Conservation project reduces threat to Northern Bald Ibis

BirdLife International has presented the updated Red List. Prominently featured are interim successes in the protection of the Pink Pigeon on Mauritius, the primeval-looking Northern Bald Ibis in Morocco, and several other species. However, many other species have had to be moved into a higher threat category.

«Targeted conservation measures can help species recover, but the overall trend is negative and shows that more effort is still needed,» says Dr Stuart Butchart of BirdLife International.

Interim success in the Moroccan Northern Bald Ibis project

The ancient-looking Northern Bald Ibis has been on the brink of extinction for decades. The Northern Bald Ibis was once common in Switzerland too, but it became a popular target for hobby hunters. After the species disappeared from Syria, the only remaining wild population in the world is a small one in Morocco.

In 1994, BirdLife partners and Morocco’s «High Commission for Water, Forests and Combating Desertification» launched a project in support of the species. Since 2013, BirdLife Switzerland has provided financial support to the project. In recent years, the population has counted more than 120 pairs each year, even reaching a peak of 147 pairs.

Still threatened worldwide

«The Northern Bald Ibis remains threatened worldwide and conservation efforts in Morocco must not let up in the slightest. But the steady increase over 20 years shows that the Moroccan authorities are taking the protection of the species seriously,» says Dr Raffael Ayé of BirdLife Switzerland. More on Biodiversity and on Wildlife.