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 around the Mediterranean, including the European Union and other interested parties. Representatives from non-CMS Parties as well as relevant international organizations and networks are also part of MIKT as observers.
The Task Force has been established under 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.
The first Meeting of the MIKT was held from 12 to 15 July 2016 in Cairo, Egypt. During that meeting the modus operandi of the MIKT was adopted and Governments and observers agreed on the need for stricter penalties, increased surveillance and improved law enforcement, committing to a zero tolerance approach to curb the massive slaughter of migratory birds in the Mediterranean. As a result, the Cairo Declaration on Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds in the Mediterranean Region as well as a detailed Programme of Work (POW) 2016-2020 were adopted.
Following the adoption of the POW, two more meetings of MIKT were held, jointly with the Bern Convention Network of Special Focal Points on Eradication of Illegal Killing, Trapping and Trade in Wild Birds (SFPs).
The second Meeting of MIKT (and 1st Joint Meeting with the Bern Convention SFPs) took place in Sliema, Malta in June 2017. One of the main achievements of this meeting was the development of the “Scoreboard to Assess the Progress in Combating Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Wild Birds (IKB)”, a voluntary self-assessment tool for countries to evaluate and rank the progress made at national and regional level. To date, two rounds of Scoreboard assessments have been completed (in 2018 and 2020). Subsequent assessments will be carried out every three years within the geographical scope of the contracting Parties of the MIKT and the Bern Convention. The Scoreboard was adopted as Annex 1 to Resolution 11.16, by CMS COP12 in 2017.
The third Meeting of MIKT (and 2nd Joint Meeting of the MIKT and Bern Convention SFPs) took place in Rome in May 2019. At this meeting, the members and observers agreed on a joint strategic approach of CMS MIKT and Bern Convention to address IKB in the post-2020 period, and elaborated a draft for a strategic framework, which later led to the adoption of the Rome Strategic Plan 2020-2030 on Eradicating Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade in Wild Birds in Europe and the Mediterranean region. The overarching long-term goal of the Rome Strategic Plan is the eradication of IKB within the geographic scope of the Bern Convention and CMS MIKT. The Goal of the Plan for 2030 is a 50% reduction of the scale and scope of IKB compared to the 2020 baseline.
Ensuring that national legislation is effective in addressing national challenges and that it is properly implemented and enforced represents a key component of the MIKT POW. With this aim, prosecutors and investigators working on environmental legislation were invited to a ground-breaking Workshop for Government Prosecutors on the Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade (IKB) of Migratory Birds in the Mediterranean Region in Segovia, Spain in May 2018, organized in cooperation with the European Network of Prosecutors for the Environment (ENPE).
While the specific measures needed to tackle bird crime vary for each country, under the joint framework of the Rome Strategic Plan, the Task Force has agreed to focus on the following objectives:
No. 1: To understand the scope, scale of and motivations behind IKB;
No. 2: To establish an active prevention of the illegal killing, taking and trade of birds;
No. 3: To ensure that the illegal killing of birds is addressed effectively and efficiently in national legislation;
No. 4: To ensure that effective and efficient enforcement of relevant legislation is undertaken;
No. 5: To ensure effective and efficient justice for IKB-related offences.
MIKT is working as a catalyst to gather the information scattered amongst diverse international organizations, and helping experts coordinate their work, offering amongst other things a remote online workspace. The Mediterranean basin is currently a hotspot for illegal killing and trapping of migratory birds and MIKT is the first Pan Mediterranean Task Force developed, having a distinctly regional focus and aiming to be replicated for other parts of the world.
The European Commission were 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.
