Bird Trapping in Cyprus - Autumn 2008

Transcription

1 Bird Trapping in Cyprus - umn 2008 Report on the latest findings of BirdLife International s continuing monitoring of illegal bird trapping in Cyprus By BirdLife Cyprus Executive Manager Martin A. Hellicar Contents Page Summary 2 1. Introduction 3 2. Field Survey Methods 5 3. Survey Results & Analysis 7 4. Other Data & Activities Conclusions & Recommendations 19 Appendices 21 STOP PRESS: In early December, the Game Fund announced they had carried out raids on eight restaurants in Larnaca town and District suspected of serving trapped birds. The raids, carried out in cooperation with the new Cyprus Police anti-poaching unit, resulted in the charging of four restaurant owners after a total of 883 wild birds were found in freezers in their establishments. These coordinated raids represent a very welcome positive step in the battle against bird trapping. ing 2008 Cyprus Bird Trapping Surveillance report 1

2 1. Summary 1.1. Main Findings 1. BirdLife International monitoring of illegal bird trapping activities in Cyprus continued for the 14 th season (7 th year), with data gathered systematically in the field by a trained team of surveyors and all evidence of trapping relayed to the relevant enforcement authorities. 2. Survey evidence showed that the upturn in trapping detected in 2007 was maintained during 2008, with autumn 2008 showing the highest mist netting levels in any season for five years. Overall trapping levels remain thanks to enforcement action much lower than in the 1990s. 3. A public opinion poll commissioned by BirdLife showed increased popularity of trapping (especially with limesticks) and ambelopoulia-eating, even if the public are in general still overwhelmingly opposed to trapping, especially for commercial purposes. 4. An estimated 63 million birds have been saved in Cyprus since the BirdLife monitoring began in 2002, but trappers killed an estimated 776,000 birds across Cyprus this autumn. 5. The gains from trapping-related enforcement action (measured in net seizures and cases opened) were lower in 2008 than in 2007, even though survey evidence suggests trapping activity remained about the same over the period. There remains a gap in enforcement where SBA and Republic areas meet. 6. There was a continuing lack of concerted action against restaurants serving trapped birds (ambelopoulia). There was no news of truly prohibitive penalties for convicted trappers being handed down by local courts. 7. The upturn in trapping activity over the last two years, coupled with continued official reluctance to tackle restaurants serving ambelopoulia points to a more permissive political climate Main Recommendations 1. There is an urgent need for a serious crackdown on restaurants serving ambelopoulia. 2. There is a need for an increase in the manpower of enforcement bodies and cooperation between SBA Police and the government Game Fund in areas where their jurisdictions meet. 3. BirdLife Cyprus must continue to push to generate top-level political support for the above actions, including at a European level. 4. Efforts must continue to raise the profile of the trapping issue in the local, Greeklanguage media with a view to building active support for eradication of trapping. 5. Courts must begin to impose penalties for trapping and ambelopoulia sale offences that are truly deterrent. 6. The BirdLife surveillance project must continue. umn 2008 Cyprus Bird Trapping Surveillance report 2

3 1. Introduction 1.1. Background Bird trapping in Cyprus is an indiscriminate and illegal practice that threatens many bird species of conservation priority for the EU. The trappers are mainly after migrant blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla) and other small songbirds for home consumption or to be served as expensive ambelopoulia delicacies in local restaurants. In addition, many non-target birds are known to die in the mist nets and on the limesticks trappers use. Among these are shrikes, owls, flycatchers and the endemic Cyprus warbler Sylvia melanothorax and Cyprus wheatear Oenanthe cypriaca. In all, some 122 species 1 are known to be vulnerable to trapping and 57 of these are either listed in Annex 1 of the EU Birds Directive (79/409/EEC) or classified as Species of European Conservation Concern (SPECs) by BirdLife International, or both. Most of the affected species are migrants using Cyprus as a stepping-stone during migration between Europe and Africa and the Middle East. Trapping activity is concentrated in the autumn season, when the largest numbers of birds pass through the Island. umn migrants are also more attractive to trappers because they carry more fat reserves in preparation for their trans-mediterranean flight to Africa. Trappers are however also active during the spring and winter. Mist nets snare many more birds than limesticks 2, especially when their use is combined with the playing of recorded bird song from tape lures, which draws migrants into areas set with nets. Mist net use became widespread in the 1980s, while the extensive use of tape lures began in the 1990s. Nets are often erected in established plantations of citrus, olives, figs or other fruit trees. In other cases, however, large areas of land have been planted with nonnative acacia bushes specifically in order to create good bird trapping habitat. Cape Pyla, in the Eastern British Sovereign Base area (SBA), is the most obvious example of extensive habitat management for trapping. Though bird trapping has been illegal in Cyprus for over 30 years, the practice was widespread and largely blatant prior to a clampdown by authorities in the new millennium. Financial gain is the main motivation for illegal trapping. Determined poachers can make thousands of Euros a year by selling ambelopoulia for home or restaurant consumption. Trapping has become increasingly covert in recent years in response to increased enforcement, with trappers no longer leaving their nets out during daylight hours. It is generally acknowledged that the remaining trappers are a hard-core of well-organised and often ruthless criminals. In the autumn of 2002, concerns about the conservation impact of bird trapping in Cyprus led the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (the RSPB, BirdLife in the UK) and BirdLife Cyprus (BirdLife in Cyprus) to launch a groundbreaking joint project to monitor the illegal activity. Monitoring has subsequently been carried out every spring and autumn season. 1 See Magnin s 1986 report to the ICBP. 2 It should be noted however, that an experienced limestick user, with expert knowledge of how to prune trees or pushes for optimum placement of the glue sticks, can probably catch as many birds as a mist net user. umn 2008 Cyprus Bird Trapping Surveillance report 3

