Mohamed bin Zayed funds raptor research

Photo: P Hancock
BirdLife Botswana is grateful to the MBZ Species Conservation Fund for financing a study to determine raptor trends throughout Botswana. The project involves counting raptors along fixed road transects – a standard method used throughout Africa – and already hundreds of birds have been counted along tens of thousands of kilometres. With a scientific study of this nature, one should not have any preconceived ideas in advance; however, many of our raptors are under serious threat from poisoning, habitat destruction and other factors, so the information – when compared with similar surveys from the 1990s and before – will help us to identify priority species for conservation action. Check this blog for regular project updates.