Intergovernmental Task Force on Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds in the Mediterranean

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 (SFPs) on Eradication of Illegal Killing, Trapping and Trade in Wild Birds.

The second Meeting of MIKT (and 1^st 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. For more information on the Scoreboard assessments, please visit the IKB Scoreboard Assessment Table.

The third Meeting of MIKT (and 2^nd 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.

The fourth Meeting of MIKT (and 3^rd Joint Meeting of the MIKT and Bern Convention SFPs) took place online between 9-11 June 2021. At this meeting, a number of papers were presented for discussion and agreement. These were a MIKT Workplan for the period 2021-2025, a paper on Future periodic assessment in the framework of the Rome Strategic Plan and frequency and format of future joint meetings and a paper on Baseline and Methodology for Assessing Progress toward Achieving the Rome Strategic Plan 2020-2030. They were all adopted by MIKT members following consultantion after the meeting.

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 in other parts of the world.

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 MEDITERRANEAN INTERGOVERNMENTAL TASK FORCE ON ILLEGAL KILLING, TAKING AND TRADE OF MIGRATORY BIRDS
1. Albania	Ms Edit Vardhami	Directorate of Environmental Development Programs, Ministry of Tourism and Environment [email protected]
2. Algeria	Mr. Said Fritas	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	Mr. Joseph van der Stegen	European Commission, Directorate-General for Environment, Nature Unit [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	Mr. Nikolas Bokaris Mr. Panagiotis Drougas	Head of the Department Wildlife Management and Hunting Ministry Environment and Energy [email protected] Director Department Wildlife Management and Hunting Ministry Environment and Energy [email protected]
10. Israel	Mr Simon Nemtzov	Wildlife Ecologist and Coordinator of International Treaties, Israel Nature and Parks Authority [email protected]
11. Italy	Mr. Claudio Marrucci	Ufficio per la Cooperazione Internazionale Comando Generale dei Carabinieri [email protected]
12. Lebanon	Mr. Jeff Gerges	Environment Specialist at the Ministry of Environment [email protected]
13. Libya	Dr. 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 Rubén Moreno-Opo Díaz -Meco Mr Borja Armada Heredia Mr. Javier Pantoja Trigueros	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. Ahmad Aidek	Biodiversity, Land and Nature Reserves Directorate, Ministry of State for Environment Affairs [email protected] [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]

OBSERVERS
Interested Parties ^[1]
1. Germany	Mr Oliver Schall	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]; [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. Turkey	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	Ms Ursula Sticker Ms Nadia Saporito	Secretary Bern Convention [email protected] Junior Project Officer [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 Ms Nora Weyer Mr Tilman Schneider	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 Igor Jakupic	Seconded National Expert (SNE) Environmental Crime Europol O24 [email protected]
Advisory Bodies
1. CMS Standing Committee	Mr. Øystein Størkersen	Chair – CMS Standing Committee [email protected]
2. Scientific Council CMS	Ms. Narelle Montgomery	Chair Scientific Council [email protected]
3. AEWA Technical Committee	Mr. Imad Cherkaoui	[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	Project Management [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. John Visbeen	Board Member [email protected]
6. IUCN	Ms. Catherine Numa	Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, Málaga [email protected] [email protected]
7. NABU	Mr. Lars Lachmann	Birds Officer [email protected]
8. TRAFFIC (Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network)	Ms. Vinciane Sacré	EU-TWIX Administrator [email protected]
9. IAF (International Association for Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey)	Mr. Gary Timbrell	Executive Officer [email protected]
10. 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.

MIKT Documents