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Bi-communal Waterbird Monitoring Programme

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In an effort to offset the risk of avian influenza in Cyprus, the United Nations Development Programme Action for Cooperation and Trust (UNDP-ACT) is supporting a team of bird experts who, in June 2007, established an islandwide waterbird surveillance programme, with the main objectives being:
  • To improve islandwide capacity to detect and report wild bird deaths and possible routes of transmission of avian influenza, and generally to better understand the movement patterns of waterbirds throughout Cyprus;
  • To assist in the establishment of partnerships between relevant stakeholders in both the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities through data sharing and training programmes; and
  • To improve the rapid sharing of data locally and internationally.

The Unit of Environmental Studies of the Research Center at the University of Nicosia is carrying out this project together with Turkish Cypriot scientists, the Turkish-Cypriot Biologists Association, the Cyprus Game Fund, and the Cyprus Veterinarian Association. The project is carried out under the auspices of the Emergency Disease Forum (EDF), which is an informal bi-communal platform supported by UNDP-ACT to ensure an efficient channel for immediate communication and cooperation between veterinary and health experts in the event of a disease outbreak on the island.
Communication Strategies

This initiative involves collaboration between conservationists from two communities (Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot) in an effort to collect information as part of a pan-island push against the threat of avian influenza. Seven teams of birdwatchers and ornithologists from both communities carry out waterbird counts every month. They were initially guided in this work through an in-person training exercise conducted by an expert from the British Trust for Ornithology at a centre located at one of Cyprus' wetlands.

As these teams of bird counters gather information, they also work to exchange it - both amongst themselves, and with others on the island. As it has become too cold for the birds to stay any longer in northern Europe, the teams of bird counters are reportedly exchanging information about the new feathered visitors to Cyprus that will be wintering on the island. One tool to foster that exchange will be a joint database containing information from all over Cyprus, which is expected to be up and running by early 2008; it will be accessible online for the teams. In addition, a documentary about the project has been prepared by a local television channel.

Representatives associated with the project have presented details about it at local and international conferences. Moreover, in January 2008, members of the bi-communal team will contribute to an international initiative - the International Waterfowl Counts that started in 1967 - by providing information from the whole island.

Development Issues

Natural Resource Management, Health.

Key Points

Cyprus is considered to be at high risk for avian influenza because of its location on the path of a major bird migration route, and its proximity to countries which have recently experienced outbreaks. An additional complication is that, since the conflict in 1974, the island has experienced a de-facto division between the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities, which can make islandwide contingency planning difficult. Regular surveillance of waterbirds has been carried out by the Research Unit of the Cyprus Game Fund in the Greek-Cypriot community since 1993; until the initiation of the programme described above, a surveillance system did not exist in the Turkish-Cypriot community.

As of December 2007, 6 joint counts of waterbirds at 24 wetland areas throughout all Districts in Cyprus had been carried out, which organisers claim has garnered "an impressive amount of data", considering that some of the wetland areas are broken down into distinct count sectors, reaching a total of 45 sectors.

Sources

Email from Nicolas Jarraud to The Communication Initiative on December 12 2007.