TRAFFIC joins European zoos and others in two-year drive to save Asian songbirds

Entitled Silent Forest, it will raise awareness of the devastating effects of the trade in songbirds across Southeast Asia and also raise funds for field conservation projects that are working to reverse the decline in numbers of some of the world’s most beautiful birds.

Birds such as the Bali Myna and Javan Green Magpie are teetering on the brink of extinction while the White-rumped Shama was formerly widespread and common but has declined massively because it is highly sought after in markets across the region. Owning a songbird has long been an integral part of Southeast Asian culture, and as the region develops, songbirds are fetching increasingly high prices in the markets, encouraging trappers to clear birds from huge areas of forest.  

The Asian songbird crisis has reached a tipping point: without immediate action, it is almost certain their voices will be silenced forever in the forest. We aim to raise the profile of this crisis both in Europe and in the range States and have a plan in place for these birds in the form of a Conservation Strategy which feeds directly into this joint initiative. 

Kanitha Krishnasamy, Acting Southeast Asia Regional Director of TRAFFIC"We need to establish a sustainable model that respects both local culture and laws without destroying the incredible richness of Southeast Asia’s biodiversity; that’s a formidable challenge, but this is a very strong coalition of partners, and there are some amazing projects that the campaign will support."

Thomas Ouhel of Liberec Zoo, and Chair of the Campaign, pointed to the difference that funds raised by European zoos could make: “If we can persuade traders to work with conservationists and breeders rather than pillaging the forests, there’s a real chance to save these birds by changing attitudes towards the ownership of songbirds. Funding for the breeding and conservation projects, linked to educational work in the local communities can halt and eventually reverse the decline in songbirds species, bringing back the music of the forest for the benefit of future generations.”

Silent Forest will run for two years and is aimed at raising EUR400,000 from European zoos and their visitors to help save six Critically Endangered flagship species identified by the coalition and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).  Leading biologists from the EAZA and beyond will also work on scientific measures to increase protection for these species. To learn more, visit www.silentforest.eu

In recent years TRAFFIC has undertaken a number of snapshot inventories of notable bird markets in Southeast Asia—including Indonesia (3), Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam, collectively recording close to 70,000 birds in trade, and participated in two Asian Songbird Trade Crisis Summits where the comprehensive strategy to protect the region’s songbirds from the impacts of excessive trapping for the cage bird trade was formulated