SEABIRD CONSERVATION PROGRAMME
Andrea Angel prepared and presented a one-day observer training course to new CapMarine fisheries’ observers who will be working locally and internationally to collect seabird bycatch interaction and mitigation measures data. The course included an introduction to seabird biology and threats of bycatch, local and international legislation related to seabird bycatch, and data collection protocols.
LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION PROGRAMME
Protecting Ecosystems
Giselle Murison and Melissa Whitecross joined colleagues in a meeting of the Western Cape Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) Project Steering Group, which included presentations on OECM boundaries and the associated spatial datasets, costing the OECM rollout process in other provinces, and several OECM assessment case studies.
Protecting Species
Linda van den Heever attended meetings of the National Wildlife Poisoning Prevention Working Group.
EMPOWERING PEOPLE PROGRAMME
Nandi Thobela and Andrew de Blocq travelled to the Lowveld to participate in a charity trail run, The Extra Mile in which David Letsoalo, one of BirdLife South Africa’s Community Bird Guides, was being honoured as one of the event’s Conservation Heroes.
REGIONAL CONSERVATION PROGRAMME
Simeon Bezeng co-hosted a National Red List webinar on the National Red List Indexes: why do we need to produce them and how should we go about it. This webinar was part of a five-series webinar on the National Red List, which is organised by the National Red List Working Group in partnership with Reverse the Red.
SCIENCE & INNOVATION PROGRAMME
The team celebrated the signing of a funding agreement with Afrit for support of the revision of The Red Data Book of South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini.
Melissa Lewis remained in Cambridge this week following the BirdLife World Congress. She used this opportunity to meet with policy colleagues in in BirdLife International and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
HEAD OF CONSERVATION
Hanneline Smit-Robinson participated in an NGO Network meeting for the Environmental Sector to discuss the collective support the NGO sector can offer to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment with the negotiations leading up to the Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of Parties (CBD COP17), and the implementation of the proposed 30×30 CBD protected area target.
BUSINESS DIVISION
The annual Owl Awards were held at Isdell House. The Mouse-Free Marion audit commenced this week. Fanie du Plessis attended a corporate governance course presented by Mervyn King. Other meetings included the bi-monthly African Birdlife Man Comm meeting, the Flock to Wilderness Organising Committee meeting, and the monthly Marketing Committee meeting. Mark Anderson met with a number of donors and collaborators, including Dr Michael Riffel (C4C Fund) and Dr Olivier Langrand (Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund). Mark, Anton Wolfaardt and Heidi Whitman met with CropLife to discuss the Mouse-Free Marion Project.