IKB Scoreboard

The Scoreboard to assess the progress in combating illegal killing, taking and trade of wild birds (IKB) (hereinafter referred to as the Scoreboard) is a voluntary self-assessment tool jointly developed by the CMS Intergovernmental Task Force on Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds in the Mediterranean (MIKT) and the Bern Convention.

The document was first discussed at a joint meeting of the CMS MIKT and the Bern Convention Network of Special Focal Points (SFPs) on Eradication of IKB in Malta on 22-23 June 2017 and was adopted as an Annex 1 to Resolution 11.16 (Rev. COP13) on the Prevention of IKB during the 12th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP12) to CMS, in Manila in October 2017. Paragraph 5 of Resolution 11.16 states ‘Acknowledges the work of MIKT in developing the Scoreboard to Assess the Progress in Combating Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Wild Birds and implementing the first Scoreboard assessment and promotes its use as a voluntary tool for Parties to assess their own progress in combating illegal killing, taking and trade of wild birds […];’.

The Scoreboard is intended as a framework for national governments to provide an objective, fact-based, national self-assessment of the status of IKB at the national level. It also aims to enable national governments to measure their progress in implementing their commitments related to this area. The Scoreboard was developed in English but has been also produced in French and Spanish to facilitate the use by the different countries within the area range of the CMS MIKT and the Bern Convention.

The Scoreboard is based on a format developed by the International Consortium in Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), and has been modified to provide a simple, easy-to-use tool. It is divided in five areas, each area comprises several indicators and a total of 28 indicators. The five areas are the following:

A.            National monitoring of IKB (data management of scope and scale of IKB) – Questions A1-A4 (four indicators);

B.            Comprehensiveness of national legislation – Questions B5-B13 (nine indicators);

C.            Enforcement response: preparedness of law enforcement bodies and coordination of national institutions – Questions C14-C19 (six indicators);

D.            Prosecution and sentencing (effectiveness of judicial procedures) – Questions D20-D23 (four indicators);

E.            Prevention (other instruments used to address IKB) – Questions E24-E28 (five indicators).

Scoreboard and Rome Strategic Plan 

The Scoreboard was developed in 2017, when the MIKT workplan was the Programme of Work 2016-2020, based on the Bern Convention Tunis Action Plan (TAP) which covered the period from 2013 to 2020. Since 2020, the Strategic Framework adopted for both the MIKT and the Bern Convention is the Rome Strategic Plan 2020-2030: Eradicating Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade in Wild Birds in Europe and the Mediterranean region, hereinafter the Rome Strategic Plan (RSP).

The goals, objectives and indicators of the RSP are very similar to the Scoreboard but not identical. Additionally, there are some new milestones and targets in the RSP that were not in the original Scoreboard or the TAP. Because of the similarities between the two, the Scoreboard could remain the main instrument for self-assessment of progress on combating IKB, even after the adoption of the RSP. However, in order to improve the Contracting Parties’ self-assessment of the progress made in the implementation of the RSP, in 2022, additional narrative text to support the Scoreboard submissions was adopted by MIKT members at the Joint Meeting of the Bern Convention and MIKT in Valencia in June 2022, and subsequently by the Bern Convention Standing Committee at its 42nd meeting in December 2022.

The additional narrative text to support the Scoreboard submissions aims to encourage countries to report on important milestones and objectives that are clearly defined in the RSP and would not necessarily be clearly reported through the Scoreboard. The scoring has remained unchanged, and the additional narrative is voluntary, but recommended. The additional narrative can be seen in red in the Scoreboard documents.

Scoreboard submissions and analysis

The Scoreboard has been completed three times, to date (July 2025). The first time was in 2018, the second time in 2020, and the third time in 2023. The original Scoreboard document, adopted in 2017, foresees that assessments would take place every three years, following the first two assessments in 2018 and 2020. The Fourth assessment is expected to take place in 2026, as per the table below.

