IAF eBulletin for December 2020
|
|
|
Thanks to volunteer translators, this eBulletin is available in other languages. If you would like to take part, email muehle@iaf.org . If your language does not appear, we upload late translations onto the Facebook page
Important note to delegates, to club representatives and to translators: please don't forget to forward this eBulletin to your club members and all the falconer you know, especially the many language versions, even if it is by a "share" on social media - you will magnify the falconer's voice!
|
|
IAF 2020 Virtual Council of Delegates Meeting:
|
|
|
As a result of the Covid19 pandemic, the IAF Council of delegates was unable to meet in person in Kearney, Nebraska as had originally been intended. A successfull alternative was found and over 100 people attended the virtual Council of Delegates Meeting held over the course of two sessions on the 22nd and 29th of November via Zoom. Below you may find some highlights.
|
|
|
|
|
"Vice-presidents, Board Members, invited experts, welcome to the 2020 Meeting. Even though we have not been able to attend meetings in person since March, every day the IAF is fighting for small changes and the protection of falconry at national and international levels. This year has been a strange one: all the usual activities which are so important to our organization, have been cancelled; there are no hunting-meets, no conferences, no social activities, no-where to meet together with our supporters, or even with our detractors. I am disappointed that we are not able to get together in Kearney, Nebraska at the invitation of NAFA, one of IAF’s greatest supporters. Kearney always showcases the IAF and enables us to get our work done in an atmosphere of friendship in the setting of excellent falconry. I hope that NAFA will invite us again soon. On a good note: the enthusiasm shown for this year’s World Falconry Day and the many videos received by the World Falconry Day Group and particularly by the Womens’ Working Group, has restored our faith in each other and shown us a way forward into more normal times.
Please God that we will all be able to get together soon. Once again, welcome. Let us continue with today’s agenda."
(Excerpt from the Speech of H.E. Majed al Mansouri)
|
|
|
Adrian Reuter was elected unanimously as the new IAF Vice President for Latin America and the Carribean. He is the first holder of this office after most recently serving as IAF Executive Secretary from 2013-2018. You may find details of his extensive experience and goals for the region by clicking here.
|
|
|
Adrian Reuter addressing the Mexican Senate during a review of the country's General Wildlife Law. © Juan Carlos Olmos, Conservación Sin Fronteras
|
|
New IAF Member Organizations:
The IAF Council of delegates unanimously voted to welcome the following new organizations into IAF:
Asociación Cetreros de Venezuela - Associate Member
Aves Rapaces de Chile - Supporting Member
European Foundation for Falconry and Conservation - Supporting Member
Falconry Fund - Supporting Member
Irish Raptor Conservancy - Observer
Pre Asociación de Cetrería y Conservación de Aves de Presa en el Ecuador - Observer
Five further applications were denied at various stages of the application process for not fulfilling the prerequisites of IAF membership. We look forward to working with all new member organizations to ensure the perpetuity of falconry as an art form and the global conservation of birds of prey.
|
|
|
Prof. Dr. Robert Kenward awarded IAF Presidents Award
|
|
|
Robert Kenward: Robert is an international conservationist, ecologist and raptor biologist who Chairs the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Thematic Group for Sustainable Use and Management of Ecosystems. He promotes conservation that is motivated by the sustainable use of wild species and their ecosystems, now specialising in multilingual soft-ware to inspire and inform practitioners (including Sakernet.org and Perdixnet for IAF and www.naturalliance.org for IUCN), while bringing together the thinking on conservation of local people from cultures across the world.
Image: Representing IAF at CMS CoP in Nairobi 2005,
|
|
|
Robert has enjoyed a 40 year association with the IAF and is author of 200 scientific publications and books which include a ‘Manual for Wildlife Radio Tagging’ (2000) and ‘The Goshawk’ (2006), the definitive work on the Goshawk that includes chapters on all aspects of their biology and conservation, combined with illuminating tales and insightful observations from extensive field research and time spent in the field flying and hunting with Goshawks.
Image:With a Goshawk in Opocno.
|
|
Future Council Meetings
Unfortunately the 2020 council of delegates meeting which was scheduled to be held in Kearney, Nebraska could not take place due to the Covid19 pandemic. The global uncertainty caused by this also impacted future IAF meetings and some rescheduling was necessary with the Council of delegates agreeing on the following countries for upcoming council meetings: 2021 Abu Dhabi, 2022 Pakistan, 2023 Kearney, 2024 Mongolia
All members of the Council of Delegates, secretariat, working groups and board look forward to future meets and wish all members of our global falconry community good health for this coming calendar year.
|
|
|
|
|
|
This year is very special: achievements in the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (conventions) have been very significant for the future of falconry – most of the conferences, conventions, etc. were cancelled, some were held online. In January IAF took part in the Convention on Migratory Species Conference of Parties in India, invited by CMS Raptors MoU to present in the side-event on the Saker Global Action Plan, where Janusz Sielicki presented our work on preventing of bird electrocution, the saker portal, satellite tracking and other related projects , as well as the work of the Mohammed Bin Zayed Raptor Fund on retrofitting dangerous lines in Mongolia and European Foundation for Falconry and Conservation initial project in Morocco.
