Duration of the project:

1.9.2018. – 28.2.2022.

Total value:

€ 1.827.689,00

EU co-financing:

€ 1.088.026,00

Beneficiary coordinator:

Stichting BirdLife Europe, Netherlands

Partners:

Biom Association; Croatia, BirdLife Cyprus; Cyprus, BirdLife International; United Kingdom, Hellenic Ornithological Society; Greece, LIPU-Lega Italiana Protezione Uccelli; Italy

Web page: LIFE Against Bird Crime

Project description:

The problem of bird poaching threatens the achievement of the objectives of the Birds Directive, but also the first objective of the EU Biodiversity Strategy, which aims to achieve a measurable improvement in the status of species important for the EU.

This project builds on previous work on tackling illegal activities against birds, with a special focus on urgent action in the four EU priority countries – Croatia, Cyprus, Greece and Italy – but with activities that are also working on other countries where this problem is present. , inside and outside the EU.

The project’s strategy is to strengthen the international fight against illegal killing, capture and trafficking in wild birds (IKB), which seeks to eliminate the second largest (after habitat loss) threat to wild bird survival and help implement the EU Birds Directive.

The goals of this project, whose purpose is information, communication and awareness raising are:

1. Expand and improve public and community knowledge on illegal bird killing in the target region, in order to identify and promote targeted strategic activities within and outside the scope of this project.
2. Raise awareness and stimulate public interest in stopping the illegal killing of birds.
3. Support advocacy at the international and national levels, in order to ensure the political will and technical capacity to end the illegal killing of birds.
4. Design and implement pilot projects with key stakeholders in priority countries to demonstrate, share and promote effective approaches to reduce illegal killing and taking of birds.
5. Maintain and strengthen networks of civil society organizations and stakeholder groups working together to tackle the illegal killing of birds.