Africa in Action

Mozambique - Moments Common Bird Monitoring in Africa. African Fish Eagle pictured. Zoom In

BirdLife’s work in Africa gives high priority to empowering people to manage and benefit from sustainable use of natural resources through livelihoods improvement, and all these are achieved through a four-pronged strategic objective of: Species, Sites, Habitats and People.

BirdLife's Africa Division is involved in and coordinates a number of regional and national initiatives. A full list as of August 2009 is as follows - please check back soon for updates.

• Flyways Conservation (VBN): Supporting the growth and development of BirdLife Programmes for global flyways conservation, with a special focus on West Africa. Includes small grants to Nigeria, Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Liberia. For more information click here (PDF 114KB).
• Wings over Wetlands (AEWA sub-contractor hub): Enhancing conservation of the critical network of sites required by Migratory Waterbirds on the African/Eurasian Flyways. Click to download factsheet.
• Soaring Birds (GEF-UNDP) Africa Component: The Conservation of soaring migratory birds in the eastern sector of the Africa-Eurasia flyway system (Rift Valley and Red Sea Flyways) – Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

2. Capacity Building

• Zambia IBAs (NORAD/NOF): Capacity development for biodiversity conservation in Zambia. For more information click here (PDF 109KB).
• Eastern Arc Small Grants (CEPF): Small grants for building research capacity among Tanzanian and Kenyan students. For more information click here (PDF 145KB).
• Wildlife Clubs of Africa: Linking African children to the global conservation community for the benefit of nature and people. Click to download factsheet.
• Dutch Bird Fair Projects- Ghana, Tunisia, Burkina Faso (VBN): Capacity Building and awareness raising for effective and sustainable wetland conservation with special focus on the Common Tern Sterna Hirundo. Click to download factsheet.
STP (VBN): Enhancing capacity for sustainable biodiversity action. Click to download factsheet.
Sustaining and securing capacity in Upper Guinea Forest (CEPF):

3. Biodiversity Monitoring

• Africa IBA Monitoring (EC): Instituting effective monitoring of Protected Areas (Important Bird Areas) as a contribution to reducing the rate of biodiversity loss in Africa. For more information click here (PDF 174KB).
• Remote Sensing (RSPB): Monitoring Africa’s IBAs through Remote Sensing. For more information click here (PDF 144KB).
• Developing a system of monitoring IBAs in Africa using Remote Sensing (IFS):
• Sustainable Biodiversity Monitoring (CEPF): Instituting a standardised Sustainable Biodiversity Monitoring System in the Eastern Arc and Coastal Forests of Tanzania and Kenya. For more information click here (PDF 106KB).
• Spotted Ground Thrush (CEPF, Conservation Safaris): Conservation and monitoring of the Spotted Ground Thrush in the coastal forests of Kenya and Tanzania. For more information click here (PDF 96KB).
• Common Birds Monitoring (RSPB/BirdLife). Uganda and Botswana.

4. Improvement of Livelihoods 

• Improving Livelihoods_(Swedbio): Improving the livelihoods of local communities in Africa by promoting sustainable use of renewable natural resources through increased participation in biodiversity policy making and implementation. For more information click here (PDF 850 KB). For a 2008 update, please click here (PDF 463 KB).
• Berga - Ethiopia (Finnida, BENGO): Community-based wetland management for sustainable livelihoods and biodiversity conservation (Finnida/BirdLife Finland), and Revolving Fund (BENGO/NABU). For more information click here (PDF 70KB).
• Policy making and Improving Livelihoods - (AECID): Kenya, South Africa and Ethiopia. For more information click here (PDF 127KB). For a 2008 update, please click here (PDF 582 KB).
• Sao Tome (TAIWAN): Improving livelihoods through eco-tourism with focus on bird watching
• Enhancing the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities in the Ngovayang Forest, Cameroon (DFID and additional funding from; BirdLife International; CBCS; Government of Cameroon; and Jensen Foundation)

5. Publications

• Production of the 2008 IBA Status and Trends Report for Africa (Jensen Extension).
• Local Language Guide for Ghana.

8. Research and conservation of species

• BirdLife's Preventing Extinctions Programme (BirdLife and the British Birdwatching fair): The BirdLife Preventing Extinctions Programme.
• Sustainable White necked Picathartes Conservation in Sierra Leone (Disney).
• Djibout Francolin (Disney).
• Transboundary Peace Park between Sierra Leone and Liberia (EU). Visit the project website.
• Saving Africa’s threatened vultures (Rufford/RSPB).
• World Birds in Africa. (RSPB). Conservation of Migratory Birds and their Habitats along the West Coast of Africa (MAVA).

9. Site conservation

10. Project coordination and management