BIRDS AND PEOPLE N O. 25 M ARCH, 2010

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1 BIRDS AND PEOPLE N O. 25 M ARCH, 2010 BirdLife Botswana s Bird Conservation Newsletter IN THIS ISSUE Editorial Conservation breakthrough IBA branding of national parks Raptors environmental indicators Botswana s next World Heritage Site? Keeping common birds common The Strategic Patnerships project An unhappy New Year World migratory bird day January 2010 waterbird counts Training for communities EDITORIAL 2010 got off to a great start with a proposal to create a Flamingo Sanctuary in the southern part of Sua Pan taking shape. This sanctuary will be a major contribution to the conservation of the Lesser Flamingo, a Near Threatened species, and its unique habitat - part of the Makgadikgadi Pans Important Bird Area in central Botswana. All credit for this initiative must go to the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, and to communities living in the vicinity of the southern part of Sua Pan, who have wholeheartedly supported this project. BirdLife Botswana extends its sincere congratulations to the Director and staff of the Wildlife Department for taking the initiative to protect this internationally important site. Read more about this in the lead article overleaf. Pete Hancock 1

2 CONSERVATION BREAKTHROUGH There are only four places in Africa where Lesser Flamingos breed in order of importance, Lake Natron in Tanzania, Sua Pan in Botswana, Etosha Pan in Namibia and Kamfers Dam in South Africa. To date the breeding areas in southern Sua Pan have only been protected by their remoteness and inaccessibility, but in recognition of the crucial role they play in the long-term survival of this globally threatened species, the Government of Botswana, through the Wildlife Department, has proposed to create a sanctuary encompassing these sites. This was done after extensive consultation with all communities living around Sua Pan, and which revealed widespread support for the initiative. The sanctuary will be located in the southern basin of Sua Pan in the general area indicated by the green circle in the figure on the left (the pale blue area indicates the extent of the southern basin of the pan). This area is quite inhospitable to all but flamingos (both Greater and Lesser flamingos breed here), and it is sensible to allocate it to the birds. One of the flamingo breeding sites in southern Sua Pan (Photo: J Haskins) Community members share a common vision for the area, whereby they plan to create a buffer of community photographic areas around the core protected area, thereby creating a larger more viable sanctuary from which they could also benefit without impinging on the sensitive breeding site. They are in the process of contributing to the formulation of regulations for the gazetted area, and securing funds to develop a management plan for the whole unit. It has been inspiring to see the co-operation and forward thinking of all involved in this initiative. 2

3 BirdLife Botswana is the partner in Botswana. Together for birds and people IBA BRANDING OF NATIONAL PARKS Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya, famous for its population of up to 1,5 million non-breeding Lesser Flamingo Phoenicopterus minor, has become the first national park in Africa to be branded as an Important Bird Area (IBA). The branding is a triumph for BirdLife partner, NatureKenya, which began identifying IBAs within the country in Some 450 bird species have been identified in and around Lake Nakuru. The site is key for significant numbers of congregatory waterbirds. The IBA branding makes Lake Nakuru National Park part of the global network of places recognised for their outstanding value to bird conservation said Kenya Wildlife Service Director Dr Julius Kipng etich. Kenya s Minister for Forestry and Wildlife, Dr Noah Wekesa, said that other IBAs will be used to extend and market Kenya s ecotourism circuits. Income from the 300,000 visitors to Lake Nakuru each year supports conservation work at other less glamorous but no less important Protected Areas. But Lake Nakuru is suffering from the severe drought affecting the country, made worse by activities such as clearance of the Mau forest, the source of rivers which feed the lake. Lake Nakuru IBA is crucial for Kenya s tourism industry, which is worth US$ 1 billion per year said Dr Julius Arinaitwe, BirdLife Africa s IBA Programme Manager. Every effort should be made to protect it from the human induced threats it is currently facing. There is need to look at the entire water catchment to conserve wetland IBAs such as Lake Nakuru said Paul Matiku, NatureKenya s Executive Director. Botswana has seven protected areas that overlap with IBAs. They are Central Kalahari and Khutse Game Reserves, Mannyelanong Hill Game Reserve, Moremi Game Reserve, Chobe National Park, Makgadikgadi Pans National Park and Gemsbok National Park (part of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park) Editor. 3