The results of the first assessment which took place in 2018, were reported at the Joint meeting of the MIKT and the Bern Convention in Rome in May 2019, and at the Bern Convention 39th Standing Committee in December 2019. The first draft of the results of the second assessment, which took place in 2020, were reported at the Bern Convention 40th Standing Committee in December 2020. An updated analysis of the second assessment, including further submissions, was presented at the Joint meeting of the MIKT and Bern Convention, held online in June 2021, and at the Bern Convention 41st Standing Committee in December 2021. The results of the third assessment, which took place from April to July 2023, were reported at the Bern Convention 43rd Standing Committee in December 2023. An updated analysis of the third assessment was presented at the Joint meeting of the MIKT and Bern Convention in May 2025.

Conclusions from Scoreboard reporting

The three Scoreboard submissions have demonstrated that the Scoreboard is a useful tool for self-assessing the efforts of each country in addressing IKB in their country. As demonstrated by the average score improvement from one Scoreboard reporting to the next, engaging in the process also stimulates and guides action, sets priorities and brings results.

As concluded in the updated report of the results of the 3rd Scoreboard whereas all five areas of indicators still need attention from the countries, and support from CMS MIKT and the Bern Convention, some areas are more critical than others:

1. Monitoring IKB: monitoring IKB is notoriously difficult, but results demonstrate that some countries are making progress. Some countries have adopted a methodology for assessing IKB, and a Baseline against which to compare progress.  The accumulation of experience in monitoring IKB from some countries can be an opportunity for other countries to learn from each other. Arriving at an accurate estimate of IKB is critical, not only for assessing progress, but also for building support and ownership for combating IKB in each country, as currently the only estimates available for most countries are from the Brochet et al (2016) and Brochet et al (2017) BirdLife International studies, which are disputed by some countries.
2. National Legislation: most countries report good scores on legislation but many report problems with enforcement or prosecution. But there are still countries requesting support with legislation, therefore the issue remains important, as legislation is the basis for many other actions.
3. Enforcement: this area has been relatively low scoring from the first Scoreboard and continues to score lower than other areas. Results are related to capacity at national level which depends on many factors. However, there are also very important examples of good training opportunities and the role of projects and exchanges between countries, in increasing capacity. These good examples could be expanded to include more countries.
4. Prosecution: similarly with Enforcement, this area can benefit from training and capacity building and following the examples of countries which have best practices to share. A guide for all enforcers and prosecutors dealing with bird crime prepared by Italy in 2022 could be useful for other countries too.
5. Prevention: this area has shown most improvement since the 2020 Scoreboard exercise but is also an area in which most countries agree a lot more can be done. Awareness raising and training on IKB issues are very linked to available funding.

Scoreboard country replies can be found online

In 2021, the CMS and the Bern Convention Secretariats jointly approached the countries that had completed the Scoreboard in 2018 and 2020, to obtain their consent to upload their answers, as downloaded from the CMS Online Reporting System, online. Additionally, a relevant question was included in the 2023 Scoreboard, where countries could indicate their agreement. Of the 39 countries that completed the Scoreboard in 2018, 2020 and/or 2023, up to July 2025, twenty-six (26) had given permission for their answers to be uploaded online. The answers have been uploaded in a dedicated Bern Convention website. 

Back to MIKT Website Rome Strategic Plan

Key Documents

Scoreboard to assess the progress in combating illegal killing, taking and trade of wild birds (IKB). Original document adopted in 2017, available in EN, FR and ES

Scoreboard with additional narrative text. Additional text adopted in 2022, available in EN, FR and ES. 

Scoreboard Analysis Reports 

Analysis 1st Scoreboard IKB 2018 (May 2019)

Analysis 2nd Scoreboard IKB 2020 (Nov 2020)

Analysis 2nd Scoreboard IKB 2020 (Apr 2021 update)

Analysis 3rd Scoreboard IKB 2023 (Oct 2023)

Analysis 3rd Scoreboard IKB 2023 (Mar 2025 update)

NGO Assessments

BirdLife International and Euronatur (2025) The Killing 3.0: Progress assessment on eradicating the Illegal Killing of Birds in the Mediterranean and Europe.

BirdLife International and Euronatur (2025) The Killing 3.0: Executive Summary 

BirdLife International and Euronatur (2025) Annex 1: National Illegal Killing of Birds situation and recommendations for Mediterranean countries