A few weeks ago we posted an article entitled “Cyprus: killing Europe’s Songbirds for a Snack”, which was triggered by a shocking report released by BirdLife Cyprus As we wrote at the time, BirdLife Cyprus had determined that between March 2008 and February 2009 a staggering 1.1 MILLION birds were netted or were caught on limesticks in Cyprus (hunters outnumber birdwatchers 500 to ONE on Cyprus)!

We emailed BirdLife Cyprus (the Cypriot BirdLife Partner) asking them whether we could help in some way, and suggested that an interview with someone within the organisation might be a good way to publicise the situation. We’re delighted to say that Martin Hellicar, the executive-manager of BirdLife Cyprus, agreed to talk to us, and the interview that follows is fascinating, disturbing, and thought-provoking…

Martin, many thanks for talking to us at what must be an extremely busy time of the year for you. Can I ask first how you became involved with BirdLife Cyprus?

• MH: I grew up in Cyprus. My family came out here in 1969 when I was not quite two years old. I have always had a strong interest in wildlife, and birds in particular, which led me to study Ecology at University, at Lancaster and later at York. I spent six years working as a journalist for the Cyprus Mail newspaper, specialising in environmental issues. But since 2003 I have been actively involved in bird conservation. First was a one-year, UN-funded bicommunal project looking at farmland bird communities across the island and how the introduction of the CAP might affect them.

  Through running this project I got involved with BirdLife Cyprus, and was lucky enough to land a job with the organisation in late 2003. I have worked here ever since, first as an EU Accession officer, focusing on lobbying for habitat protection and against bird trapping, and then as Manager.

Spreading awareness about the incredible numbers of birds killed on Cyprus is of course what triggered this interview. First off, though, I know from experience that we’re likely to get comments denying such a huge slaughter of birds takes place: just for the record, how accurate are the figures you released of 1.1 million birds netted or caught on limesticks last year?

• MH: Our numbers are estimates and meant to give a ballpark estimate of the extent of the problem, but we stand by the method we follow to arrive at these numbers. Basically, we have a very good picture – thanks to our systematic field monitoring of trapping areas – of how many nets and limesticks are being set each autumn, winter and spring. We also have good knowledge of the “killing power” of these illegal devices. It is then just a matter of simple multiplication.

  More importantly, our data on the trends in trapping activity are indisputable, as we are able to make a simple comparison between seasons and years based on systematic, repeat surveying of a randomly selected sample of areas within the known trapping “heartlands”. Worryingly, the trend over the last two years has been upward. This is what concerns us most. We are now in danger of witnessing a reversal of the great conservation success we have witnessed in Cyprus in the new millennium. Increased enforcement, brought about by BirdLife campaigning and the process of accession to the EU, has reduced trapping levels by over 80% compared to 1990s levels, with an estimated 60 million birds save in the process. But now the trappers are returning…

About 200 of the 370 or so bird species recorded in Cyprus are passage migrants. Presumably trappers and hunters really come out in force during the migration periods?

• MH: Autumn is the main trapping season, because there are more birds flooding through Cyprus then and because the birds have more fat on them, stored as “fuel” for the long journey to Africa they have ahead of them. The fat is what makes for a highly prized (and priced) trapped bird delicacy, known as ‘ambelopoulia’ locally. But trappers are also active in the winter and spring seasons. Fewer birds are caught in spring than in autumn or winter – because there are fewer birds passing through and these have reduced fat reserves, making them less attractive to trappers. But the impact of spring trapping is increased by the fact that birds snared then are on their way to breed further north.

Which species in particular are targeted (or is the trapping so random that ‘target’ isn’t the correct word to use) and from which part of Europe (or Russia etc) are they mainly headed for?

• MH: The trappers are after blackcaps and other warblers (chiffchaffs, willow warblers, garden warblers), but also robins and song thrushes, especially in the winter. But the real problem with trapping – apart from the mass killing potential it carries – is that the methods used (mist nets and glue sticks) are highly indiscriminate. We estimate that around 100 different species – many threatened ones among them – are killed in nets or on sticks.
  Most of “our” migrant birds come from breeding grounds in Russia and Eastern Europe, but we also get birds from further West, even from the UK.

Have any studies been made on the impacts on breeding populations of such large numbers of adult birds being removed before they’ve had a chance to breed?

• MH: The short answer is ‘no’. But it is clear that even for a very common and widespread species such as the blackcap, sustained trapping at the levels we had in Cyprus in the 1990s, when enforcement was almost non-existent and we estimate that around 10 million birds were being caught per year, would have a serious impact on populations. And, crucially, many of the species being killed are in decline or rare – nightingales, bee-eaters, flycatchers, shrikes…the list goes on. Such species cannot survive even today’s reduced trapping levels. I know its hard to think of over 1 million birds a year as being “reduced” trapping, but it is! Still unacceptable in its impact, but reduced nontheless…

  We’re a lot better off than we were in the recent past, but the conservation impact of the continuing trapping – especially for rarer species – is huge.