4 RAPTORS ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS Raptors and vultures are at the top of ecological food pyramids, and their population numbers and trends reflect the state of the ecosystem below. For this reason, BirdLife Botswana has a raptor monitoring programme, based on conducting counts along fixed road transects a standard method used throughout Africa to keep a finger on the pulse of raptor health. We are grateful to the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund for supporting this important project. The counts presently being conducted (tens of thousands of kilometres have already been clocked) will yield immediately useful information as they will be comparable with baseline counts conducted during the seventies, eighties and nineties, by Wendy and (Photo: P Hancock) Remi Borello, and former DWNP Ornithologist, Dr Marc Herremans. While it is not good scientific practice to have preconceived ideas about project findings, we hypothesise that many raptor species are likely to show serious declines since previous counts INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF BIODIVERSITY There was a time when biodiversity was a term used exclusively by biologists and geneticists and the like who would ever have thought 20 years ago, that 2010 would be celebrated as the International Year of Biodiversity! We have come a long way in the intervening years, as environment approaches centre stage, but there is no room for complacency we still have a long way to go! The International Year of Biodiversity is a celebration, but it is also a call to action. You and biodiversity You are an integral part of nature; your fate is tightly linked with biodiversity, the huge variety of other animals and plants, the places they live and their surrounding environments, all over the world. 4

5 You rely on this diversity of life to provide you with the food, fuel, medicine and other essentials you simply cannot live without. Yet this rich diversity is being lost at a greatly accelerated rate because of human activities. This impoverishes us all and weakens the ability of the living systems, on which we depend, to resist growing threats such as climate change. People all over the world are working to safeguard this irreplaceable natural wealth and reduce biodiversity loss. This is vital for current and future human wellbeing. We need to do more. Now is the time to act. BOTSWANA S NEXT WORLD HERITAGE SITE? The Okavango Delta is undoubtedly of Outstanding Universal Value, and in recognition of this fact, the Government of Botswana is in the process of submitting a proposal to UNESCO to have it listed as a World Heritage Site. The Department of National Museum and Monuments is the lead (Photo: P Hancock) agency and has embarked on the rigorous, rather lengthy procedure of compiling the information needed for assessment of the site. A site can either qualify as natural or cultural or both, but whatever the category, it has to be unequivocally demonstrated that it is of Outstanding Universal Value. From an ornithological perspective, the Okavango Delta, as an Important Bird Area, has many unique features. It is home to the near endemic globally threatened Slaty Egret, and the largest breeding population of Wattled Crane (another globally threatened species) as well as having some of the largest heronries of certain bird species in Africa. To capture this information, BirdLife Botswana (represented by Pete Hancock) has been invited to be on the Site Technical Committee that will be documenting the Delta s unique features for submission by September this year. This will form the basis for the preliminary assessment, which will include delimiting the site. Because of the trans-boundary nature of the Okavango River, it will be necessary to consult with the Angolans and Namibians, through OKACOM. The whole process will be lengthy, but if all goes well, a decision should be reached by mid The Botswana application parallels the involvement of BirdLife partners in eastern Africa who are working towards including a network of Important Bird Areas in the proposed Great Rift Valley World Heritage Site. The Okavango Delta lies at the southern-most extremity of the Great Rift Valley and its submission will complement this initiative too. 5