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MEMBERS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN INTERGOVERNMENTAL TASK FORCE ON ILLEGAL KILLING, TAKING AND TRADE OF MIGRATORY BIRDS |
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1. Albania |
Mr Ermal Halimi |
Biodiversity Directorate and Protected Areas, Ministry of Environment |
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2. Algeria |
Mr. Said Fritas
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CMS FP |
| 3. Bosnia-Herzegovina |
Ms. Nada Mlinar Ms. Vanda Medic |
Executive assistant for International Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations [email protected] |
| 4. Croatia |
Ms. Maja Polic |
Nature Protection Inspector, Directorate for Inspection, Ministry of Environment and Nature Protection |
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5. Cyprus |
Mr. Pantelis Hadjijerou
Mr Panicos Panayides |
Head of Game and Fauna Service, Ministry of the Interior
Officer, Game and Fauna Service, Ministry of Interior |
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6. Egypt |
Mr. Luay El Sayed |
Coordinator of Wildlife Programme Nature Conservation Sector Environmental Affairs Agency |
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7. European Union |
Mr. Joseph van der Stegen |
European Commission, |
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8. France |
Mr. François Lamarque
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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 |
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9. Greece |
Mr. Nikolas Bokaris
Mr. Panagiotis Drougas |
Head of the Department Wildlife Management and Hunting
Ministry Environment and Energy
Director
Department Wildlife Management and Hunting
Ministry Environment and Energy
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10. Israel |
Mr Simon Nemtzov
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Wildlife Ecologist and Coordinator of International Treaties, Israel Nature and Parks Authority |
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11. Italy |
Mr. Claudio Marrucci
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Ufficio per la Cooperazione Internazionale Comando Generale dei Carabinieri |
| 12. Lebanon |
Mr. Jeff Gerges |
Environment Specialist at the Ministry of Environment |
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13. Libya |
Dr. Abdalbaset Hassan Abushiba Massoud |
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14. Malta |
Ms. Jessica Fenech
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Scientific Coordinator, Birds Regulation Unit, Parliamentary Secretariat for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights |
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15. Monaco |
Mr Ludovic Aquilina |
Chef de Section, Direction de l’Environment |
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16. Montenegro |
Ms. Marina Miskovic-Spahic |
Head of the Directorate of Nature Protection, Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism |
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17. Morocco |
Ms. Hayat Mesbah |
Chef de Service de la Conservation |
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18. Slovenia |
Mr. Andrej Bibic (CMS Focal Point) |
Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning |
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19. Spain |
Mr Rubén Moreno-Opo Díaz -Meco
Ms Barbara Soto-Largo
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Subdirección General de Medio Natural, Dirección General de Calidad y Evaluación Ambiental y Medio Natural, Ministerio de Agricultura y Pesca, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (MAGRAMA) |
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20. Syrian Arab Republic |
Eng. Ahmad Aidek |
Biodiversity, Land and Nature Reserves Directorate, Ministry of State for Environment Affairs |
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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 |
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22. United Kingdom |
Ms. Kate Brickett |
Head of Wildlife Management and Crime, Natural Environment Policy, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs(DEFRA) |
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OBSERVERS |
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Interested Parties [1] |
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1. Germany |
Mr Oliver Schall |
Division of Species Protection, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) |
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2. Portugal |
Mr. Joao Loureiro |
Head of Unit - Institute of Nature Conservation and Forests |
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3. Jordan
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Nomination pending | |
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Non-Parties |
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1. Palestine |
Nomination pending |
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2. Turkey |
Mr Fehmi Arikan
Burak Tatar |
Expert - Department of Game Management GD of Nature Conservation and National Parks Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs Wildlife Biologist, Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs |
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MEA Secretariats & networks |
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1. AEWA Secretariat |
Mr. Sergey Dereliev |
Technical Officer |
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2. Bern Convention Secretariat |
Ms. Ursula Sticker
Ms Nadia Saporito |
Secretary Bern Convention Junior Project Officer |
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3. CITES Secretariat |
Mr. Barend Van Rensburg |
Chief of Enforcement Support |
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4. CMS Secretariat |
Mr. Tilman Schneider |
CMS Secretariat |
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5. Task Force Coordinator |
Ms. Clairie (Foteini) Papazoglou |
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6. Raptors MOU |
Ms. Sofi Hinchliffe |
Coordinating Unit |
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7. INTERPOL |
Ms. Cindy Chimal |
Environmental Security INTERPOL General Secretariat |
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8. UNEP |
Ms Lobna Ben Nakhla
Mr Harald Egerer |
UNEP MAP Regional Activity Centre, Tunisia Head of the Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention, UNEP's Regional Office for Europe |
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9. UNODC |
Ms. Olga Kuzmianok
Mr Jorge Rios |
Programme manager of Global Programme for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime Chief, Global Programme for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime, and |
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10. UNDP
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Mr. Yves de Soye |
Regional Technical Advisor, Ecosystems & Biodiversity, Global Environmental Finance Unit, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support |
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11. EU Forum of Judges for the Environment (EUFJE) |
Mr. Jan Van den Bergue |
Vice-president Court of First Instance, East-Flanders/ High Council of the Judiciary |
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12. European Network of Prosecutors for the Environment (ENPE) |
Mr. Angus Innes |
Senior Lawyer (Team Leader) Legal Services Reading |
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13. Europol / EnviCrimeNet |
Mr. Igor Jakupic |
Seconded National Expert (SNE) Environmental Crime Europol O24 |
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Advisory Bodies |
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1. CMS Standing Committee |
Mr. Øystein Størkersen |
Chair – CMS Standing Committee [email protected] |
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2. Scientific Council CMS |
Ms. Narelle Montgomery |
Chair Scientific Council |
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3. AEWA Technical Committee |
Mr. Imad Cherkaoui |
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4. Raptors MOU Technical Advisory Group |
Mr. Andre Botha |
Chair Technical Advisory Group |
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5. Landbirds Working Group |
Mr. Olivier Biber
Mr. Alex Ngari |
Chair Landbirds Working Group Coordinator - Landbirds WG |
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6. Flyways Working Group |
Mr. Taej Mundkur |
Chair Flyways Working Group |
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7. Tour du Valat
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Ms. Laura Dami |
Project Leader - Waterbirds monitoring in the Mediterranean region |
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8. CMS Preventing Poisoning Working Group
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Mr. David de la Bodega
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Coordinator (interim) SEO, Head of Legal Program |
| NGOs | ||
| 1. BirdLife International | Ms. Nicola Crockford |
International Policy Officer |
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2. CABS (Committee against Bird Slaughter) |
Mr. Andrea Rutigliano | Enforcement Officer [email protected] |
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3. EURONATUR |
Mr. Stefan Ferger |
Project Management |
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4. FACE (European Hunter's Federation) |
Mr. David Scallan Mr Cy Griffin |
Secretary General Senior Conservation Manager |
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5. IMPEL (European Enforcement Network) |
Mr. John Visbeen |
Board Member |
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6. IUCN |
Ms. Catherine Numa |
Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, Málaga |
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7. NABU |
Mr. Lars Lachmann | Birds Officer [email protected] |
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8. TRAFFIC (Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network) |
Ms. Vinciane Sacré |
EU-TWIX Administrator
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| 9. IAF (International Association for Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey) | Mr. Gary Timbrell |
Executive Officer
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| 10. SEO (Spanish Ornithological Society) | Mr. David de la Bodega |
Head of legal program |
[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.