4 Winter trapping was monitored for the first time between November 2007 and February This report presents the latest findings of this surveillance work: for the autumn 2008 survey season umn 2008 surveillance The autumn 2008 Cyprus bird trapping surveillance project began on 18 th August and ended on 7 th November (inclusive). Two observers were employed to carry out field investigations aimed at monitoring illegal bird trapping activity. The target is to produce accurate reports on the issue and arrive at reliable estimates, relative to previous seasons, of levels of illegal trapping and of the numbers of birds killed through use of banned mist-nets and limesticks. The monitoring is concentrated in the two main trapping areas on the Island - the region around Paralimni, Ayia Napa, Cape Greco and Cape Pyla in the Famagusta District, and the Ayios Theodoros and Maroni valleys west of Larnaca (areas 1 and 2 on the map below). The project was, as in previous seasons, undertaken with the close co-operation of the authorities in the Republic of Cyprus (the Cyprus Game Fund Service and the Cyprus Police) and the British Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) - the SBA Police. On finding trapping evidence, the observers immediately contacted the relevant enforcement authorities. The observers never confronted suspected trappers and never removed trapping paraphernalia. Map 1: The main bird trapping areas in Cyprus 3 3 This map was taken from the November 2001 NGO report to the Berne Convention Standing Committee on bird trapping in Cyprus (Ref. number T-PVS(2001)63). umn 2008 Cyprus Bird Trapping Surveillance report 4

5 2. Field Survey Methods 2.1. Survey area The area covered under the autumn 2008 surveillance programme was the same 406 km 2 (295 km 2 for Famagusta area and 111 km 2 for Ayios Theodoros Maroni area) covered since Surveillance focussed on likely trapping areas, with each 1 km square within the two survey areas having been classified as either a possible bird trapping area or unlikely bird trapping area. This classification, first carried out ahead of the spring 2005 monitoring season and reviewed at the start of the autumn 2005 and spring 2007 seasons, was done solely on the basis of habitat characteristics within each 1 km square 4. Of the km squares 5 in the two survey areas combined, 301 were classified as possible bird trapping area squares. A total of 100 squares were randomly selected from among the 301 possible trapping squares (33% of the total) and surveyed for trapping activity. These 100 sample squares have been covered every spring and autumn since 2007 and include the 44 squares covered every autumn since autumn 2002 and every spring since Surveying for trapping activity Surveying consisted of systematically searching for evidence of illegal trapping activity in the 100 randomly selected one-kilometre squares. The time taken to survey each square was recorded, as were weather patterns and the presence or absence of large numbers of migrant birds. For safety reasons (avoidance of possible confrontation with trappers) the observers did not go out in the field at dawn, which is the main period of trapping activity, but carried out surveys between 09:00 and 17:00. Each sample square was surveyed only once each season, 4 The classification of squares as possible and unlikely was based on field surveys by the two observers to ascertain the presence or absence within any given 1 km square of any vegetation suitable for setting nets or limesticks (e.g. lentisc, juniper, pomegranate or acacia bushes and fig, mulberry, citrus, soft fruit or olive trees). Past evidence of trapping activity was not taken into account when classifying squares. Classifying a given 1 km square as a possible trapping area did not pre-suppose trappers were active within that area it was rather an indication that the square held the potential for trapping activity. 5 Note that not all 1 km squares within the survey areas contain a km 2 of land, as many are located along the coast and cover expanses of sea. Therefore, the number of 1 km squares is higher than the total survey area in km 2. 6 For the spring of 2004 data was gathered from twenty-six selected squares (those known to have been active trapping hot spots in the preceding autumn season). In spring 2003, surveying was targeted at likely trapping hot spots throughout the two study areas in an effort to get a general idea of the extent of activity in the spring. umn 2008 Cyprus Bird Trapping Surveillance report 5

