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 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.

This video is also available in Arabic, French and Spanish.

As of February 2025, the Membership of the Task Force consists of 21 CMS Mediterranean Parties and the European Commission on behalf of the European Union. 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 ten 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 the European Network for Prosecutors for the Environment (ENPE), the EU Forum of Judges for the Environment (EUFJE), IMPEL and others.

The establishment of the Task Force was mandated through CMS Resolution 11.16 (Rev.COP14) on the Prevention of 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, COP13 and COP14. There are also a number of Decisions related to particular aspects of the MIKT work, e.g. Decisions 14.119, 14.121 and 14.124 (as well as Decisions 14.120, 14.122-14.123 on mistnets) adopted during COP14. The MIKT Modus operandi was adopted in 2016 and it also foresees a Consultative Group that advises MIKT.

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.

In total five MIKT meetings have been held since its creation in 2016, the last one in 2022 in Valencia, Spain. Since 2017, CMS MIKT has been working jointly with the Bern Convention Network of Special Focal Points (SFPs) on Eradication of Illegal Killing, Trapping and Trade in Wild Birds and holding Joint Meetings on IKB. 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
The 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.
Rome Strategic Plan 2020-2030 on Eradicating Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade in Wild Birds in Europe and the Mediterranean region. The RSP constitutes the strategic framework for the MIKT and the Bern Convention SFPs for the period 2020-2030.
MIKT Workplan for the period 2021-2025. The earlier Programme of Work was for the period 2016-2020.
Additionally, guidance documents on specific objectives for combating IKB can be found in the pages on the Rome Strategic Plan.

The sixth Meeting (MIKT6) was held in May 2025 in hybrid format, at the UN Campus, in Bonn, Germany.

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 2015 - 2028.

List of Members

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 Sylvia Barova	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	Mrs Kalomoira Agapitou Mrs Anastasia Stergiou	Section for Wildlife and Game Management of the Directorate for Forest Management [email protected] Section for Wildlife and Game Management of the Directorate for Forest Management [email protected]
10. Israel	Mr Noam Leader	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 Rubén Moreno-Opo Díaz -Meco Mr Fernando Magdaleno Mas	Subdirección General de Biodiversidad Terrestre y Marina, Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico (MITECO) [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]

List of Observers

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 Mr Cengiz ÖĞÜNÇ	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] National Focal Point of the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) [email protected]
MEA Secretariats & networks
1. AEWA Secretariat	Mr Sergey Dereliev	Programme Management Officer, Head of Science, Implementation and Compliance Unit [email protected]
2. Bern Convention Secretariat	Mr Mikael Poutiers 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	Mr José Antonio Alfaro Moreno	EU Organised Crime Team [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 Mr Reto Spaar	Chair Landbirds Working Group [email protected] Coordinator - Landbirds WG [email protected] [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 Ms Samantha Lee Mr Willem Van den Bossche Ms Lilla Barabas	International Policy Officer [email protected] Flyways Science Coordinator, [email protected] Senior Conservation Officer of the Global Flyways Programme, [email protected] Flyway Conservation Officer for Europe and Central Asia, [email protected] Flyways Officer, [email protected]
2. CABS (Committee against Bird Slaughter)	Mr Andrea Rutigliano	Enforcement Officer [email protected]
3. EURONATUR	Mr Stefan Ferger Ms Justine Vansynghel	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 [email protected]
8. IAF (International Association for Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey)	Mr Gary Timbrell	Executive Officer [email protected]
9. SEO (Spanish Ornithological Society)	Mr David de la Bodega	Head of legal program [email protected]
10. Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF)	Mr José Pedro Tavares Mr Jovan Andevski	Director, [email protected] Programmes Manager & European Regional Coordinator Vulture Multi-species Action Plan, [email protected]

[1] Terms of Reference of 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.

Key Documents

CMS Mandate

Operation of MIKT - Key Documents

Key Documents: MIKT Workplan Implementation

Current

Rome Strategic Plan (2019)
MIKT Workplan for the period 2021-2025
Paper on the Baseline and Methodology for Assessing Progress toward Achieving the Rome Strategic Plan 2020-2030: Eradicating Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade in Wild Birds in Europe and the Mediterranean Region, adopted by MIKT members in 2021.

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CMS Fact Sheets

CMS Fact Sheet on MIKT (June 2023, updated April 2025)

CMS Fact Sheet on IKB (June 2023, updated April 2025)

Bern Convention Related Initiatives and Documents