MIKT Documents
- Bern Convention Recommendation No. 164 (2013) of the Standing Committee on the implementation of the Tunis Action Plan 2013-2020
- MIKT Modus Operandi (2016)
- Cairo Declaration 2016
- MIKT Programme of Work 2016-2020
- Rome Strategic Plan 2019
- UNEP/CMS Resolution 11.16 (Rev. COP 13): The Prevention of Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds
- Resolution 11.16 (Rev. COP13) Annex 1: Scoreboard to Assess the Progress in Combating Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Wild Birds (IKB)
- Decisions 13.27 to 13.31 - Task Force on Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds in the Mediterranean (MIKT)
Relevant CMS Agreements, MOUs, Action Plans and Initiatives
- Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA)
- Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia (Raptors MOU)
- Plan of Action to Address Bird Trapping Along the Mediterranean Coasts of Egypt and Libya
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Resolution 11.16 (Rev. COP13) Annex 2: Terms of Reference of the Intergovernmental Task Force to Address Illegal Hunting, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds in Asian-Australasian Flyway
- Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)
- Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention)
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES Convention)
EU Directives & other relevant EU Documents
- Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds (Birds Directive)
- Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (Habitats Directive)
- Directive 2008/99/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on the protection of the environment through criminal law (Criminal Law Directive)
- EC Roadmap towards eliminating illegal killing, trapping and trade of birds (Version 4, 2016)
- Communication on the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking (Feb 2016)
- The Killing
The BirdLife Partnership presents this review based on the first ever comprehensive scientific study to quantify the scale and scope of illegal killing across the Mediterranean region. The results are gruesome. Despite legal protection, illegal bird killing is taking place at quite extraordinary and unsustainable levels. While many turn a blind eye, an estimated 25 million birds are being illegally massacred annually. - Illegal Use of Poisoned-baits. Legal Analysis and Investigation
- Legal Recommendations to eliminate illegal killing and taking of birds
This document provides recommendations from the experts attending the I European Workshop on Environmental Crime focused on illegal killing and taking of birds. This workshop was held in Madrid on 11th February 2015 under the project for the creation of a European Network against Environmental Crime (ENEC) coordinated by SEO/BirdLife and the RSPB and funded by the Criminal Justice Support Programme of the European Union. - Preliminary assessment of the scope and scale of illegal killing and taking of birds in the Mediterranean.
Bird Conservation International / Volume 26 / Issue 01 / mars 2016, pp 1-28 - Study on the implementation of Directive 2008/99/EC on the protection of the environment through criminal law
- ICCWC Wildlife and Forest Crime Toolkit [English] / [French] / [Spanish]
- The Massacre of Europe's Songbirds [Newsweek]
- The Balkans Bird Mafia [Birdlife]
- Bird Trapping in Egypt and Libya – Plan of Action Put in Place
- International Coordination Meeting Agrees on a Plan of Action to Address the Issue of Bird Trapping Along the Mediterranean Coasts of Egypt and Libya
- Bird Trapping in Egypt and Libya - Background, Methods, Scale and Legal Status of Bird Trapping
Disclaimer: The advertisements displayed before the start of the video are related to the video itself and are not related the UNEP/CMS Secretariat.
Useful Links
- Achim Steiner, Executive Director of UNEP
- Bradnee Chambers, Executive Secretary of UNEP/CMS [WMBD2016] [WED2016]
- Braulio Ferreira De Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of UNEP/CBD
- Jacques Trouvilliez, Executive Secretary of UNEP/AEWA
- Patricia Zurita, CEO of Birdlife International
- INTERPOL
- EUFJE
- George Aman, President of CIC
- Fernando Spina, Chair of Scientific Council of UNEP/CMS