6 partly for safety reasons (minimising the risk of the observers becoming known to trappers) and partly because repeat sampling of each square has no particular value when it comes to analysis of the gathered data. Opportunistic observations were also made at extra sites where mist netting was suspected Mist nets The two observers carried out a thorough search of all habitat patches suitable for the setting of mist nets (i.e. all areas with bushes and/or trees) within each sample square. The observers recorded all direct and indirect evidence of mist net and tape lure use and of net ride preparation and use (e.g. cleared corridors within vegetation for putting up nets, presence of pole bases). The codes used for the various categories of mist netting activity and tape lure use are given below, as are the codes used for recording the type of habitat where trapping activity is detected 7. Key to survey codes used in field Net code Habitat code Tape lure code O old ride P ride recently prepared ANN active no nets present AUN active unset net present ASN active set net present IUN inactive unset net present A acacia E eucalyptus J mulberry M maquis K Carob C citrus F fig O olive P pomegranate Cy - cypress P tale lure present, playing L loudspeakers present Y tape lure present, not playing U unknown W electrical wires associated with tape lures B car battery present Limesticks While the main effort of observers was to locate evidence of mist netting, all evidence of limestick activity was also recorded. Limesticks are much harder to locate in the field than mist nets and are often set in different habitat to mist nets. In addition, incidental evidence for limestick use is hard to detect (though trees pruned to hold limesticks are readily identifiable). It is impractical to search entire 1 km sample squares for limesticks due to the time consuming nature of the task. The protocol was therefore for the observers to look out for limesticks while surveying for mist netting activity and also to search all habitat patches particularly suitable for limesticks within the survey square (acacia bushes, orchards, juniper, terebinth and lentisc scrub). 7 These codes are explained in detail in the umn 2002 Bird Trapping surveillance report umn 2008 Cyprus Bird Trapping Surveillance report 6

7 3. Surveillance Results & Analysis 3.1. Evidence of trapping found in the field during autumn 2008 Overall, evidence of trapping activity was found in 43 (43%) of the km sample squares surveyed within the 406-km 2 study area (see Table 1 in appendix 1). A total of 2,302 metres of active net rides were identified within the 100 survey squares. This included 235 metres of set nets and 12 metres of unset net (13 nets in total). The total length of active net ride within the two study areas during the survey can be estimated at just under 7 km (see Appendix 2, section 1). Evidence of tape lure use was found in only two of the 100 survey squares. A total of 199 limesticks were found in the 100 survey squares, though two trees pruned to take the glue sticks were also located. In addition to the above, 69 metres of set nets (5 nets) and 77 fresh limesticks were found during incidental searches beyond the survey squares (see Table 2 in appendix 1). A total of 12 birds were found snared in nets or on limesticks. These were willow warblers, blackcaps, a robin and a song thrush. All were dead. The total number of birds caught in nets and on limesticks can be estimated at over 580,000 birds for the Famagusta and Ayios Theodoros Maroni study areas and just over 776,000 birds for the whole of Cyprus (see Appendix 2, section 2). Some 55% of the total of 2,302 metres of active net rides detected were located within fenced compounds. The difference between enclosed and open areas was even more striking when it came to set nets, 71% of which were found within enclosures. In contrast, 94% of limesticks were located in non-enclosed areas Trends in trapping activity The charts on the next page show how detected levels of mist netting activity (figure 1) and limesticks use (figure 2) have varied since the BirdLife surveillance began. The data shown in figures 1 and 2 (and figure 3) are taken only from the 44 survey squares monitored every autumn and spring since the project began (though the data for the springs of 2003 and 2004 are an exception 8 and should be treated with caution). The average levels of detected trapping activity for spring and winter seasons shown in figure 1 have been halved for purposes of comparison with autumn season data. This is done to take account of the generally accepted pattern for reduced trapping in spring and winter compared to autumn (due to there being fewer migrant birds around during spring and winter for trappers to catch). 8 Surveillance in spring 2003 and 2004 focused on trapping hot-spots and not on the 44 consistently covered survey squares. The levels shown in figures 1 and 2 are thus only indicative for these two seasons. umn 2008 Cyprus Bird Trapping Surveillance report 7

