In recent months, the indiscriminate
and unsustainable killing of migrant birds in North Africa has become an issue
of public concern in a growing number of countries. There has been widespread hunting and
trapping of migratory birds in Egypt and also Libya, especially through the use
of mist nets along large stretches of the Mediterranean coast. In response, the
BirdLife Partnership, Government Agencies, the Convention on Migratory Species
and the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds
have rapidly moved to address the situation.
“Bird trapping in these countries is
an ancient tradition. The main target species, Common Quail, is a local
delicacy”, said Marcus Kohler, BirdLife’s Senior Programme Manager for Flyways.
“It’s a legitimate way for local
people to supplement their diet. However, the indiscriminate nature and scale
of the trapping has now reached worrying proportions and is having an impact
upon other species.”
It’s not only Quail that are caught;
many other species, such as European Turtle-dove and Red-backed Shrike, are
also trapped as ‘bycatch’ in significant numbers. The increasing use and
magnitude of mist net trapping is a new and worrying development.
Current estimates are that millions of
birds are caught each autumn as they leave Europe and Asia for their wintering
grounds in sub-Saharan Africa.