IAF intervened several times in special committees, in order to prevent the introduction of new rules or regulations that would have had a negative influence on falconry on a global level. With the help of European Union delegates in one case and the Saudi Delegation in other cases, we prevented the inclusion of unworkable solutions that had been proposed by some of the anti-sustainable use organisations and countries. CMS CoP also adopted changes in the CMS Energy Resolution, proposed by IAF at the Energy Task Force Meeting in Paris, successfully adding Prevention of Electrocution to the strategic goals of the Energy Task Force.
IAF is an active partner in the Energy Task Force. We presented a simple Guidance Document on preventing electrocution, prepared in cooperation with people from the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, with the aim of giving a tool to banks and financing institutions for them to promote bird-friendly new medium-voltage lines. This document is now used by the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in any new projects on electrical infrastructure. Our strategic role must be to promote this approach in the other international and national financing institutions, , as well as governments and relevant sectors, such as utility companies (production and distribution), renewable energy developers, oil & gas / mining companies, railway and telecommunication.
|
|
|
|
IAF attends 40th Standing Committee Meeting of the Bern Convention:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Between the 30th of November and the 4th of December of this year the IAF Secretariat attended the meeting of the 40th Annual Standing Committee of the Bern Convention (organized via video conference due to pandemic limitations). The Bern Convention is a convention within the Council of Europe which protects species of flora, fauna and protected habitats of particular ecological significance. Bern convention meetings are attended by accredited NGOs, European Institutions and state parties.
|
|
|
|
|
|
IAF has been an NGO accredited to the Bern convention for several decades and we take a keen interest in the work of this convention. This is an important forum for falconers to showcase their active involvement in conservation and to assist in the safeguarding of wild raptors through this convention. This year there were 5 cases of interest to the IAF and the secretariat actively participated in discussions on all of these by making a number of interventions.
You may find a video explaining the functions of the Bern Convention below. https://vimeo.com/293139826
|
|
|
|
|
|
The IAF Falconry Education Program Website was published in celebration of WFD and displays the work being undertaken by the IAF Education Working Group to promote and share falconry and raptor conservation educational resources. This announcement had been included in the previous eBulletin, however due to some technical issues the website content was not live. We are happy to announce that the website is now fully functional. Further content is still being added and we welcome any pictures or educational resources which we may use. Should you wish to contribute to any of the Education Working Group Subgroup initiatives, please do not hesitate to get in touch via education@iaf.org or via the contact form on the website.
The overarching goal for the IAF Falconry Education Program for 2021 shall be: “To collate and harmonize global falconry and raptor conservation educational resources within the IFEP, for use by all members of the international falconry community.” We hope to feature as many different educational resources as possible to facilitate their gratuitous use by all members of our international falconry family.
|
|
|
The IAF Welfare Working Group hereby releases the eighth instalment of its series of concise and clear information on common diseases that affect the birds of prey used in falconry. Eventually, it is hoped to bind them into a booklet and to promote them on our website and social media, as a reference for falconers and for those vets who may not be familiar with avian diseases, but may come across them; in many countries there are no avian veterinary specialists and these should encourage them to look deeper. The eighth in the series, “Bacterial Diseases Part 2”, has been prepared by Dr. Andrea Villa and Dr. Dominik Fischer, DipECZM (WPH), University of Giessen, with input from the rest of the IAF Ethics and Welfare Working Group.
Please click on the link to access the publication.
|
|
|
This survey aims to find the diffusion (epidemiology) of viral diseases in birds of prey, both in captivity and in the wild. It also seeks to collect information about specific diseases such as: New Castle, West Nile and Avian Flu, and to investigate the prevalence of vaccinations. If we receive a sufficient number of answers - especially from veterinarians, we could create a document that can be spread throughout the falconry community to support the prevention of viral diseases. Please share this with your contacts. Your help is essential! Thank you.
- This work has been prepared by Dr. Andrea Villa DVM and members of IAF Welfare Working Group.
|
|
|
Permitting INDIVIDUAL SUBSCRIBERS allows IAF to recognize and encourage individuals who might not be part of a member club, to attend IAF events and to volunteer for roles within our organization. Individual subscribers also receive a copy of the IAF's International Journal of Falconry, a high quality publication issued annually.
|
|
e-Bulletin and eNewsletter Forwarding
If you would like to be added to the IAF Mailing List to receive these eBulletins and eNewsletters please click the button.
|
|
|
Note to Delegates and Club Representatives: please forward these IAF eBulletins to all your members. Please also feel free to use eBulletin articles in your printed newletters and journals.
|
|
|
|