8 Figure 1. Detected Mist Netting Levels Average length (m) of active net ride or set net per 1 km survey square , , ,4 7, ,8 3, ,6 11,6 5,6 2,3 0,4 0 0,5 0, , ,6 0 0, , ,6 3,4 Win , ,2 2,4 08 Active Net Rides Set Nets Figure 2. Detected Limestick Use 25 Average number of limesticks found per 1 km survey square , ,7 17,5 1,5 0 2,5 1,3 0,1 4,1 3, , Win umn 2008 Cyprus Bird Trapping Surveillance report 8

9 Mist netting during autumn 2008 was the highest detected for five years (since the autumn of 2003), though probably not significantly higher than during the autumn of 2007 (figure 1). umn 2008 mist netting activity was, as would be expected, higher than in the preceding spring (a seasonal pattern observed every year) and also higher than the preceding winter (this would again be expected). The level (and proportion) of set nets detected during autumn 2008 was much higher than in spring 2008, but lower than during the preceding winter. The prevalence of set nets during winter can be attributed to the fact that trappers are mainly after day-flying song thrushes during this season, as opposed to the night migrants they focus on during migration. The sharp upturn in netting activity detected during the 2007 migration seasons seems to have been maintained in Limestick setting (figure 2) has declined steadily over the years but re-emerged in autumn 2008, though autumn 2008 levels are still strikingly low compared to the early survey seasons Overall reductions in trapping levels Even though the estimated 776,000 birds killed by trappers across Cyprus during the autumn of 2008 (see Appendix 2, section 2) represents an unacceptably high toll, and detected trapping levels remain high compared to the period, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that trapping levels are thanks to increased enforcement still very much reduced compared to 1990s levels. The estimated island-wide trapping toll in the 1990s was up to 10 million birds per year (see Appendix 2, section 3). Figure 3 (below) shows how the trapping levels detected in the field during successive BirdLife surveillance seasons compare to the estimated levels during the 1990s 9. The data in figure 3 is again taken only from the 44 repeatedly surveyed squares and spring and winter field data has again been halved to account for lower trapping activity during these seasons. Figure 4 (below) shows the estimated numbers of birds saved from trappers as a result of the reductions in trapping activity shown in figure Mist netting is used as a surrogate for overall trapping levels, as it represents the principal threat to birds. The percentages shown in figure 3 are arrived at by comparison with the total length of active and inactive net rides detected during the first umn 2002 survey season within the 44 sample squares that were subsequently surveyed in every monitoring season. This was 6,817 m of net ride, which is taken to represent the maximum (baseline) level of trapping in the area prior to before serious enforcement began. 10 The estimate is based on the assumption that trappers were killing 10 million birds a year Island-wide prior to serious enforcement (see appendix 2, section 3). The number of birds saved each year is calculated by multiplying this estimated maximum toll by the proportional reduction in trapping activity. umn 2008 Cyprus Bird Trapping Surveillance report 9

10 Figure 3. Levels of Mist Netting Activity compared to the 1990s Percentage of active net rides detected in field compared to 1990s baseline Win Figure 4. Estimated number of birds saved from trappers across Cyprus over the last seven years (cumulative) Millions of birds saved , , umn 2008 Cyprus Bird Trapping Surveillance report 10

11 Figure 5 (below) shows that mist netting activity was once again concentrated in the border areas between the Cyprus republic and SBA jurisdictions 11. A similar pattern has been noted in previous seasons, pointing to an enforcement gap in these areas. Figure 5 also shows higher levels of trapping in the SBA areas than in the republic, a pattern that has not usually been found in the past, but was also in evidence during the spring of Most evidence of mist net use found beyond the survey squares during autumn 2008 was within SBA areas (see Table 2 in appendix 1). It is worth noting however that all limestick use detected during the survey was within the republic areas. Figure 5. umn 08 mist netting activity under different jurisdictions Average active net ride length (m) per 1 km survey square SBA "Border" 44 Republic 21 Figure 6 (below) illustrates how trapping activity was again low in the Ayios Theodoros Maroni study area (Larnaca District) compared to the Famagusta area. This is a continuation of a consistent pattern for the last few survey seasons, though the difference was not as acute in autumn 2008, pointing to an upward trend in activity within the Larnaca area. It is also worth noting that some 75 limesticks were located beyond the survey squares in the Larnaca area during autumn 2008 (see Table 2 in appendix 1). Average net ride length (m) and number of limesticks per 1 km survey square Figure 6. umn 08 mist netting activity in different areas 27,2 2,3 6,1 0,5 Famagusta Ay.Theodoros - Maroni active net rides limesticks The data shown in figures 4 and 5 comes from all 100 survey squares. 11 Note however that the sample size for such border areas is small, at only 5 survey squares. umn 2008 Cyprus Bird Trapping Surveillance report 11

