The CMS Secretariat will organise an online workshop on methodology for monitoring illegal killing, taking and trade (IKB) of migratory birds. The workshop will take place on Monday, 19 September 2022, 0900-1300hrs CET, and will be held in English.

The Rome Strategic Plan 2020-2030: Eradicating illegal killing, taking and trade in wild birds in Europe and the Mediterranean Region (RSP) is the common strategic framework of the CMS Intergovernmental Task Force on Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds in the Mediterranean (MIKT) and the Bern Convention for addressing IKB. Its main goal is to reduce IKB by 50% by 2030 based on a baseline established in 2020. Objective 1 of the RSP, aims ‘To understand the scope, scale and motivations behind illegal killing, taking and trade of birds’. The actions outline the need for agreeing a methodology, establishing a monitoring system and setting a baseline.

The relevant actions from the Rome Strategic Plan are the following:

Aims of the Workshop

The workshop aims to:

• highlight the commitment to monitor IKB as agreed as part of the RSP
• provide examples of monitoring from different countries linked to different kinds of IKB and according to the options provided in a paper on Baseline and Methodology endorsed in 2021
• discuss how to analyse the data collected to draw conclusions on scope and scale
• discuss concerns and answer questions regarding monitoring of IKB
• prepare for the submission of answers in Scoreboard 2023

Background

In 2021, MIKT Members and Observers endorsed a guidance paper on 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. The paper presents two main approaches that may be followed by Member Countries to establish a monitoring methodology for IKB and assess progress. The two main approaches proposed are:

• Option A: A country chooses to attempt to estimate the full scale and magnitude of IKB across the country.

• Option B: A country chooses to use indicators of scale that allow tracking of the trend and therefore progress over time without extrapolating to national scale.

The paper above also discusses the issue of baseline. Although the RSP proposes the year 2020 as a baseline, according to the paper, it is recognised that the baseline ought to be founded on solid data to allow for reliable comparisons. Consequently, if no such data existed in 2020, it is proposed that the baseline may be set at a later date if that would allow it to be based on more solid data.