The Intergovernmental Task Force on Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds in the Mediterranean (MIKT) has been convened by the CMS Secretariat in conjunction with the Secretariat of AEWA, the Raptors MOU Coordinating Unit and the African-Eurasian Migratory Landbirds Action Plan (AEMLAP) Working Group. It brings together governmental representatives of CMS Parties from the Mediterranean region, including European Union Member States, and other interested Parties. Representatives from non-CMS Parties as well as relevant international organizations and networks are also part of MIKT as observers..

As of September 2022, the Membership of the Task Force consists of 22 CMS Parties. Additionally, three Interested Parties (CMS Parties which do not have a Mediterranean coast), and one Non-Party are Observers to the MIKT. Twelve multilateral environmental agreements (represented by their Secretariats), organizations and networks, and nine non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are Observers to MIKT. A list of all Members and Observers can be found below.

Finally, MIKT collaborates with other international organisations involved in wildlife crime, on an ad hoc basis, such as IMPEL.

The establishment of the Task Force was mandated through CMS COP Resolution 11.16 (Rev. COP13) on the illegal killing, taking and trade of migratory birds (IKB) to facilitate international cooperation as well as the implementation of the existing guidelines and action plans. Resolution 11.16 was adopted in 2014 in COP11, and has since been amended and updated in COP12 and COP13. There have also been a number of Decisions related to particular aspects of the work, e.g. Decisions 13.27 to 13.31 - Task Force on Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds in the Mediterranean (MIKT). Its Modus operandi was adopted in 2016.

MIKT is working as a catalyst to gather information scattered amongst diverse international organizations, and to help experts coordinate their work. The Mediterranean region is a hotspot for illegal killing, taking and trade of migratory birds (IKB), and MIKT is the first pan-Mediterranean task force aiming to serve, when appropriate, as a model approach for other parts of the world that also face IKB-related issues.

From 2016 to 2021, four meetings of MIKT were held, since 2017 the meetings are held as joint meetings with the Bern Convention Network of Special Focal Points (SFPs) on Eradication of Illegal Killing, Trapping and Trade in Wild Birds. The key outcomes and documents produced and endorsed by MIKT to date are:

  • Cairo Declaration in 2016
  • MIKT Programme of Work (POW) 2016-2020. The MIKT Programme of Work complemented the Tunis Action Plan (TAP) 2013-2020, for the remaining five years of the TAP. The TAP was the strategic document on IKB for the Bern Convention for the period 2013-2020
  • Scoreboard to Assess the Progress in Combating Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Wild Birds (IKB):

the IKB Scoreboard is a voluntary self-assessment tool for countries to evaluate and rank the progress made at national and regional level. To date, three Scoreboard assessments have been completed (in 2018, 2020 and 2023). Subsequent assessments will be carried out every three years within the geographical scope of the contracting Parties of MIKT and the Bern Convention. The Scoreboard was adopted as Annex 1 to Resolution 11.16, by CMS COP12 in 2017. For more information on the Scoreboard, please visit the IKB Scoreboard dedicated page.

The fifth meeting of MIKT (4th Joint meeting) took place from 7 to 9 June 2022, in Valencia, Spain and online in hybrid format. Main outcomes of the meeting include the adoption of additional instructions for enhanced narrative comments in the Scoreboard; the presentation for comments ahead of endorsement of legislative guidance; and the presentation for comments ahead of endorsement of guidance on conducting socio-economic surveys to monitor motivations for IKB.

Additionally, at MIKT5 there was a lot of exchange and sharing of experience and best practice from different countries.

 


The European Union was recognized as Champion Plus for their generous support and commitment towards addressing Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds in the Mediterranean for the period 2018 - 2023. This activity has been funded with the contribution granted by the European Commission under the Migratory Species Champion Programme and through the Global Public Goods and Challenges (GPGC Programme) Cooperation Agreements with UNEP.


 

MEMBERS OF THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL TASK FORCE ON ILLEGAL KILLING, TAKING AND TRADE OF MIGRATORY BIRDS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN (MIKT)

1.       Albania

Ms Edit Vardhami

Directorate of Environmental Development Programs, Ministry of Tourism and Environment

[email protected]

2.       Algeria

Ms Fifi Mouhoubi

 

Cheffe du bureau de l' Organisation de la Chasse a la Direction Générale des Forêts

CMS FP

[email protected]

3.      Bosnia-Herzegovina

Ms Nada Mlinar

Ms Vanda Medic

Executive assistant for International Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations [email protected] 

[email protected]

4.      Croatia

Ms Maja Polic

Nature Protection Inspector, Directorate for Inspection, Ministry of Environment and Nature Protection

[email protected]