12 3.3. Encounters with suspected bird trappers The survey team did not encounter any hostile reaction from suspected trappers in the field during autumn 2008, in contrast to the pattern in recent seasons. As detailed in Table 1 in the appendix 1, there were two occasions when surveys could not be completed because there were too many people present in the sample squares in question, but this did not amount to any form of hostility towards the survey team. One confessed trapper interviewed by a member of the BirdLife field team claimed he had been told by a Game Fund officer that he would not face prosecution if I stick to limesticks only and don t use tape lures with my sticks Surveillance north of the Cyprus dividing line In early October, BirdLife Cyprus worked with the north Cyprus bird protection society, KUSKOR, to carry out a pilot survey for trapping activity on the Karpas peninsula, the panhandle of NE Cyprus. The remote peninsula is known to be a traditional trapping area. A team of KUSKOR volunteers carried out field surveys in suitable habitat, but found no evidence of trapping. It proved far more productive to talk to people in coffee shops in local villages. Many villagers said trapping mostly with limesticks was widespread and even showed the KUSKOR team the sticks and some of the sites they used. They said the birds were sold for between 4 and 6 YTL (about 1 to 2) depending on how fat they were. The buyers were middlemen supplying restaurants in nearby Famagusta town and the villages of Ayios Sergios and Boghazi or smuggling the ambelopoulia South of the dividing line, the villagers said. Though there were some reports of recent police action against trapping in the north (including in the local newspapers), most villagers seemed happy to talk openly about the practice and to have no fear of prosecution. KUSKOR volunteers were told trapping activity was increasing in the Karpas area with even recent settlers from mainland Turkey learning the trade because the market was so ready. Two local trappers in their early teens were interviewed at Rizokarpaso village, showing the survey team the handful of blackcaps they had caught on their limesticks that day. They were setting their sticks in hedgerow lentisc bushes pruned for the purpose and also had a single set net. The boys said they sold their catches to a man in a car who comes and drives around the village. The boys said the main trapping months were September, for blackcaps, and November, for thrushes. KUSKOR aims to set up a first trapping monitoring programme in the Karpas area for the autumn of umn 2008 Cyprus Bird Trapping Surveillance report 12

13 4. Other Data & Activities 4.1. Enforcement activity and co-operation of BirdLife Cyprus with the enforcement authorities Cooperation with the enforcement bodies (Game Fund and SBA Police) in the field was generally good during the autumn 2008 surveillance season, building on a now wellestablished working relationship. BirdLife Cyprus liaised regularly with the enforcement authorities and updated them on fieldwork findings. The enforcers related at the beginning of the autumn 2008 trapping season that they were expecting a bad year for mist netting and limestick use because the continuing drought on the Island meant a very poor potato harvest, which would likely push some farmers in the SE of the Island to seek income from trapping. There was no meeting during the autumn of 2008 of the Joint bird trapping Steering Committee (JSC), set up in May 2005 as a consultative and advisory body comprising representatives from the relevant authorities and BirdLife Cyprus. The JSC has now not met for over a year. The Game Fund reported confiscating 467 nets, 540 limesticks and 85 tape lures during the first ten-and-a-half months of The Game Fund also opened some 105 trapping-related cases over the same period. The ESBA Police reported confiscating 551 nets and 572 limesticks over the same period. The majority of the seizures by the Game Fund and SBA police were made during the autumn period. The Game Fund did carry out a limited number of raids on restaurants suspected of serving trapped birds during the autumn of 2008, but no relevant details were made available to BirdLife. BirdLife has no information on trapping convictions secured during the autumn 2008 season, or of relevant penalties. Figure 7 (below) shows how enforcement activity (number of net and limestick seizures) by the ESBA Police has varied over the years data runs up to mid-november. The drop in net seizures in 2008 does not correlate with the increase in trapping activity detected in the field by the BirdLife Survey team over the same period. When trapping activity increases and enforcement remains constant or increases to keep track with this rise, it would be expected that more seizures would be made. Seizures of limesticks went up though, which is in keeping with the pattern for limestick use detected by BirdLife in the field. Figure 8 (below) shows how Game Fund enforcement activity (number of trapping-related cases opened) has varied over the years data runs up to mid-november. Again, the apparent drop in enforcement activity in 2008 does not correlate with the increase in trapping activity detected in the field by the BirdLife Survey team over the same period. 12 Note that the ESBA Police and Game Fund do not record their enforcement activity in the same way (the Game Fund focuses on cases, whereas the SBA Police focus on numbers of seizures made). Nor do the two authorities record in the same time units. The Game Fund records totals for calendar years, whereas the ESBA Police record totals for financial years (April to March). These differences need to be taken into account in interpreting the data in figures 7 and 8 above. umn 2008 Cyprus Bird Trapping Surveillance report 13