6 KEEPING COMMON BIRDS COMMON The Common Bird Monitoring Project that was started last year is slowly but steadily shaping up. More and more people are participating in the fixed transect counts and they form the backbone of the project (see box overleaf), but special mention must be made of the significant contribution from Wildlife Officers throughout the country. The project is decentralised down to the district level, and in each major district, a Wildlife Officer serves as the Monitoring Co-ordinator, gathering the information from his/her area and feeding it to the CBM Co-ordinator in BirdLife Botswana. The contact details for the District Monitoring Co-ordinators are as follows: District Chobe Ngamiland Central Tshabong Ghanzi Person Mothusi Jenamiso Zee Mpofu Lukas Rutina Edwin Mudongo Lucas Matthys Contact Jasonm_58@hotmail.com zdmpofu@gmail.com lrutina@gov.bw eddiez2nd@yahoo.com jonluke_matt@yahoo.com To support the process of collecting information on common birds, the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP) has pledged funds that will enable BirdLife Botswana to recruit and train further participants, and also to employ a full-time CBM Co-ordinator to collate and archive the information collected. Our long-time partner on the CBM Project, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has also provided financing to maintain the position, in the realisation that this is essential to the project s success. We are grateful to both funding agencies for their assistance. The project is still in its early stages, and so it is not possible to draw any conclusions about trends in common bird numbers this will come later, after the project has been running for a sufficient period of time. In the meantime, it is interesting to note that the six commonest Botswana birds, as revealed by analysis of the data available, are: Red-billed Quelea (not surprising!!) Laughing Dove Cape Turtle-Dove Scaly-feathered Finch Southern Masked-Weaver White-browed Sparrow-Weaver Thank you to everyone who has participated in the project to date keep up your efforts into the medium and longer term to make this project really worthwhile! 6

7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The following people are thanked for their contribution to the Common Bird Monitoring Project: Kabo Ditshane Chris Brewster Vee Small Peter D Arcy Dominic D Arcy Mike Soroczynski Gavin Blair Nora Mbodze Sylvester Mokara Rumbidzai Kaparadza Michael Turner Oreemetse Dingake Pearl Walter Baldwin Mashaba Gloria Ndubano Lucas Matthys Tefo Tlholego M Keatlhotswe Gray Brown Willie Blackstock Sue Steel Mike Steel Nicky Bousfield David Wright Ntlamelang Sebego Tshepiso Kgaditswe Zenzele Mpofu THE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS PROJECT BirdLife Botswana s major project at present is the UNDP-GEF funded Strategic Partnerships to Improve the Financial and Operational Sustainability of Protected Areas. For those not familiar with this large and complex project, it is about piloting a model for co-management of protected areas in the Makgadikgadi region, as a way of securing extra funding and improving the operation of the parks/reserves. The potential co-management partners include the Department of Wildlife and National Parks of course since they are the wildlife management authority, the private sector, and also local communities living around the Makgadikgadi. This series of articles describes some of the activities being undertaken as part of this project, and highlights some of the benefits for birds that will result from the project. Economic valuation of protected areas in the Makgadikgadi The Strategic Partnership project is premised on the supposition that protected areas in the Makgadikgadi have a high economic value which is far in excess of the present investment in these areas. In order to attain a level of funding commensurate with their value, it is necessary to have concrete facts and figures that support (or refute) this contention, and this is the domain of natural resources economics. A small team of international consultants with highly relevant experience Drs Jane Turpie and Jon Barnes have been contracted to undertake this economic valuation on behalf of the project. They are already involved in a larger economic valuation of the whole Makgadikgadi Wetland System as part of the Makgadikgadi Framework Management Plan, and the intention is to capitalise on their participation in the management planning exercise, and their presence in the area, to obtain detailed information on the value of the protected areas specifically. This relates largely to Makgadikgadi Pans and Nxai Pan National Parks, but also extends to the flamingo sanctuary in the southern part of Sua Pan. The consultants will also be looking at the actual and potential value of birding tourism in these areas; Dr 7

