PROJECT

Conserving Wintering Sites of White-tailed Eagle in Ukraine

Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Birds with the support of Vogelbescherming Nederland launched project on conserving key wintering sites of the White-tailed eagle in Ukraine.

* Web-page of the Project [In Ukrainian] *

White-tailed Eagle is a beautiful and powerful bird of prey and has important ecological functions. It feeds on fish, waterfowls and small mammals, and usually takes ill, injured or weak animals. The species also feeds on dead animals. Therefore, White-tailed Eagle is considered a guard of wetlands that protects habitats from spread of diseases and high mortality.

However, people often demonstrate aggressive attitude toward this raptor. They persecute and kill the species as they consider it a competitor for fish and waterfowls. White-tailed Eagles are often killed by hunters during winter hunting on geese. This is a very severe threat especially in winter season when birds concentrate near water bodies and are vulnerable and very exposed to hunters. In order to protect this rare eagle, negative attitude should be changed.

The project is aimed at improving condition for wintering White-tailed Eagles in Ukraine and protecting them from killing by people.

For successful project implementation, four main objectives should be realized, including:

  • Carrying out monitoring of the key wintering sites of the White-tailed Eagle and selecting priority sites for conservation;
  • Implementing system of effective key sites’ protection (guarding of selected wintering sites);
  • Establishing a network of caretakers;
  • Developing positive attitude to the White-tailed Eagle amongst public and addressing problems of its conservation.

Currently, the project programme and scheme of implementation are developed; project team consisting of IBA coordinators is established; first survey in December 2006 is conducted.

Three monitoring surveys are scheduled to be carried out in 2006-2007. The next ones are January and February 2007. The main purposes of the surveys is selecting priority sites for conservation, where 10 or more eagles concentrate during winter; identifying hunting grounds where birds are taken; starting campaign against poaching and bird staffing.

Main surveys will be carried out in key wintering sites of the White-tailed eagle in the southern Ukraine and along Dnipro river. Professional teams of IBA coordinators will work in these regions.

We need to collect information on other wintering sites of the White-tailed eagle in Ukraine, particularly, data on site location, number of birds, attitude of local people, cases of poaching. These large-scale activities require support of not only IBA coordinators, but other people as well. Therefore, we invite to cooperation all people interested in protection of this rare raptor. Together we can protect the White-tailed Eagle from killing and give it a chance to survive!

We are looking forward to your response and support!

Address: p/b 33, Kyiv, 01103;
uspb@birdlife.org.ua
Tel. (044) 284-71-31
Olga Yaremchenko, Project Manager

© The Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Birds 2007