14 Figure 7. Seizures by the ESBA Police, Nets Limesticks no. of cases relating to bird trapping Figure 8. Bird trapping cases opened by the Game Fund, The Game Fund and ESBA Police launched a fresh initiative to carry out joint patrols along border areas between their two jurisdictions during the autumn of The results of this initiative are unknown but information received by BirdLife suggests serious problems remain when it comes to on-the-ground cooperation between the two forces Restaurants and ambelopoulia As in every season since the spring of 2007, BirdLife regularly received information from a variety of sources (including many eyewitness accounts) attesting to widespread availability of trapped birds (ambelopoulia) in local restaurants during the autumn of The prices umn 2008 Cyprus Bird Trapping Surveillance report 14

15 reportedly charged for ambelopoulia remain high, at around 50 for a dozen of the small birds. Top government officials are, according to information received, among those indulging in the illegal bird delicacy Meeting of the Bern Convention Standing Committee In late November, the bird trapping issue was once again debated at the annual meeting of the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention in Strasburg. In 2001, the Standing Committee adopted a set of strong recommendations aimed at halting Cyprus bird trapping. The Cyprus government stated to the committee meeting that illegal killing and consumption of birds was difficult to eradicate because it was based on traditional practice. More political will was needed but government services were doing their best and illegal killing was being phased out, even if this will take some time. The representative of the European Commission said that the Commission would continue to monitor the situation and encourage Cyprus authorities to better implement obligations under EU directives. The RSPB s Nicola Crockford, representing BirdLife at the meeting, said that following resurgence in bird trapping levels in the past two years now was the time to open a case file. This was necessary to generate the political will to crack down on the restaurants serving illegally trapped birds, the committee heard. This is widely acknowledged as the only way to eradicate illegal trapping, the BirdLife delegate stated. The representative from Cyprus conservation NGO Terra Cypria stated that the Cyprus government was not doing enough to pursue the restaurants where birds are offered for sale. The practice should not be seen as something traditional at all and will not disappear without strong law enforcement, Terra Cypria stated. The committee did not open a case file on the issue, but took note of the information presented and asked the Bureau to look into the matter Opinion Poll findings An independent opinion poll conducted in August 2008 for BirdLife Cyprus showed public opposition to bird trapping remains very strong in Cyprus. But the poll, carried out by RAI Consultants, also showed people are still eating trapped birds and the proportion of hunters who are trapping has increased, with a shift towards use of more traditional limestick methods. The poll, a repeat of an identical one carried out in August 2005, suggested that the overwhelming majority of Cypriots are opposed to trapping (72% of those questioned), especially if this is for commercial purposes (87%). Similar levels of opposition to trapping were identified in August Some 72% of those polled said they agreed with the ban on umn 2008 Cyprus Bird Trapping Surveillance report 15

16 trapping, but only 32% said they were actually concerned about illegal bird trapping in Cyprus. The number of people admitting to eating trapped birds regularly increased from 2% in 2005 to 3% in The number of hunters admitting to targeting blackcaps in 2008 shot up to 27%, compared to 18% in Confessed use of nets among hunters went down from 6% in 2005 to 2% in 2008, but the use of limesticks increased from 13% in 2005 to 18% in Those who support trapping usually do so because they consider it a Cyprus tradition, the poll results suggested. Those who oppose it do so mostly for animal welfare reasons, or because trapping gives Cyprus a bad name abroad. In conducting the poll, RAI Consultants interviewed some 550 people over the age of 18 over the phone between 24/8/08 and 3/9/08, with a 50-person booster sample in Famagusta district Main poll findings in detail Ambelopoulia eating 3% said they ate ambelopoulia regularly in 08, compared to 2% in % said they considered ambelopoulia their favorite poultry same as in 05. In the Famagusta district this was 22%, in Larnaca 21%. Trapping activity 27% of the hunters among those polled said they had pursued ambelopoulia in 08 up from 18% in % of hunters said they had used limesticks in 08 up from 13% in 05. 2% of hunters said they had used nets in 08 down from 6% in 05. Opposition to trapping 72% said they were against trapping for private consumption similar in % said they were against trapping for commercial consumption similar in 05. Only 32% said they were concerned about illegal bird trapping. 72% said they agreed with the ban on trapping similar to 05. Only 53% in Famagusta district agreed with the ban. umn 2008 Cyprus Bird Trapping Surveillance report 16

