Maltese ornithologists for Libya seabird project

BirdLife Malta ornithologists Joe Sultana and John Borg have been invited to form part of an international team in Libya to study one of the Mediterranean's rarest seabirds, the lesser crested tern.

The Maltese experts will be passing on their skills to Libyan ornithologists by working with them to count and ring the tern population. They will help to train their Libyan counterparts on how to ring the birds, and Malta-addressed bird rings from the BirdLife Malta Ringing Scheme will be used during the programme.

The project is the result of a workshop on the Mediterranean Action Plan for the Conservation of Marine and Coastal Birds held in 2005. By ringing these birds, conservationists will get a better understanding of where the population moves to after the breeding season, which will allow them to better protect vital wintering areas.

The project was initiated by the Libyan Environment General Authority in coordination with the Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas set up by the Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP) and involves participants from BirdLife Malta, the Istituto Nazionale per la Fauna Selvatica (Italy), the Biological Station of the Tour du Valat (France), Les Amis des Oiseaux (Tunisia), and Al Fateh University (Libya).

www.birdlifemalta.org