The Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia ( the Raptors MoU) is an international, legally non-binding agreement to protect migratory

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...

Ecological importance and threats

Hawks, eagles, falcons and owls can function as

indicator species A bioindicator is any species (an indicator species) or group of species whose function, population, or status can reveal the qualitative status of the environment. The most common indicator species are animals. For example, copepods and other sma ...

of the ecological condition of a region. As they are at the top of the

food chain A food chain is a linear network of links in a food web, often starting with an autotroph (such as grass or algae), also called a producer, and typically ending at an apex predator (such as grizzly bears or killer whales), detritivore (such as ...

, these species may be among the first to be affected by environmental pressures such as

drought A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...

, habitat degradation, and the use of pesticides.. Monitoring the population trends of birds of prey, therefore, is a cost-effective method of tracking environmental change.Their slow reproduction rate makes them also particularly exposed to the impact of persecution, (illegal killing, poisoning and trapping). Raptors can play an important role in ecological health — they may help to control insects and rodents, stabilize predator-prey dynamics and mitigate health risks to humans and other animals by removing

carrion Carrion (), also known as a carcass, is the decaying flesh of dead animals. Overview Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters (or scavengers) include crows, vultures ...

(e.g.

vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...

s). Major threats to birds of prey include the use of

pesticide Pesticides are substances that are used to control pests. They include herbicides, insecticides, nematicides, fungicides, and many others (see table). The most common of these are herbicides, which account for approximately 50% of all p ...

s and lead shot, collision with

overhead power line An overhead power line is a structure used in electric power transmission and distribution to transmit electrical energy along large distances. It consists of one or more conductors (commonly multiples of three) suspended by towers or poles. ...

s and

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that wind power, converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. , hundreds of thousands of list of most powerful wind turbines, large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, were generating over ...

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

poaching Poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set against the huntin ...

and illegal

trapping Animal trapping, or simply trapping or ginning, is the use of a device to remotely catch and often kill an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including for meat, fur trade, fur/feathers, sport hunting, pest control, and w ...

, and illegal trade.

Signatories and countries covered

As of late 2015, there were sixty-one Signatories to the agreement: Angola, Armenia, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Comoros, Congo (Brazzaville), Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, the Czech Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa), Denmark, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, the European Union, Finland, France, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Hungary, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Niger, Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovakia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Togo, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Yemen. Other countries where species covered by the agreement occur include: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, China, Cyprus, Eritrea, Estonia, Eswatini, Gabon, Georgia, Greece, Guinea-Bissau, Iceland, Iraq, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malawi, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Montenegro, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Oman, Poland, Qatar, the Republic of Moldova, the Russian Federation, Rwanda, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Est, Tajikistan, Macedonia, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite web, url=http://bioweb.biology.utah.edu/sekercioglu/PDFs/Sekercioglu%202006%20TREE_Increasing%20awareness%20of%20avian%20ecological.pdf , format=PDF , title=Increasing awareness of avian ecological function , publisher=Bioweb.biology.utah.edu , accessdate=2015-09-27 {{cite web, url=http://birdlife.org.au/conservation/science/threats-to-birds, title=Threats to birds, publisher=Birdlife.org, accessdate=25 September 2015 {{cite web, url=http://www.cms.int/raptors/en/legalinstrument/birds-prey-raptors, title=Birds of Prey (Raptors), publisher=Cms.int, accessdate=25 September 2015 {{cite web, url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/30/hundreds-of-birds-of-prey-being-shot-or-poisoned-in-uk-rspb, title=Hundreds of birds of prey are being shot or poisoned in UK, work=the Guardian, accessdate=25 September 2015 {{cite web, url=http://www.hawkwatch.org/learn/why-raptors, title=Hawkwatch International - Why Raptors?, publisher=Hawkwatch.org, accessdate=25 September 2015 {{cite web, url=http://birding.about.com/od/birdconservation/a/riskstoraptors.htm, title=Risks to Raptors, author=Melissa Mayntz, work=About.com Home, accessdate=25 September 2015 {{cite web, url=http://www.raptorresearchfoundation.org/conservation, title=Conservation, publisher=Raptorresearchfoundation.org, accessdate=25 September 2015 {{cite web, url=http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/wingprayer_tcm9-188788.pdf , format=PDF , title=Birds of Prey in the UK , publisher=Rspb.org.uk , accessdate=2015-09-27 {{cite web, url=https://web.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Conservation_of_Raptors.html, title=Conservation of Raptors, publisher=Web.stanford.edu, accessdate=25 September 2015 {{cite web, url=http://migratorysoaringbirds.undp.birdlife.org/en/news/countries-meet-tackle-threats-europe%E2%80%99s-most-endangered-bird-prey, title=Countries Meet to Tackle Threats to Europe's Most Endangered Bird of Prey, author=BirdLife International, publisher=Migratorysoaringbirds.undp.birdlife.org, accessdate=25 September 2015

External links

MoU Agreement TextSaker Falcon Global Action Plan (SakerGAP)African Raptor Database App
Bird conservation Environmental treaties Raptor organizations

Ecological importance and threats

Signatories and countries covered

See also

References

External links