5.       Cyprus

Mr Pantelis Hadjijerou

 

Mr Panicos Panayides

 

Head of Game and Fauna Service, Ministry of the Interior

[email protected]

Officer, Game and Fauna Service, Ministry of Interior

[email protected] 

6.       Egypt

Mr Luay El Sayed

Coordinator of Wildlife Programme Nature Conservation Sector Environmental Affairs Agency

[email protected]

7.       European Union

Ms Iva Obretenova

Ms Cristina Chirtes

Mr Jeremie Crespin

European Commission,
Directorate-General for Environment, Nature Unit

 [email protected]

[email protected] 

[email protected]

8.       France

Mr Charles-Henri de Barsac

 

Chargé de mission pour les actions européennes et internationales en faveur de la faune et de la flore sauvage, Ministère de l’Environnement, de l’Enérgie et de la Mer

[email protected]

9.       Greece

Mrs Kalomoira Agapitou

 

Mrs Anastasia Stergiou

 

Section for Wildlife and Game Management of the Directorate for Forest Management
 
Section for Wildlife and Game Management of the Directorate for Forest Management

10.       Israel

Mr Simon Nemtzov

 

Wildlife Ecologist and Coordinator of International Treaties, Israel Nature and Parks Authority 

[email protected] 

11.   Italy

Ms Arianna Aradis

 

Mr Claudio Marrucci (Tenente Colonnello Claudio Marrucci)

 

 

Area Avifauna Migratrice, Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA)

[email protected] 

Comandante del Reparto Operativo del Raggruppamento Carabinieri CITES 

[email protected]

12. Lebanon

Mr Jeff Gerges

Environment Specialist at the Ministry of Environment

[email protected] 

13.   Libya

Mr Abdalbaset Hassan Abushiba Massoud

[email protected]

14.   Malta

 

Ms Jessica Fenech

 

Scientific Coordinator, Birds Regulation Unit, Parliamentary Secretariat for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights

[email protected]

15.   Monaco

Mr Ludovic Aquilina

Chef de Section, Direction de l’Environment

[email protected]

16.   Montenegro

Ms Anela Sijarić 

Head of Department Freshwater and Terrestrial Ecosystems

[email protected]

17.   Morocco

Ms Hayat Mesbah

Chef de Service de la Conservation
de la Flore et de la Faune Sauvages,
Haut Commissariat aux Eaux et Forêts
et à la Lutte Contre la Désertification

[email protected]

18.   Slovenia

Mr Andrej Bibic (CMS Focal Point)

Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning

[email protected]

19.   Spain

Mr Borja Armada Heredia

Mr Rubén Moreno-Opo Díaz -Meco

 

Mr Fernando Magdaleno Mas

Subdirección General de Medio Natural, Dirección General de Calidad y Evaluación Ambiental y Medio Natural, Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico

[email protected]

[email protected] 

 

Subdirector General de Biodiversidad Terrestre y Marina, Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico (MITECO)

 [email protected]

20.   Syrian Arab Republic

Eng. Belal Alhayek 

 

Director Biodiversity, Biodiversity, Land and Nature Reserves Directorate, Ministry of State for Environment Affairs

[email protected]

21.   Tunisia

Mr Jamel Tahri

Ingénieur principal a la Direction Générale des Forêts au Ministere de l’Agriculture, des Ressources Hydrauliques et de la Peche

[email protected]

22.   United Kingdom

Ms  Kate Brickett 

Head of Wildlife Management and Crime, Natural Environment Policy, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs(DEFRA)

[email protected]

 

MIKT OBSERVERS 

Interested Parties [1]

1.       Germany

Ms Berit Gewert

Division of Species Protection, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB)

[email protected]

2.       Portugal

Mr Joao Loureiro

Head of Unit - Institute of Nature Conservation and Forests

[email protected]  

 

3.       Jordan

 

Eng. Belal Qtishat

CMS Focal Point, Director of  Nature protection Directorate, Ministry of Environment

[email protected] 

Non-Parties

1.       Palestine

Nomination pending

 

2.       Türkiye

Mr Fehmi Arikan

 

Mr Burak Tatar

Expert - Department of Game Management GD of Nature Conservation and National Parks Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs

[email protected]

Wildlife Biologist, Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs

[email protected]

MEA Secretariats & networks

1.       AEWA Secretariat

Mr Sergey Dereliev

Technical Officer

[email protected]

2.       Bern Convention  Secretariat

Mr Eoghan Kelly

Ms Marta Medlinska

[email protected]

[email protected]

3.       CITES  Secretariat

Mr Barend Van Rensburg

Mr Edward Van Asch Caballero 

Chief of Enforcement Support

[email protected]

[email protected] 