8 Turpie has been pioneering work on this topic in South Africa, together with our BirdLife partner there (BirdLife South Africa) which already has a well-established bird tourism programme underway. This economic analysis will form the basis for decision-making relating to future investments in the Makgadikgadi, and will provide an indication of the potential that avi-tourism has for improving people s livelihoods in this economic backwater. Levelling the playing field In order to pilot a co-management model for protected areas, including Government, the private sector and communities, it is necessary to build the capacity of the local Community-based Organisations so that they can participate on an equal footing and in a meaningful way. To this end, the Strategic Partnerships project has engaged in a series of workshops with the communities residing around the southern part of Sua Pan Mmatshumo, Mosu and Mmeya (and more recently, Mokubilo) to help establish a common vision and strategic plan for southern Sua, and to put in place the necessary structures and systems to ensure that these are achieved. The most recent workshop, held during March at Mmeya Village (but involving participants from all four villages) focused on administrative and financial management. This four-day workshop was organised and conducted by staff from the Community Extension and Outreach Division of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks one of our partners in the project. The workshop was opened by Dr Lukas Rutina, Regional Wildlife Officer, who stressed the importance of financial management in particular, for the success and sustainability of Community-based Organisations in the Makgadikgadi. The major part of the workshop was devoted to introducing and taking participants through the Financial Management handbook developed by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks as the basic standard for Community-based Organisations to conform to if they are to continue to enjoy Government support. An interesting sideline to the main topic was a presentation by personnel from the Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) highlighting the services they offer to small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in Botswana, including those run by communities. Photo: G Bolesitswe Some of the participants on the field excursion at Mogopa wa Badimo one of the workshop highlights 8

9 The success of the workshop was due to the hard work put in by Mr Mmoloki Pule and his team of interns from the Wildlife Department, in organising all the logistics in conjunction with Mr Dikatso Letebele and his colleagues from Mmeya Village (including the Head-teacher and staff from Mmeya Primary School where the workshop was held). Mrs Tachinya Molatole from DWNP shouldered the bulk of the presentations and the positive response of the participants is testimony to the professionalism with which she approached her task. The process of capacity-building for the communities will continue until such time as they are self-sustaining. Avi-tourism handbook launched February saw the launch of BirdLife Botswana s avi-tourism handbook in Gaborone for members of central government and other stakeholders in the capital; this was followed during March by a second function in Mmeya Village for community members from the Makgadikgadi area the major target group for the handbook. This publication, available in English and/or Setswana, is a tribute to the authors, Keddy Mooketsa and Boitumelo Sekhute-Batungamile and a supporting team of translators who provided their services on a voluntary basis. It is a step-by-step guide to starting a community-based bird tourism business, and covers all the major aspects of initiating such a venture. Judging by the reception of the handbook at the launches, where all available copies were snapped up like hot cakes, the publication fills a definite niche, and will achieve its aim of diversifying Botswana s tourism product. Copies of the handbook were also posted to other environmental Communitybased Organisations throughout the country. We look forward to a mushrooming of bird tourism businesses and the associated benefits this will bring to bird conservation AND improving people s livelihoods in rural areas. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS The Environment Support Programme (ESP), a joint initiative between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Botswana (BOT/03/002) through the project called Bird Tourism: An untapped tool to link conservation and poverty alleviation in Botswana, the United Nations Development Programme/Global Environment Facility (UNDP/GEF) through the Strategic Partnerships to Improve the Financial and Operational Sustainability of Protected Areas project (PIMS 3984 BD MSP) and Debswana s Jwaneng Mine (through the Empowering local communities to conserve Kori Bustard Ardeotis kori: a flagship for the Kalahari Desert ecosystem project). 9

10 Chairman of BirdLife Botswana, Harold Hester, introducing the handbook, with Mmoloki Pule (extreme left) translating. Photo: P Hancock Photo: P Hancock Traditional dancing by children from Mmeya Primary School entertained guests AN UNHAPPY NEW YEAR The advent of 2010 saw 15 White-backed Vultures dying of poisoning at the Tinto cattle-post in the Chobe Enclave near Ngoma. It is not known what the motive was for the poisoning, nor the type of poison used, since the perpetrator has not been brought to book; all that is certain is that another substantial number of globally threatened birds has been eliminated, and their passing was hardly noticed except 10

