White-headed Ducks (Oxyura leucocephala) and White-eyed Pochards (Aythya nyroca); the numbers recently counted for their populations in this region are higher than population estimates published for the entire flyway.

Overall, the number of sites monitored and birds counted for Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria rose between 2013 and 2014. Owing to security problems, few sites in Libya were covered; however, the motivation and investment of the Libyan partners, who are trying to continue the programme despite very difficult conditions, are commendable. It is worth noting that Libyan partners were initially expected to attend, but the border between Tunisia and Libya was closed at the last minute due to national elections in Tunisia.

A field visit to Ichkeul revealed the tremendous importance of this national park as a wintering site for Anatidae and Palaearctic coots and of Tunisia's significant investments in the management of this national park.

For the next phase of the programme, analyses of historical data are being considered to be able to estimate population trends, more particularly for a few emblematic species or species having an unfavourable conservation status.

With up to as many as 2 million individuals wintering there, North Africa is moreover an essential staging area for migratory waterbirds in transit before they cross the Sahara or the Mediterranean. International cooperation regarding this shared wealth as advocated by AEWA is more than ever requested by the partners on both sides of the Mediterranean.

Hichem Azafzaf & Claudia Feltrup-Azafzaf - Association Les Amis des Oiseaux
Sophie Véran & Clémence Deschamps – Tour du Valat
Jean-Yves Mondain-Monval & Pierre Defos du Rau – ONCFS
DIOE-MED Programme
UST, AEWA African Initiative
UST Facebook page

Last updated on 06 January 2015

Country: 
Tunisia
Region: 
Africa
Species: 
Aythya nyroca
Marmaronetta angustirostris
Oxyura leucocephala
Species group: 
Birds