Enhancing the Protection of Birds in the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Nairobi Convention
The main objective of this joint initiative was to develop a regional synthesis report on birds and their habitats in the Nairobi Convention area launched at the Convention’s Conference of the Parties (COP) in April 2012.
In August 2011, BirdLife International entered into a collaborative agreement with Nairobi Convention Secretariat on a project titled: Enhancing the Protection of Birds in the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Nairobi Convention. The collaborative project was focused on reviewing the bird listed in the Convention’s 'Protocol Concerning Protected Areas and Wild Fauna and Flora in the Eastern African Region. Over the years, the biodiversity in the Convention Area has come under intense threat resulting from increasing population pressure, overexploitation and conversion of coastal habitats for other uses such as agriculture, aquaculture, port/harbour expansion and urban development. Such unsustainable developments, in turn, have led to the destruction of vital coastal and marine habitats such as mangrove forests, among others. In this regard, BirdLife International was engaged to review the status of birds listed in the Protocol as indicators of marine and coastal ecosystem health.