11 by concerned individuals from the Wildlife Department and BirdLife Botswana. This is the first documented incident of poisoning from the Chobe District, but is not the last. On 9 th March, another 40 White-backed and one Hooded Vulture and two unidentified kites/buzzards were poisoned on the outskirts of Lesoma Village near Kazungula in the Chobe District. This incident was investigated by Mothusi Jenamiso and colleagues from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, and it appears as though the vultures were innocent victims of an attempt to kill a problem hyena. Samples were collected from the crops of the dead birds, by officials of the Veterinary Department, but to date the type of poison used has not been identified nor have any arrests been made in connection with the incident. The carcases of the birds were properly incinerated to prevent secondary poisoning of any other innocent scavengers. Photos: M Jenamiso For the first time, this poisoning incident was accompanied by considerable publicity, and was announced on the national news, and featured on BTV and in the national newspapers. This will definitely help to bring the seriousness of such actions to the notice of relevant decision-makers, so that people start to realise that poisoning is a major environmental problem. At the Council for Africa Partnership meeting held the following week in Kasane (see article below), the poisoning of raptors received considerable attention, and plans were set in motion to address this problem across the BirdLife Africa Partnership. It is only through a comprehensive, co-ordinated, systematic plan of action such as this that the problem will be eliminated. 11

12 WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is a global initiative devoted to celebrating migratory birds, and for promoting their conservation worldwide. The initiation of WMBD a few years ago was influenced by migratory birds receiving negative media coverage as a result of the false belief that they were the main cause of the spread of avian influenza around the world something that time has conclusively disproved. This year WMBD will take place on the weekend of 8-9 May and the theme will be Save migratory birds in crisis every species counts. People and dedicated organisations around the world will be using the day to raise public awareness about the marvels of bird migration. In Botswana, WMBD activities are organized annually by BirdLife Botswana (). These activities primarily target schoolchildren, and include bird walks, drama and poetry competitions, public discussions, and other public events. For more information, visit the WMBD website: HIGHLIGHTS JANUARY 2010 WATERBIRD COUNTS The sites that were counted and the numbers of birds and species are given in the table at the end of the article. One part of Sua Pan in the Makgadikgadi Pans 12

13 had more birds than all other sites put together but not surprisingly, the majority of the birds were flamingos. Rather few sites were counted in the Okavango Delta (with Lake Ngami being one of the sites not counted) so the total count was only a little over 3,000 birds. By contrast, sites in the southeast boasted almost 14,000 birds with exceptionally high counts at Bokaa and Thagale Dams and also at Ramotswa Sewage Ponds. Chobe River The Chobe River from the old entrance gate on the Park boundary at Kasane up to Ngoma Bridge was counted by Pete Laver and teams. Summer counts along the Chobe River are always much lower than those in the winter, at which time floodwaters from the Zambezi push up the Chobe River and extend out over the floodplain. The total of 3,000+ comprised a good range of species but none in exceptional numbers - although over 1,000 Blacksmith Plovers and 25 African Fish-Eagles were counted. Okavango Delta Unfortunately no counts were made along the Thamalakane or Boteti Rivers or in Moremi Game Reserve. The Okavango River from the Namibian border down to Etsatsa Island and the Philipo Channel were surveyed by P Hancock, M Kamakama, R Kaparadza and O Xanda. The stretch between Mohembo and Shakawe Fishing Camp was, as usual, by far the richest section with the highest number of birds and of species but 604 Cattle Egrets made up over 67% of the count. The only Lesser Jacana and Lesser Moorhen of the summer count was seen on this section. Ian Clark covered the upper Boro from Tschau Island down to Xaxaba and among the 500+ birds he saw were 10 Slaty Egrets and 201 Collared Pratincoles. Kabo Kgopa, Cruise Mollowakgotla, and David Mapodise from Ngamiland Adventure Safaris counted on the Jao Flats; there were rather few birds but among them six Slaty Egrets, 17 Wattled Cranes and 28 Long-toed Lapwings. (Photo: P Hancock) 13

