Many of us, I suspect, sign conservation-based petitions then never hear another word from the organisers. People are busy, we can understand that, but it’s hugely encouraging when we do learn that not only have our signatures been counted but that they’ve potentially actually made a difference. Well done to BirdLife Cyprus then for updating supporters who signed their petition “Call for action against illegal bird trapping in Cyprus“:
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15 March 2012:
Dear supporters of BirdLife Cyprus,
THANK YOU for signing our petition to stop illegal bird trapping! We would like to inform you of how we are utilizing your support. On the 1st February 2012 BirdLife Cyprus presented to the Minister of Interior, Mr Neoklis Sylikiotis, all the signatures gathered from the electronic petition titled ‘Call for action against illegal bird trapping in Cyprus’. A total of 16,677 signatures from more than 150 countries were gathered, exceeding our initial target. Minister Sylikiotis was impressed by the number of signatures and we had a fruitful discussion about the possibility of a joint anti-trapping publicity campaign involving the Ministry and BirdLife Cyprus – this will be a big step forward and we will do our utmost to bring it about. The signatures will soon also be presented to the Minister of Justice, Loucas Louca, and we hope for a similarly positive response from him. We would like to thank all of you for adding your voice to ours and speaking out against this persistent and destructive practice. Thanks to your support, we have managed to raise awareness in Cyprus and worldwide regarding the illegal trapping of birds.
The petition is now closed and you can find the closed petition and the press release for the event at the following link (http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/call-for-action-against-illegal-bird-trapping-in-cyprus.html).
Bird trapping in Cyprus with limesticks and mist nets is illegal under European (Birds Directive 2009/147/EC, formerly 79/409/EEC) and Cyprus (N.152(I)/2003) legislation. The non-selective nature of these methods (122 bird species have been recorded trapped on limesticks and in nets, 58 of which are listed as threatened) and the large, ‘industrial’ scale of trapping that takes place nowadays constitutes an ecological disaster, with hundreds of thousands of birds killed every year.
BirdLife Cyprus will continue its anti-trapping campaign in Cyprus until this practice finally stops. We believe that our united voice will be even more strongly heard by the competent authorities, urging them to take real action against bird trapping.
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If you would like more information on our actions, campaigns and activities please visit our website, www.birdlifecyprus.org, and be sure to sign up for our monthly e-newlsetter here. If you would like more information about becoming a member of BirdLife Cyprus, including membership benefits and subscription rates, please visit our website or contact our Development Officer, Lilia Kapsali, at lilia.kapsali@birdlifecyprus.org.
If you do decide to become a BirdLife Cyprus member, you will add strength to our voice and enhance our influence at both local and state level. Furthermore, your subscription goes towards funding our campaigns against illegal bird trapping and poaching, for the designation and protection of Important Bird Areas as Special Protection Areas, towards our education and awareness-raising programmes, as well as a plethora of other programmes we implement or take part in for the conservation and protection of birds and their habitats in Cyprus.
Thank you again for signing the petition and supporting our cause. Together, we can stop illegal bird trapping!
