ASIA
The number of species on
the priority list of the Asian
Songbirds in Trade Specialist Group has
risen from 28 to 44. The additions, made at
the Asian Songbird Crisis meeting this year,
include the Javan Leafbird (below). Burung
Indonesia is collaborating on projects to
evaluate the last songbird strongholds in
Java’s mountains, and better understand the
perceptions of the island’s 3,000+ songbird
owners.
RSCN (BirdLife in Jordan)
recently participated in a
workshop against the illegal trade of birds of
prey, held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Working alongside organisations such as the
International Fund for Houbara Conservation,
Ornithological Society of the Middle East,
and the Convention on the Conservation of
Migratory Species of Wild Animals, together
they formulated a declaration focusing on
collaboration and education.
BirdLife Australia
has successfully
translocated the Mallee Emu-wren
back to its former habitat in South
Australia after bushfires rendered it
locally extinct. After ‘fire-proofing’
the area by controlled burning, eighty
birds were moved from Murray-
Sunset National Park by a team of
translocation experts, who conveyed
these tiny birds in breeding pairs, in
boxes custom-built by volunteers.
NEW MONKEY SPECIES
DISCOVERED IN
RAPIDLY-DEFORESTED
AREA OF AMAZON
The discovery of a new
species should be a
source of fascination and
excitement: but when
researchers found a new
species of marmoset in
southwest Pará, Brazil,
they knew they already
needed to be concerned
about its survival. The
marmoset, named Mico
munduruku in honour
of the Munduruku
indigenous people who
live in the area, was
discovered by a team led
by Rodrigo Costa Araújo
of the National Institute
of Amazonian Research,
who noticed its unusual
white tail. Rodrigo and
his team were supported
in their research by the
Conservation Leadership
Programme, a partnership
between BirdLife, Fauna
& Flora International and
the WCS.
Sadly, this incredibly
species-rich area has
suffered extensive illegal
logging and agricultural
encroachment.
More worryingly,
four hydroelectric
power plants have
been approved
for construction.
Deforestation in the
Amazon as a whole has
accelerated markedly in
recent months: in June
2019, 88% more forest
was cleared than in
June 2019. See page 22
for more information.
PACIFIC
OCT-DEC 2019 • BIRDLIFE
BIRD
BUL L ETIN
MIDDLE EAST
7