14 Zenzele Mpofu, Mendy Makwati, Moagi Mokara and Ntlamelang Sebego from DWNP counted along the Khwai River from North Gate to the Chobe National Park boundary and they found 400+ birds with two Dwarf Bitterns being of note. At Maun sewage ponds Richard Randall found a Pectoral Sandpiper amongst the usual waders and waterfowl; Cape Teal were the most numerous duck, 41 being present, and unusual for this site, seven immature Greater Flamingos were present. Makgadikgadi Pans A part of Sua Pan was counted by Chris Brewster and the 87,000 plus birds comprised 80,000 Lesser and Greater Flamingos, over 2,000 Red-billed Teal, over 1,000 Black-winged Stilts and 650 Pied Avocets. Sadly, no count was available from Nata Delta. Eastern Botswana A team comprising Nicky Bousfield, Peter D Arcy, Buz von Memerty and Michael Turner surveyed Shashe Dam by a combination of methods, using a boat and vehicle and footwork, and found well over 1,000 birds. Some 55 Great White Pelicans, 13 Pink-backed Pelicans and 20 Black Herons were among the highlights there. Southeast Botswana There was an exceptional count by Chris Brewster of almost 6,000 birds at Bokaa Dam and almost 1,500 at nearby Thagale Dam and at Ramotswa Sewage Ponds, a new high for this site. Harold and Geraldine Hester and Mike and Daphne Goldsworthy counted a range of sites. The most numerous species in the SE counts was White-faced Duck with over 2,000 counted; between 1,000 and 2,000 Red-billed Teal, Southern Pochard and Red-knobbed Coot were also seen. Overall, diversity was high too, with 66 different species seen. Mahalapye Sewage Ponds were counted for the first time, by Peter D Arcy. Numbers were not huge but it is good that a new site in a hitherto uncounted area has been added to the waterbird count sites and it will be interesting to see whether Peter sees Maccoa Ducks and South African Shelducks in the winter count too. (Photo: P Hancock) New volunteer counters It would be excellent for new volunteers to take on a site even for one or two January and July counts. Many important sites were not covered in January in the Okavango Delta such as the three heronry lagoons and linking Maunachira River and transects between South Gate, Third Bridge, Fourth Bridge and Xakanaxa; nor was 14

15 Nata Delta to Sua Spit covered nor the beautiful outlying pans such as Rysana, Mokubilo and Mea Pans all well worth a visit. Near Gaborone nobody made a count at the Phakalane and Tsholofelo Sewage Ponds. If YOU can help in any of these areas then please get in touch with me. Many people did contribute to the counts and I am most grateful to all of the following: Mark Bing, Wendy Borello, Nicky Bousfield, Chris A Brewster, Peter D Arcy, Ian Clark, Mike and Daphne Goldsworthy, Pete Hancock, Harold and Geraldine Hester, Miles Kamakama, Rumbidzai Kaparadza, Kabo Kgopa, Pete Laver, David Mapodise, Mendy Makwati, T. Maley Mashaike, Buz von Memerty, Moagi Mokara, Zenzele Mpofu, Cruise Mollowakgotla, Keddy Mooketsa, Richard Randall, Ntlamelang Sebego and O. Xanda. (Photo: P Hancock) Stephanie Tyler Co-ordinator of waterbird counts in Botswana for Wetlands International and BirdLife International. steph_tyler2001@hotmail.com Counts of waterbirds at sites in Botswana in January 2010 No. No. Birds Species No. Birds Southeast Botswana 13, Eastern Botswana Bokaa Dam 5, Shashe Dam 1, Gamoleele Dam Kgalepitse Dam near Oodi Makgadikgadi Pans Kgoro Pan Sua Pan N of vet fence W Sua Town 87, Jwaneng S.P Lobatse S.P Okavango Delta 3, Mahalapye S.P Boro R. from Tschau to Xaxaba Maokamatshwane Dam Jao Flats Mogobane Dam Khwai River Mokolodi N.R Okavango River border to Mohembo 44 9 Moshupa Dam Okavango R. Mohembo to Palm Isl Nnywane Dam Palm Island to Etsatsa Island Otse Dam 15 9 Philipo Channel Phakalane Golf Course 38 3 Maun S.P Ramotswa S.P. 1, Sojwe Pan Chobe River 3, Thagale Dam 1, BOTSWANA TICKBIRD WORLDBIRDS IN BOTSWANA Support our web-based bird monitoring system. Enter your bird checklist No. Species 15