Of course trapping is not the only threat many of these species face…

• MH: The trapping impact cannot be seen in isolation. It is part of an array of threats to our wildlife: habitats loss and fragmentation, agricultural intensification, climate change. BirdLife International data show that migrant birds are increasingly among the most threatened on the planet. Such species can ill afford the added threat of trapping.

Migration has probably already peaked for this spring, so what’s the situation on the ground like right now from your perspective?

• MH: Our spring monitoring is ongoing and our under-cover team will be out in the field till the end of the month, so I don’t yet have a full picture of what’s going on. But the trappers are definitely active again – results from the first part of our survey suggest trapping levels are similar to those in spring 08, which were the highest for four years…

  But there’s some good news too – the other day we got a phone call here in the office from a local man reporting that he had seen a net set up in a stand of acacias and wondering what could be done about it. That may not sound like much to get excited about – but it’s never happened before. So our campaign message – we do much work trying to get the general public (and schools in particular), “on side” - is filtering through.

The EU Birds Directive quite clearly states that non-selective hunting and trapping is banned in member states. It’s hard to see that Cyprus is honouring the agreements it signed when it joined the EU.

• MH: The problem is one of implementation. While I have to be fair and say that the relevant enforcement officers in the field (of the government Game Fund and the British Sovereign Bases Police) are generally doing all they can to halt trapping, they are stretched and there isn’t the top-level political will to get to the heart of the matter by hitting the restaurants that are illegally selling the trapped birds – and providing the cash incentives for trappers.

Presumably the Cypriot authorities are aware of their responsibilities under the law regarding wild birds though?

• MH: Indeed, but it has not ever been a priority issue – it is up to us here at BirdLife to make sure it becomes one and stays near the top of the agenda.

I get the impression that the hunting problem on Cyprus has little to do with ‘trophy killing’ but that many of the smaller passerines are being caught to be eaten - illegally - as ‘ambelopoulia’. Is that correct?

• MH: Expensive, sought-after, food is what it is all about. ‘Ambelopoulia’ has always been a favourite “delicacy” here, and increased enforcement has made the birds more sought-after and more expensive, making trapping more profitable. This is the ironic downside of the huge success of our campaign to get more enforcement.

There’s an ‘underground’ element to selling ‘ambelopoulia’, but from what I read it’s easy enough to find if you want it. This raises a number of questions. Firstly, do you have any idea how many restaurants/taverns on Cyprus sell ‘ambelopoulia’, and secondly what percentage of Cypriots might be eating it?

• MH: We know just about exactly how many people are eating ‘ambelopoulia’. An opinion poll we commissioned last August showed that 3% of Cypriots eat the birds “regularly” – that’s up from 2005, when 2% of respondents said they ate them regularly. 3% of the adult population is about around 160,000 people.

  We don’t know exactly how many restaurants are breaking the law in this way, but they number in the dozens. One of the things we are working on is compiling a list of offending establishments to pass on to the authorities. But this is not simple – we have to be sure the police would find birds there if they raided. We have had some limited success with this, but it is an area we haven’t “cracked” yet – and a crucial one, I can’t emphasize that enough.

  The worrying thing – though it does make it easier for us to find out what’s going on – is that restaurants are being far more open about it now than they were in the year’s immediately after accession to the EU (in 2004). This suggests they are less worried about being caught – hardly an encouraging sign.

There are virtually no convictions for selling ‘ambelopoulia’ (nine in 2008 I believe), so are the authorities just turning a blind eye to what’s going on under their noses?

• MH: There are exceptions, but food and eating generally seem to be considered sacrosanct here – most politicians baulk at the idea of raiding restaurants to apprehend those selling ‘ambelopoulia’. Many feel it would be a very unpopular move to clamp down on offending restaurants and, let’s face it, we know of many top officials who eat ‘ambelopoulia’ themselves…

How do you react to the “Eating birds is our culture” argument?

• MH: I’m a big fan of tradition, but not all traditions are necessarily good or appropriate today. Trapping birds for food was a legitimate need in the days when Cyprus was a country of poor peasants. There is no need for it any more and, more to the point, it has a serious conservation impact. We all have to do our bit to conserve biodiversity – ultimately it is the selfish thing to do.

  The harsh reality is that trapping has little to do with tradition any more – it is to do with money. The small-time, traditional trappers who might have set out a few limesticks to catch birds for their own kitchen are mostly gone now. What are left, increasingly, are well-organised gangs of often violent criminals who think little of shooting at game wardens should they encroach on their “patch”. It’s a ruthless business.

Is there any evidence that overseas tourists are buying ‘ambelopoulia’ as well (perhaps not knowing what it actually is)?

• MH: No – not that we’ve heard of. Most restaurateurs would not sell ‘ambelopoulia’ to tourists – they know foreigners don’t “appreciate” them and might react. The market is a local one.

The number of birders visiting Cyprus seems to have grown hugely since I started birding in the early 1980s. Do you welcome that, and do you think they understand the problems facing birds - the very birds they’ve come to see - on Cyprus?

• MH: Absolutely. Visiting birders help put across the message that living wild birds have real value for the tourism industry, which is our mainstay over here.