4.       CMS  Secretariat

 

Mr Iván Ramírez

Mr Tilman Schneider

Ms Susan Tsang

CMS Secretariat

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected] 

5.       Task Force Coordinator

Ms Clairie (Foteini) Papazoglou

[email protected] 

6.       Raptors MOU

Mr Umberto Gallo Orsi

Coordinating Unit

[email protected]

7.       INTERPOL

Ms Cindy Chimal

Environmental Security

INTERPOL General Secretariat

[email protected]

8.       UNEP

Ms Lobna Ben Nakhla

 

Mr Harald Egerer

UNEP MAP Regional Activity Centre, Tunisia

[email protected]

Head of the Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention, UNEP's Regional Office for Europe

[email protected]

9.       UNODC

Ms Olga Kuzmianok

 

Mr Jorge Rios

Programme manager of Global Programme for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime

[email protected]

Chief, Global Programme for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime, and
Chief, Sustainable Livelihoods

[email protected]

 

10.    UNDP

 

Mr Yves de Soye

Regional Technical Advisor, Ecosystems & Biodiversity, Global Environmental Finance Unit, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support

[email protected]

11.   EU Forum of Judges for the Environment (EUFJE)

 

Mr Jan Van den Bergue

Ms Farah Bouquelle

Vice-president Court of First Instance,

East-Flanders/ High Council of the Judiciary

j[email protected]

[email protected]

12.   European Network of Prosecutors for the Environment (ENPE)

Mr Shaun Robinson

Mr Lars Magnusson

[email protected]

[email protected]

13.   Europol / EnviCrimeNet

Mr Jorge Jesus

Environmental Crime

[email protected]

Advisory Bodies

1.       CMS Standing Committee

 

Chair – CMS Standing Committee

 

2.       Scientific Council CMS      

Ms Narelle Montgomery

Chair Scientific Council

[email protected]

3.       AEWA Technical Committee

Mr Hichem Azafzaf, Regional representative of N Africa

Mr Taulant Bino, Regional representative of C Europe

Mr Nils Bunnefeld, Thematic expert on rural economics

[email protected]

 

[email protected]

 

[email protected]

4.       Raptors MOU Technical Advisory Group

Mr Andre Botha

Chair Technical Advisory Group

[email protected]

5.       Landbirds Working Group

 

 

 

 

Mr Olivier Biber

Mr Alain Jacot

Mr Peter Knaus

 

 

Chair Landbirds Working Group

[email protected]

Coordinator - Landbirds WG

[email protected]

[email protected]

6.       Flyways Working Group

Mr Taej Mundkur

Chair Flyways Working Group

[email protected]

7.       Tour du Valat

 

Ms Laura Dami

Project Leader - Waterbirds monitoring in the Mediterranean region

[email protected]

8.       CMS Preventing Poisoning Working Group

 

Mr David de la Bodega

 

 

Coordinator (interim)

[email protected]

SEO, Head of Legal Program

NGOs
1. BirdLife International

Ms Nicola Crockford

Ms Vicky Jones

Mr Willem Van den Bossche

International Policy Officer
[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

2. CABS (Committee against Bird Slaughter)

Mr Andrea Rutigliano Enforcement Officer
[email protected]

3. EURONATUR

Mr Stefan Ferger

Ms Ilka Beermann 

Project Management
[email protected]

Project Officer 

[email protected]

4. FACE (European Hunter's Federation)

Mr David Scallan

Mr Cy Griffin 

Secretary General 

[email protected]

Senior Conservation Manager
[email protected]

5. IMPEL (European Enforcement Network)

Mr Alfred Dreijer

Mr Cristian Trupina

Board Member &  Team Leader Nature Experts

[email protected]

Board Member & Deputy Team Leader Nature Experts

[email protected]

6. IUCN

Ms Catherine Numa

Ms Helena Clavero

Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, Málaga
[email protected]

[email protected]

7. TRAFFIC (Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network)

Ms Vinciane Sacré
EU-TWIX Administrator
8. IAF (International Association for Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey) Mr Gary Timbrell
Executive Officer
9. SEO (Spanish Ornithological Society) Mr David de la Bodega 

Head of legal program

[email protected]

 

[1] Terms of Referenceof MIKT states that representatives of Parties elsewhere in the African-Eurasian Flyway and beyond that wish to support the work of the Task Force can also be invited to contribute to the Task Force.

 

 

CMS Mandate

 

Operation of MIKT - Key Documents

 

Key Documents: MIKT Workplan Implementation

Current

Older

 

Bern Convention Related Initiatives and Documents

 

Convention Texts

 

Relevant CMS Agreements, MOUs, Action Plans and Initiatives