Following five years of achievement since the 2008 World Congress, during which the Partnership has grown from to 121 conservation NGOs, BirdLife has used its Partnership Awards to recognise the exceptional contributions of an unprecedented seven Partner organisations.
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL) is leading the revival of the Hima, a traditional community-managed protected area system, in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East. SPNL also played a leading role in BirdLife’s Sustainable Hunting campaign to control the killing of birds along the African-Eurasian Flyway.
BirdLife South Africa has turned its IBA programme into a leading force for site conservation and protection, engaging a broad range of stakeholders, and aligning its work with national conservation planning tools such as the National Protected Areas Expansion Strategy. Among BLSA’s other achievements are the Southern African Bird Atlas, one of the world’s most effective citizen science projects.
Nature Iraq has overseen the partial restoration of the Mesopotamian Marshes to their former condition as one of the most extensive wetland ecosystems in western Eurasia. As part of its mission to improve the capacity of Iraq’s institutions to protect its environment, Nature Iraq has developed a scientific database of environmental conditions and trends within Iraq, based on the identification and monitoring of more than 100 Key Biodiversity Areas.
Among other recent achievements, Asociacion Armonía (BirdLife Partner in Bolivia) has created protected areas for the Critically Endangered Blue-throated Macaw Ara glaucogularis, the Endangered Red Fronted Macaw A. rubrogenys, and the Endangered Palkachupa Cotinga Phibalura boliviana, which was discovered and described by Armonía’s Executive Director, Bennett Hennessey.
Nature Seychelles has an outstanding record of practical conservation success, working to save species like Seychelles Warbler Acrocephalus sechellensis and Seychelles Magpie-robin Copsychus sechellarum, and is now leading work to improve the status of the last Seychelles species still listed as Critically Endangered, the Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone corvine.
By mobilising grass-roots opposition SOS-FORETS (BirdLife Affiliate in Côte d’Ivoire) fought off proposals to convert the Tanoé Swamps Forest, a candidate IBA, to oil palm. SOS-FORETS succeeded in having the forest recognised as a community-managed nature reserve.
Following a historic agreement with the Ministry of Environment, the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN, BirdLife Partner in Jordan)has taken the lead in establishing and managing Jordan’s Protected Areas, and pioneered the integration of conservation with sustainable livelihoods development in and around the reserves.
