Archive for category: News

The size of the Mediterranean Monk Seal population of Mauritania’s Atlantic coast is recovering after centuries of continuous decline. The species’ largest colony in the Cabo Blanco peninsula has more than tripled since 2004.  Thanks to the effective implementation of a regional Action Plan, it now numbers 360 individuals. Two decades ago, the Cabo Blanco colony was on the verge of extinction, but the Action Plan under CMS has managed to turn the tide. A similar programme is now emulating the successful strategy for the conservation of a smaller colony of the species in the Madeira islands. The Mediterranean Monk Seals (Monachus monachus) used to thrive throughout the entire Mediterranean Sea—from the eastern Atlantic Ocean to the Black Sea. From the 15th century, the seals were hunted for their fur, skin, meat and blubber. These massive persecutions, along with rapid development of coastal areas, decimated a large portion of the species and drove the remaining populations—formerly used to resting and breeding on open beaches– into secluded off-shore caves. At the outset of the 20th century, the species seemed to have gone extinct, until the colony alongside the Cabo Blanco peninsula was discovered in 1945. Half a century later, during the 1994 COP meeting in Nairobi, the CMS Parties encouraged the Range States to embark on a concerted action for the conservation of the Monk Seals, following the Scientific Council’s earlier recommendation. To monitor progress, the Parties agreed on a formal review process to take place in subsequent COP meetings. Then in 1997 an outbreak of algae toxins in the food-chain caused a massive die-off in Cabo Blanco, ultimately killing around 200 seals— two thirds of a colony which had formerly numbered 350. This mass mortality rendered conservation measures to protect the remaining animals all the more urgent.

Under the CMS framework, Spain initiated an Action Plan in 2000 and has implemented it together with Mauritania, Morocco and Portugal. In 2007 the four countries concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to provide an intergovernmental legal and institutional framework for the further implementation of the existing action plan.

The Spanish Foundation ‘CBD-Habitat’ has led the programme since its inception and has carried it out in cooperation with the Mauritanian NGO “Annajah”. The programme is based on three pillars:

1. A 7km coastal stretch has been designated as a national reserve (“Costa de las Focas” – “The seals’ coast”). This is a succession of cliffs with inaccessible sandy caves where the seals breed and rest. Fishing activities in the surrounding waters as well as people’s access to the cliffs have been banned.
2. Educational programmes have increased awareness among local communities and provided artisanal fishermen with training in safe and sustainable fishing.
3. Thirdly, the deployment of new technology facilitated close monitoring of the seals. High resolution cameras capable of self-cleaning and self-repairing and adapted to rough waters were placed inside the breeding caves. GPS trackers attached to the rear flippers of the seals disclose their movements at sea. These help close knowledge gaps and improve protection of the colony.

So far, the Action Plan has yielded impressive results. The size of the Cabo Blanco population has now exceeded the pre-1997 level. Monk Seals are once again making regular use of open beaches across the reserve to breed, while the birth of the first seal pup on an open beach ten years ago was greeted by conservationists as a sensation.

More information

Monk Seal in the Atlantic

MoU on the Mediterranean Monk Seal

Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals:

https://www.cms.int/en/news/mediterranean-monk-seal-back-brink

https://www.cms.int/

https://www.miteco.gob.es/es/biodiversidad/legislacion/leg-internacional-bonn.aspx

https://www.miteco.gob.es/es/biodiversidad/temas/conservacion-de-especies/convenios-internacionales/ce-conv-int-bonn.aspx

https://www.un.org/ruleoflaw/es/un-and-the-rule-of-law/united-nations-environment-programme/

CBD-Habitat Foundation

https://2020.cbd-habitat.com/foca-monje-del-mediterraneo/

https://www.mediterraneanmonkseal.org/?page_id=44

Thanks to Itzik Pazuelo, during his internship at the Joint CMS + AEWA Communications Unit.

In addition to the natural heritage, the Bijagós Islands retain an exceptional cultural heritage. The magnificent state of conservation of the archipelago is due to traditions. Because of their beliefs, the Bijagó have their own natural reserves, forests and islands that are untouchable because they are sacred, and where they cannot cultivate, hunt, or bury the dead. Among its symbolic animals are the manatee and the turtles, along with sharks, rays, hammerhead fish and sawfish, beings that they respect and revere.

The Orango Parque Hotel is not just a tourist establishment; it functions as an ecotourism development center in Guinea Bissau National Parks, and particularly in the Bijagos Islands and Orango and Vieira Poilao National Parks. The hotel is also the base of many collaborative projects developed together with IBAP (Instituto da Biodiversidade e das Áreas Protegidas) within the park: conservation projects targeting the manatee and hippopotamus populations in the region, projects designed to reduce conflicts between local people and wildlife, and projects that construct wells or renovate community health centers, among others.