17 Reasons behind positions on trapping The most popular reasons given for opposition to trapping were related to welfare issues, as in 05. The most popular reason given for opposing the ban was that trapping is a tradition. Yet only a quarter agreed with the statement that trapping is a Cyprus tradition worthy of preservation. Just over half those questioned agreed that trapping tarnishes the island s image abroad 4.5. Ambelopoulia fans on Facebook In what is perhaps an indication of a growing popularity for ambelopoulia eating, BirdLife Cyprus discovered two open groups for ambelopoulia fans on the Internet social networking site Facebook during the autumn of BirdLife Cyprus Campaigns Officer Eleni Zisimou describes below the content and tone of the two sites: These groups are open for anyone to join and the people that join them usually don t use nicknames but what appear to be their real names (with their picture). For one of the two groups, a link to the RSPB s web site is used to show pictures of ambelopoulia. They even used the pictures shown on the RSPB site for their own page. In this same group somebody has posted that they recently shot three blackcaps, in the Paralimni area. The site group states ambelopoulia are best boiled or fried with eggs or barbequed. One of the members posts the ironic question: I don t imagine the Game Fund will arrest us, will they? Following is the link of the specific group: cc8a27106d6a#/group.php?sid=a4eeb3b62de947f36803cc8a27106d6a&refurl=http%3A%2 F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fs.php%3Fref%3Dsearch%26init%3Dq%26q%3Dampelopoulia% 26sid%3Da4eeb3b62de947f36803cc8a27106d6a&gid= The second Facebook site group go under the name Ambelopoulia Appreciation Society and have over 70 members. Here are their exact words they use for their group description: We believe that ambelopoulia are a divine delicacy, especially with the traditional pourgouri (cracked wheat). The European Union in infringing our human rights as it prohibits this! All ambelopoulia lovers are made out to be common criminals by absurd laws! Here are some of the statements that members have posted: Who cares if they have too much fat (or if they're illegal for that matter), bring me a dozen. They are very nice. Who cares about the fat and cholesterol? I have some at my house, do you think I will get arrested if I bring some with me in the UK? and the answer to that comment is I see that the entire Paralimni area eats them. You might get arrested but it is worth it, I brought thrushes over with me last time. umn 2008 Cyprus Bird Trapping Surveillance report 17

18 The link for that group is as follows: 9afa01a38bcd87d2a#/group.php?gid= Media coverage of the trapping issue There was some relevant coverage by the media during autumn 2008, with articles in Politis and Sunday Mail newspapers in August, in Phileleftheros in September and Politis, again, in November. Of far greater potential impact was a short interview on the trapping issue BirdLife Cyprus gave to state television channel CyBC on October 22 nd. Extracts were aired as a trapping news item for the main evening bulletin that night. Another publicity effort with a high impact at least judging by the supportive phone calls received at the BirdLife Cyprus office was a newspaper advertising campaign by BirdLife. In a repeat of a spring 2008 campaign, four colour adverts covering the trapping issue as well as illegal shooting and habitat destruction were placed in the wide-circulation Greeklanguage dailies Phileleftheros and Politis on four consecutive days for four weeks running. The most directly trapping-related of the four adverts (reproduced in black & white on left) carried the following message beneath a picture of a chiffchaff snared upside-down in a mist net: Even though it is banned in all of Europe, the trapping of birds with nets and limesticks continues in Cyprus and results in the killing of hundreds of thousands of birds every year. The indiscriminate nature of trapping means it costs the lives of many rare and threatened birds. Is this the future you want?. umn 2008 Cyprus Bird Trapping Surveillance report 18

