Experts from 27 countries participated at the Roller protection conference in Kecskemét
The number of Rollers has drastically decreased throughout Europe and the species has disappeared from several Western European countries. The Carpathian Basin’s population is considered stable, which makes its protection very important in order to maintain the species population on the level of the European Union. Since the Roller is a long-distance migrant (wintering south to Sahara), the protection of the breeding grounds itself is not sufficient for the long-term
conservation of the species. International collaboration is indispensable for the maintenance of the wintering and the breeding sites, as well as the migratory routes. To make collaboration easier a Species Action Plan was created, and approved by all countries involved.
BirdLife Hungary (MME), together with the Kiskunság National Park Directorate, organized an international conference for the Roller experts of the world in Kecskemét, between 19 and 21 January 2017. The conference was organized within the framework of the LIFE+ project “The conservation of the European Roller within the Carpathian Basin” and targeted the revision of the first International Species Protection Plan dating from 2008.
About 80 participants from 27 countries were present at the conference, it was essential to bring together the experts from the European breeding ground of the species with those from countries situated along the migration route (Cyprus and Israel) and wintering grounds (Republic of Kenya and South Africa).
The Rollers spends only four months on the European breeding grounds each year, most of their time being spent on the spring and autumn migration and in the African wintering quarters. During the ten thousand kilometre long journey, the birds face many difficulties such as illegal hunting, degradation of stopover and wintering sites, food shortage and climate change. Beside these, Rollers face further problems upon arrival at the shrinking breeding areas such as overly used chemicals in agriculture causing food shortage, lack of nesting sites (old trees with cavities), electrocution by medium voltage power lines and habitat degradation caused by intensive agricultural practices.
Members of the “Milvus Group” Association attended the conference with a presentation and took part in the drafting of the new Action Plan on the conservation of the Roller.
As other project partners of “Conservation of the European Roller (
Coracias garrulus) in the Carpathian Basin (LIFE13/NAT/HU/000081)” project, the Milvus Group is working hard to increase the Roller population of the Western Plain of Romania and the conservation actions results are already visible in the field.
Presentations from the conference can be accessed on:
http://rollerproject.eu/en/content/isap-conference-2017-kecskemet-hungary
The number of Rollers has drastically decreased throughout Europe and the species has disappeared from several Western European countries. The Carpathian Basin’s population is considered stable, which makes its protection very important in order to maintain the species population on the level of the European Union. Since the Roller is a long-distance migrant (wintering south to Sahara), the protection of the breeding grounds itself is not sufficient for the long-term conservation of the species. International collaboration is indispensable for the maintenance of the wintering and the breeding sites, as well as the migratory routes. To make collaboration easier a Species Action Plan was created, and approved by all countries involved.
BirdLife Hungary (MME), together with the Kiskunság National Park Directorate, organized an international conference for the Roller experts of the world in Kecskemét, between 19 and 21 January 2017. The conference was organized within the framework of the LIFE+ project “The conservation of the European Roller within the Carpathian Basin” and targeted the revision of the first International Species Protection Plan dating from 2008.
About 80 participants from 27 countries were present at the conference, it was essential to bring together the experts from the European breeding ground of the species with those from countries situated along the migration route (Cyprus and Israel) and wintering grounds (Republic of Kenya and South Africa).
The Rollers spends only four months on the European breeding grounds each year, most of their time being spent on the spring and autumn migration and in the African wintering quarters. During the ten thousand kilometre long journey, the birds face many difficulties such as illegal hunting, degradation of stopover and wintering sites, food shortage and climate change. Beside these, Rollers face further problems upon arrival at the shrinking breeding areas such as overly used chemicals in agriculture causing food shortage, lack of nesting sites (old trees with cavities), electrocution by medium voltage power lines and habitat degradation caused by intensive agricultural practices.
Members of the “Milvus Group” Association attended the conference with a presentation and took part in the drafting of the new Action Plan on the conservation of the Roller.
As other project partners of “Conservation of the European Roller (Coracias garrulus) in the Carpathian Basin (LIFE13/NAT/HU/000081)” project, the Milvus Group is working hard to increase the Roller population of the Western Plain of Romania and the conservation actions results are already visible in the field.
Presentations from the conference can be accessed on: http://rollerproject.eu/en/content/isap-conference-2017-kecskemet-hungary