  Do they understand the problem? I think most of them know what’s going on, yes. Aren’t most British birders members of the RSPB? [Charlie: They should be!] Well if they are they will know all about our campaign to halt illegal bird trapping and to protect key bird habitats in Cyprus, because it is RSPB support that allows us to mount these campaigns! And most visiting birders from other parts of Europe will be members of the BirdLife partner organisation in their home country – so again they will know about the BirdLife effort to end trapping, not just in Cyprus but in places like Malta, Italy and Spain too.

Included in the BirdLife Cyprus “Birdwatching Code of Practice” is the advice to report any “illegal shooting or use of nets, glue sticks or other trapping devices” to Game Fund or SBA Police. Many birders visiting Cyprus might reasonably ask what the point would be. Do reports to the police actually get followed up, because it does appear that if 1.1 million birds are being killed annually the police aren’t enforcing the law at all?

• MH: There is enforcement, otherwise we would still be seeing about 10 million birds killed every year. But the enforcers working in the field have limited resources and are faced with an increasingly organised, covert and dangerous band of trappers. Reporting trapping evidence can help spur increased enforcement – apart from anything else there aren’t enough enforcer patrols out there to cover everywhere, so information is always useful.
  Also, it is useful for local decision-makers to know that visitors are aware of and notice the problem. This helps push the issue higher up the agenda.
  What visitors must not do is try to intervene themselves to stop trapping – this could be dangerous. It is the enforcers’ job to do this. Our job is to push them and help them do this job as best they can.

  I would also ask any visitors seeing trapping activity to let us know too – see the BirdLife Cyprus website for contact details.

My personal reaction on seeing that so many birds are being killed on Cyprus is to yell “Boycott” from the rooftops and hope that economic pressure might work where legal requirements haven’t. You obviously understand the situation far better than I do - could such an approach make any difference at all to the number of birds being killed on the island?

• MH: I think a boycott would backfire.

  Only now are local tourism bosses beginning to appreciate the worth of wildlife tourism. This means the economic value of this tourism sector is as yet unquantified, and thus largely undervalued – at present. If such visitors suddenly stopped coming, then the reaction would probably be “never mind, lets focus more on sun & sea tourism”. This would mean more pressure to build more hotels and villas, which would mean even more great habitat for migrant birds going under concrete…
  My feeling is that it is important that people come here to enjoy our wildlife and to tell as many people as possible while they are out here that this is what they have come for! Positive pressure for conservation is what will work.

What can birders worldwide do to help BirdLife Cyprus turn around the awful situation facing migrant birds?

• MH: There are a number of things:
     - Come to Cyprus to watch birds – and tell locals that’s why you’re here!
     - Write to your local EuroMP about the issue – Brussels can do more to put pressure on Cyprus to end this thing.
     - Become a ‘supporting member’ of the BirdLife Cyprus anti-trapping campaign – it costs very little and will seriously increase our punching weight with the local authorities.

Many of the people reading this will have blogs which in turn attract a huge number of readers: do you have a specific message for other bloggers regarding publicising what’s happening to birds on Cyprus?

• MH: It’s simple, if the issue is not “known”, local decision-makers can happily forget about it, they can pretend it has gone away. Coverage is directly correlated to enforcement action on the ground. Just tell the story on your blogs and sites and please link to the BirdLife Cyprus website.

Lastly, Martin, there’s an interesting sentence on the BirdLife Cyprus website referring to illegal trapping which says, “A recent opinion poll showed that the majority of Cypriots are against this illegal activity”. How optimistic are you that one day at least a majority of birds will be safe as they move through Cyprus?

• MH: Totally. We will get there. This practice is illegal, unsustainable and anachronistic. Yes, we’re seeing a bit of reversal at the moment, but we are in this to see it through to the end. The general public here “buy” our anti-trapping argument when we get a chance to put it across. We just have to get this silent majority to speak up. At the end of the day, it is about a small number of criminals making a lot of money on the back of destroying our shared natural heritage.

   

  Thanks so much for talking to us Martin, and do please pass on a message of support to your staff from us.

  • MH: Thank you for the support!

   

  All photographs copyright of the RSPB or BirdLife Cyprus and used with permission

   

  (For a very interesting blog on Cyprus and its birds (and bird-related problems) I recommend checking out Dan’s Migrations blog.)

   

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  BirdLife Cyprus is a registered non-governmental organization (NGO) that dedicates itself to the conservation of wild birds and their habitats in Cyprus. It was formed in 2003 through the merger of the two Cyprus Ornithological Societies and now has offices in Strakka, Nicosia.
  BirdLife Cyprus is the Cyprus representative of BirdLife International – a globally active conservation organization that operates in over 100 countries and territories worldwide and is the recognized global authority on birds.
  BirdLife Cyprus aims to promote the study and protection of the birds of Cyprus and their habitats, and to enable the citizens of Cyprus and other countries to play their part in achieving this goal.
  The organization runs a number of campaigns and monitoring projects to ensure it can fight against activities that threaten wild birds, such as illegal hunting and trapping, and the destruction and degradation of habitats, with a particular focus on Important Bird Areas (IBAs).

  Website: http://www.birdlifecyprus.org/