19 5. Conclusions and Recommendations The upturn in trapping detected in 2007 was maintained during 2008, with autumn of this year showing the highest mist netting levels in any season for five years. This, allied with the increased popularity of trapping (especially with limesticks) revealed by our August public opinion poll, is serious grounds for concern, even if overall trapping levels are thanks to enforcement action still much lower than in the 1990s. An estimated 63 million birds may have been saved in Cyprus since the BirdLife monitoring began in 2002, but the estimated 776,000 birds killed by trappers across Cyprus this autumn still represent an unacceptable toll. The gains from trapping-related enforcement action (measured in net seizures and cases opened) were lower in 2008 than in 2007, even though survey evidence suggests trapping activity remained about the same over the period. Some encouragement was provided by the upturn in limestick seizures by the ESBA Police in 2008, but the enforcement gap in border areas between the SBA Police and Game Fund jurisdictions shows no signs of being properly plugged. Perhaps of greatest concern is the continuing lack of concerted action against restaurants serving trapped birds (ambelopoulia). Witness accounts received by BirdLife, that gathered through the opinion poll and, bizarrely, from Internet social networking sites, all suggest ambelopoulia demand and supply remains strong. The enforcers continue to lack the necessary political backing for a serious crackdown on offending restaurants. The Game Fund and ESBA Police are also still stretched when it comes to field manpower. This manpower issue also hinges on top-level political support for the anti-trapping effort. The European Commission s growing concern over the issue as evidenced by statements before the Bern Convention Standing Committee is highly encouraging in the political context. Though information gathering remains problematic for BirdLife Cyprus in this area, there was, once again, no news of truly prohibitive penalties for convicted trappers being handed down by local courts. Never has the full force of the penalties provided by the relevant law (a fine of up to 17,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 3 years) been utilised. The recent rise in trapping activity within the ESBA is another cause for concern, as is the creeping increase in trapping in the Ayios Theodoros Maroni area. We appear to be loosing ground in both these areas, with slow reversals of the good results of recent seasons. Another concern is the prevalence of limestick use. Our survey found limesticks concentrated in the Republic, while ESBA Police data suggested an upturn also within the Bases area. Even though survey findings suggests limestick use is still very low compared to earlier years 13, a different story is told by the public opinion poll findings (showing a definite shift to limestick use amongst confessed trappers) and the statement of a trapper suggesting a blind eye was being turned to limesticks. 13 It is perhaps of relevance here to note that the BirdLife survey was never designed to focus on finding limesticks, so our data on sticks is more incidental and less reliable than that on nets. umn 2008 Cyprus Bird Trapping Surveillance report 19

20 The upturn in trapping activity over the last two years, coupled with continued official reluctance to tackle restaurants serving ambelopoulia points to a more permissive political climate. The question now has to be asked: are trappers being passed a message that it is acceptable to trap so long as they use traditional limesticks? Cyprus governments are known to have unofficially adopted this approach to trapping in the past. Though less destructive than nets, limesticks are still dangerously indiscriminate and especially in the hands of a capable setter are capable of causing mass killing. The opinion poll showed steady opposition to trapping, though also consistent lack of concern over the issue among the general public. Public anti-trapping sentiment (strongest in the case of commercial trapping) should be heeded by politicians, while the lack of public concern over trapping should act as a call to arms for conservationists (be they enforcers or NGOs). Media coverage of the issue the securing of which has been problematic in the past was satisfactory during the autumn of The relevant BirdLife newspaper advertising campaign doubtless helped in this context. Recommendations: 1. There is an urgent need for a serious crackdown on restaurants serving ambelopoulia. BirdLife Cyprus should seek to gather reliable relevant information and provide this to the authorities, to spur action. 2. There is an urgent need for an increase in the manpower of enforcement bodies. Enforcement effort needs to be focused in particular on the border areas between SBA and Cyprus Republic jurisdictions, with solid cooperation forged between the two enforcement bodies. 3. BirdLife Cyprus must continue to push to generate top-level political support for the above actions, including at a European level (Berne Convention, European Commission). 4. Efforts must continue to raise the profile of the trapping issue in the local, Greeklanguage media in order to mobilise active public pressure to generate the necessary political will for an appropriate level of enforcement action, especially in relation to the restaurants. Game Fund and SBA Police should publicise their anti-trapping and poaching efforts more often. Increased education efforts must be undertaken by the authorities and BirdLife Cyprus. 5. Courts must begin to impose penalties for trapping and ambelopoulia sale/consumption offences that are truly deterrent, bearing in mind the lucrative nature of the crime and its conservation impact. 6. The BirdLife surveillance project must continue. There is evidence that surveyors need to spend more time searching for limesticks, though the main focus must remain on detecting netting activity. umn 2008 Cyprus Bird Trapping Surveillance report 20