Dear Nick,
Thanks for sharing this information with us. I think it is so
important to get this sort of thing as widely known as possible. There
are still so many people who are blissfully unaware of the
predicaments that all the birds that migrate through the middle-east
are in, and need a jolt of the horrible reality.

Only by getting these problems to diplomatic inconveniences do we have
a chance of getting some control on the massacres all around the Med.

I don't want to get to a state of acceptance that Neil is very near,
but by preaching to the converted, we are hopefully giving them the
motivation to play a more active part, than sitting back and letting
it all happen,

With the Egyptian and Lybian issues on bird harvesting last year, the
pressures exerted did, even in the civil state of those nations at the
time, get the Environmental Ministers from both countries to attend a
summit to address the situation. I do think that is progressive, and
it was down to the external pressures and adverse publicity directed
at them. We just have to keep eroding away so that the tide of public
condemnation eventually drowns them!

Best for now
Brian

PS I have just noticed that you have written to Neil after I had
written this, so I will read it but send this first,
Best for now


On 3/21/14, fanatic4falcons@yahoo.com <fanatic4falcons@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Dear Neil,
>
>  Thanks for your message.
>
>
>  There's no doubt that the challenge we're facing is immense but shouldn't
> that realisation merely harden, rather than weaken, the resolve within each
> and every conservationist?
>
>
>  I don't know anything about your social circle but I believe that every
> human being has an innate affinity for wildlife.  However, nowadays the
> majority haven't been given the opportunity to fully recognise this but,
> nonetheless, most people are potentially ripe to learn and thereby unlock
> these inner feelings.
>
>
>  Here are just three (of many) examples to challenge your assertion about
> only preaching to the converted:
>  a) Every birdwatcher that each of us knows has family and friends who are
> often not birders.  We frequently get the chance to interact with such
> people in a myriad of social settings;
>
>  b) Even those working professionally in conservation interact on a daily
> basis with a high percentage of people who are not converted.  Many
> colleagues, sales representatives, financial advisors, contractors,
> suppliers, security guards, cleaners, etc. etc. won't know the difference
> between a Blackbird and a Bataleur (and all these people have families and
> friends too).  That's not a criticism, it's a fact.
>  c) Modern social media offers huge opportunities to enlighten and influence
> thinking.  I'm a new recruit to Twitter but just one raptor conservation
> message that I tweeted last week was read by over 2,000 people, and I doubt
> that more than 10% of these were birders.  Some 'ordinary' people have
> upwards of 1 million Twitter followers (and each of those followers has
> followers too, and so on) so that surely provides significant potential to
> influence both thinking and behavoiur on an absolutely massive scale.
>
>
>  I totally agree with you that effective implementation of the EU Directive
> has been far too slow in several countries.  However, there has been many
> major successes.  Here are just two examples that I have witnessed first
> hand:
>  a) Despite suffering significant intimidation for more than a decade, which
> included the fire-bombing of her car, Anna Giordano and her team succeeded
> in completely silencing the guns on the Sicilian side of the Straits of
> Messina.  I was fortunate to be able to spend two weeks observing raptor
> migration in the field there and never heard a shot.  Previously, thousands
> of birds of prey were being gunned down annually.
>  b) Likewise, LPO (BirdLife France) have completely eradicated the massive
> Spring shooting of Turtle Doves at a fabulous migration bottleneck and
> watchpoint at La Pointe de Grave in Western France.  Tens of thousands of
> Doves were being killed every year. I witnessed this carnage first hand
> during my first visit to observe raptor migration.  But despite camping on
> site on two subsequent occasions during peak season, I saw or heard no
> shooting at all.
>
>
>  You're right that problems still exist but that doesn't mean that there
> isn't a large number of committed individuals who are determined to bring
> this illegal hunting to an end.  Please follow this link
> (http://www.birdlifemalta.org/view.aspx?id=443#.UyvDS_mSySp) and you'll see
> that the pressure is being ratcheted up against Malta.  The activity of a
> few thousand individuals is indefensible and I'm personally optimistic that
> we will see the guns silenced there too in the coming years.
>
>
>
>  History shows that battles can be won even against apparently unassailable
> odds.  I totally agree that every migrant bird shot down simply for fun is
> indeed depressing.  But we must surely never, ever, give up hope.
>
>
>  Best regards,
>
>
>  Nick
>
>
>  _____________________________________
>
> ---In kenyabirdsnet@yahoogroups.com, <tzbirdatlas@...> wrote :
>
>
>
>  but Nick
>
>
>  we are always preaching to the converted
>
>
>  what is the birdlife reach in Europe 0.000001%  and the reach of CMS even
> less.
>
>
>  35 years of the EU directive and Europe allows / condones / whatever ....
> the continued massacre of millions of birds in France, Italy, Cyprus, Malta
> ..............
>
>
>  so what hope for Africa ..............
>
>
>  None really
>
>
>  depressing .. very
>
>
>
>  Neil
>
>
>  On Wednesday, 19 March 2014, 19:00, "fanatic4falcons@..."
> <fanatic4falcons@...> wrote:
>
>    Dear Brian,
>
>  A depressing and distressing video in equal measure, but thanks for sharing
> it.
>
>
>  In many countries where White Storks breed they are welcomed by farmers and
> villagers alike.  Local communities often consider it as a sign of good luck
> for Storks to breed close-by, and takes steps to protect them,  Some even
> erect nesting platforms to attract them.
>
>
>  It is regrettable that a relatively small number of mis-guided people in
> certain countries, particularly along flyways in the Mediterranean region
> (but elsewhere too) choose to act is such a selfish and irresponsible
> manner.  This most sickening thing is that there is absolutely no
> justification for such destructive shooting.  In many cases, it is carried
> out solely for so-called 'fun'.
>
>
>  Those involved with avian species within CMS (www.cms.int) are deeply
> concerned about the threat to migratory birds from illegal shooting and
> trapping.  It is an issue that will be raised at the forthcoming 11th
> Conference of Parties to CMS later in the year.  120 countries have now
> ratified CMS and we will be seeking their governments to do more to address
> this serious problem.
>
>
>  The EC Birds Directive has been in place for almost 35 years, yet there
> remains a significant problem in certain countries within the European
> Union.  This demonstrates the scale of the challenge.  However, such
> knowledge must simply harden our resolve to do more to develop and
> facilitate alliances between governments, NGOs and other stakeholders to
> address the problem.  We must also actively engage with responsible hunting
> organisations and encourage them to assert peer pressure and to promote the
> introduction of basic ethical standards everywhere.
>
>
>  In a world of increasingly urbanised human populations, we must seize every
> opportunity to enlighten people about the eco-system benefits and the
> intrinsic value of birds and other species.  Every voice counts and has the
> capacity to positively influence others.
>
>
>  Like Brian, let's all keep speaking up for wildlife - we really can't live
> without it.
>
>
>  Best regards,
>
>
>  NPW
>
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