BirdLife: The Magazine April-June 2019 | Page 3

EDITORIAL P.12 HOW DID THE STORK HELP US UNLOCK THE SECRETS OF MIGRATION? UP, UP AND AWAY We have lift-off! After months of tireless planning and consultation with BirdLife Partners the length and breadth the African-Eurasian Flyway, our “Flight For Survival” campaign took flight this spring. Created by the BirdLife Europe & Central Asia team to raise awareness of the shocking size and scale of the illegal killing of birds across this flyway, “Flight For Survival” achieves this through storytelling. Over the last few months, we’ve invited the public to follow via social media the spectacular journeys of seven iconic species as they risk life and wing to arrive at their breeding grounds. In doing so, the campaign shines a light on some of the region’s blackspots; areas where geography conspires to create a migratory bottleneck which irresponsible hunters and poachers can and do exploit with devastating consequences. But it also highlights the positive action taken by BirdLife Partners since we first lifted the lid on the issue back in 2015 [page 12], both in improving capacity on the ground to ensure better enforcement of laws, and, just as importantly, in the classroom, where we work to connect the next generation with nature for lasting changes in attitudes and behaviour. Our 18-page deep dive into the campaign begins on page 18. Enjoy the issue, Alex Dale, Editor CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE RORY CRAWFORD Rory is part of BirdLife’s Marine Programme, overseeing and supporting grassroots seabird bycatch mitigation work in southern Africa, South America, the North Atlantic and beyond. On page 38 Rory examines why seafood carrying a well-known ecolabel may not be as sustainable as you’d think… APR-JUN 2019 • BIRDLIFE AWATEF ABIADH As Programme Officer for North Africa for our CEPF-funded work in the Mediterranean, Awatef has overcome many challenges – not least, cultural attitudes in the region, where women are not expected to lead. On page 42, other female pioneers share their experiences with her, and us. JAMES CASEY James is the Fraser River Delta IBA program manager for Bird Studies Canada (BirdLife Partner). The Fraser River Delta is where the glacial waters of the Rockies flow into the Pacific Ocean, and page 54, James explains the estuary’s global importance to migratory shorebirds. 3