16 TRAINING FOR COMMUNITIES As part of capacity-building under the project Instituting Effective Monitoring of Protected Areas (Important Bird Areas) as a contribution to reducing the rate of Biodiversity loss in Africa, BirdLife Botswana s Important Bird Area (IBA) Project Manager was invited by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks in Kasane to facilitate at a Community Escort Guide (CEG) training workshop at Ngoma Education Centre, Chobe National Park, from the 18 th to 19 th February A total of 27 CEGs from Pandamatenga, Lesoma and Kazungula (PALEKA) Community Trust and Chobe Enclave Conservation Trust (CECT) from Chobe East and Chobe West respectively, took part in the training. The two Trusts (as Local Community Groups or Site Support Groups) would contribute to field work in monitoring sites (by using birds as indicators of change in our IBAs) and they are expected to contribute in taking action based on the results. These groups are partners on the basis that they live at or near the key sites in this case Chobe National Park and Linyanti IBAs and can thus provide sustainable data collection at low cost. Their interest ranges from using the sites as source of food, getting direct benefits from site conservation, conservation of the site down to preservation of environmental elements relevant to traditions and customs. The training covered BirdLife Botswana and its activities in general, though much focus was on Important Bird Areas in Botswana, and the Pressure-State-Response model as applied in IBA Monitoring, following BirdLife International standards. The P-S-R approach, adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity, has been tested in Kenya with very good results, and is being adapted and applied in eight African countries, Botswana included. Some of the trainees at the Education Centre (Photo: J Soopu) An explanation of the Protected Area/IBA Monitoring Form was allocated adequate time, after which participants went through a practical exercise on how to complete the form. The participants interest could be seen through their high level of participation, and it was through heated debates amongst working groups, arising from the monitoring form, by which the level of understanding was measured. Practical examples such as uncontrolled veld fires and poaching in Chobe National Park (as threats to IBAs), were identified by participants during the group discussions. 16

17 As a way forward, participants acknowledged that they could in future propose to the Boards of their respective Trusts that a certain percentage of their budget be allocated to training, which would cater for exchange visits within the country to facilitate sharing of ideas, because they could see the importance of bird identification lessons and related disciplines such as tree and grass identification, which constitute habitats for the trigger bird species they were learning about at the workshop. Facilitation would be sought from the BirdLife Botswana IBA Project Manager and overall training costs would be reduced to a great extent. COUNCIL FOR AFRICA PARTNERSHIP MEETING IN KASANE All BirdLife partners in Africa meet every 18 months, in a forum called the Council for Africa Partnership (CAP), to review progress and agree on policy issues. The 2010 meeting was hosted by BirdLife Botswana and held at the Chobe Game Lodge in the Chobe National Park. By all accounts, it was a huge success, with logistics running smoothly and fruitful discussions being held often well into the evenings. The CAP meetings are a great occasion for networking with like-minded people facing similar challenges and opportunities, and the value of the informal discussions should not be underestimated. Dr Marco Lambertini, the Chief Executive of BirdLife International, complimented CAP by saying that its meetings were always vibrant, stimulating and enjoyable and CAP Kasane was no exception Special thanks to the Management and Staff of Chobe Game Lodge for their unstinting commitment to making the workshop a success, and the International Organising Committee for putting together a thoroughly worthwhile programme. Photo: M Kamakama Crowned Lapwing nest with a single egg, camouflaged among Zebra droppings 17