The Bijagó population maintains a strong cultural identity, due to insularity and isolation. The deep respect for their animistic traditions has allowed them to preserve a society with matriarchal structures. They are calm, smiling, hospitable and friendly people, and they have great ethnographic interest.

More information:

https://2020.cbd-habitat.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Bijagos-culture-booklet.pdf

http://www.orangohotel.com/

https://2020.cbd-habitat.com/ecoturismo-parque-nacional-de-orango/

We have recently started a collaboration´s project with “The European Nature Trust” (TENT), that is an international foundation to support nature conservation projects, which collaborates with Wandafilms-Wanda Natura, producer of well-known documentaries. Both entities collaborate with the projects of the CBD-Habitat Foundation. TENT dedicates its efforts to the protection of natural sites and the restoration of places of high environmental value, affected by human activity, “to ensure that our planet remains habitable and that we can share it with other species.” His philanthropic philosophy seeks to support high impact conservation initiatives in Europe. With its support to the CBD-Habitat Foundation, TENT continues its action in Spain (already started with the “Brown Bear Foundation”). This month the technical teams of the CBD-Habitat Foundation and TENT have visited some of the initiatives of conservation and recovery of the Iberian lynx in Andalusia and Extremadura, establishing interesting lines of collaboration and exchange of ideas and experiences, which can cover all CBD-Habitat Foundation projects.

 

Note: with the support of TENT on May 20 of next year we will attend the premiere of Wanda Natura’s last documentary in London: «Dehesa: the forest of the Iberian lynx», for the benefit of the FCBDH. Thank you!

More information:

Philosophy of “The European Nature Trust”:

Wild places provide the air you breathe, the water you drink and the food you eat. The evidence is now clear: spending time in nature is even integral to mental health and stress relief, physical wellness and development in childhood. Yet still, only 4% of charitable giving focuses on environmental causes. At The European Nature Trust (TENT), we create unique experiences that connect people to wild nature and raise funds for the protection and restoration of European wilderness. Through creating engaging and impactful experiences, through entertaining, motivating and inspiring, TENT change how people and businesses value nature, and therefore ultimately better protect our world. Most importantly, TENT has a 100% promise, 100% of every single donation is directed through the charity to leading conservation projects on the ground, where it matters. So, the goals of TENT are simple: through our activities we support proven conservation projects on the ground in key wilderness areas over the long-term, and above all, connect people to nature.

“A TRUE CONSERVATIONIST KNOWS THAT THE WORLD IS NOT GIVEN BY HIS FATHERS BUT BORROWED FROM HIS CHILDREN” (JOHN JAMES AUDUBON, NATURALIST & PAINTER)

A very interesting publication has just come out about the reintroduction project of the Mohor gazelle (Nanger dama mhorr)!

This project has been a milestone in the conservation of this impressive Sahelo-Saharan species. Currently the populations are very rare and isolated, and is declared “critically endangered“.

Reintroductions continue to be an important conservation action for endangered species. Until this, all reintroduction projects for Mhorr gazelle (Nanger dama mhorr) had remained at the stage where the animals live in fenced protected areas of different sizes. This study describes the first experience of reintroduction of a group of 24 Mhorr gazelle into the wild in the Safia Reserve. The reintroduction was carried out in two phases: in the first one, the entire group was released; then, after an unexpected dogs attack event, part of them were kept safe until this problem was solved. Seven of the gazelles were monitored with telemetry collars, providing previously unavailable data on time allocation, daily rhythm of activity and social organization for the species in the wild. In addition, post-release movements revealed three patterns: during the first few days after release, small daily movements (average 2.78 km) close to the fence, followed by long-distance exploratory movements (up to 50 km) until establish territories; and finally, daily movements between established territories (average 8.39 km). Exceptional long distances (>50 km/day) were traveled after a poaching event. The study has also revealed the ability of the species to select and settle territories in favorable areas, after being kept for generations under captive or semi-captive conditions. However, their inability to recognize predators was demonstrated in an unexpected attack by dogs, resulting in the death of seven released gazelles. This mortality following the dog attack was favored, in part, because the released gazelle remained close to the fence, and therefore suggests that the release procedure should be revised, especially when there are predators in the release site. This study has confirmed that dogs as predators and poaching continue to be the main threat to reintroduction projects.

Very good experience and knowledge, that we will improve to the success of future reintroduction projects.

More information:

The first reintroduction project for mhorr gazelle (Nanger dama mhorr) into the wild: Knowledge and experience gained to support future conservation actions. Abáigar, T et al, Global Ecology and Conservation, 19, art. nº e00680 – 2019.