18 PHOTO OF THE MONTH This unusual angle on a feeding Greater Flamingo was taken at Lake Ngami by professional guide James Haskins. Both Greater and Lesser flamingos occur at the lake, but conditions for observing and photographing them (and other waterbirds) are difficult. This photo shows what can be achieved with a bit of ingenuity and perseverance. One can only wonder how James actually managed to get such an interesting shot! We look forward to seeing more of James photos. CONTACT ADDRESSES BirdLife Botswana BirdLife Botswana Private Bag 003 PO Box 1529 Suite 348 Maun Mogoditshane blb@birdlifebotswana.org.bw birdlifemaun@gmail.com Tel: / Fax: Physical address: Unit C1 Old HOORC site Kgale Siding off new tarred Disaneng road Plot 1069 KO (the old TEBA complex near St Joseph s College) Visit our website BIRDLIFE BOTSWANA MISSION BirdLife Botswana aims to conserve birds and important bird habitats, by creating awareness, carrying out research and promoting beneficial relationships between birds and people. This newsletter appears quarterly. If you would like to contribute an article on your field observations or bird conservation project, please send it to birdlifemaun@botsnet.bw 18

19 Membership Details Membership is due in January of each year, as the subscription runs from January to December. Rates Ordinary - P Corporate - Minimum P Professional Rangers, guides and SSG members - P60.00 Life - P Students studying in Botswana - P15.00 Schools/Clubs - nil SADC Region P Overseas (and outside SADC) P The following details are required: I/We/Dr/Mr/Mrs/Ms: wish to become members of BirdLife Botswana Address: Home/Cell Phone: Work phone: (PRINT please): I acknowledge that my family dependents, invitees and I take part in the BirdLife Botswana organised events entirely at our own risk. I, in my personal capacity and as representative of my spouse, children, dependents, and invitees hereby keep BirdLife Botswana, its committee, members and agents indemnified and hold them harmless against all loss, injury, or damage to person or property from any cause (including negligence) arising as a result of our participation in events organised by BirdLife Botswana. Signed Date: Please make your cheque payable to 'BirdLife Botswana' Please return this form with your subscription to one of the addresses given below: The Secretary (membership) Pete Hancock Guy Brina Geoff Williams BirdLife Botswana PO Box 1529 Private Bag F12 Private Bag K4 P/Bag 003 Maun Francistown Kasane Suite 348 Mogoditshane or phone Pete to or phone Guy to or phone Geoff to Botswana collect collect collect OFFICIAL USE Card issued? Data base 19

20 Birds of Concern Reporting Sheet BirdLife Botswana is very interested in collecting information on Birds of Concern they are species that are either globally or nationally threatened. Please use the format below when submitting sightings to make computerisation of the data easier. Note that the co-ordinates of each sighting are essential it is convenient to get these from a GPS but of course they can be read off any good map. If you have a GPS, please set the datum to WGS 84 and the position format to decimal degrees. If you use any other datum/format, please just let us know what it is. Information in bold in the table below is the most important, if you cannot collect it all. Species (see list below) GPS co-ords S E Quarter degree square e.g. 1923C4 Area e.g. NG 19 Locality e.g. 2 km west of Machaba Date Time # of birds Ad. M Ad. F Ad.? # of Imm. Observer (your name) Comments The species that we are interested in are the following: Slaty Egret Maccoa Duck Wattled Crane Grey Crowned Crane Lesser Flamingo Cape Vulture White-headed Vulture Lappet-faced Vulture Hooded Vulture White-backed Vulture Bateleur Martial Eagle Lesser Kestrel European Roller Pallid Harrier Kori Bustard Southern Ground Hornbill African Skimmer Chestnut-banded Plover Black-winged Pratincole Breeding records for these species would also be invaluable. Please send this information to: BirdLife Botswana, PO Box 1529, Maun, BOTSWANA. Alternatively, please us at birdlifemaun@gmail.com 20