News on the Cormorants Research Group from Species the newsletter of the IUCN Species Survival Commission

Newsletter of the Species Survival Commission
IUCN - The World Conservation Union

In Europe and North America, cormorants continually cause interference with human interests. Many countries have supported the EU Commission proposal to remove the cormorant from the Annex 1 of the Bird Directive. Only Denmark was against this proposal. The species remains fully protected, as it was, but no longer special actions to preserve the status of the species need to be undertaken. The possibility to scare the birds away with all possible means have been enlarged by this.

The other news on this front was the adoption of the plan to develop an Action Plan for the great cormorant in the African Eurasian region by the Bonn Convention meeting in April, 1997 in Geneva. In October, a specialist meeting was held in Copenhagen to discuss the contents of such a plan in a European context. The proceedings of the earlier meeting on this subject, held in October 1996 in Lelystad, the Netherlands appeared later in the autumn.

The group continues to update the database of breeding cormorants in Europe. By the appointment of coordinators in South America and Asia the group wishes to extend its activities on a global scale. The next CRG Bulletin appeared in November this year, with announcements about the coming conference of the group.

Mennobart R. van Eerden, Chair Cormorant Specialist Group

The aims of the Cormorant Specialist Group are to stimulate research and contact between cormorant specialists around the world; to set up databases containing information about population development, distribution, and conservation status of all cormorant species; and to work out management plans and action plans regarding individual cormorant species or subspecies.

Long-term projects to date include annual monitoring of the breeding population of Phalacrocorax carbo in Europe and preparing the annual bulletin with original papers, requests for information, and recent literature.

Short-term projects focus on feeding ecology, demography, and damage aspects. Concordant with the establishment of the IWRB Cormorant Research Group, an Action Plan on pygmy cormorants (P. pygmaeus) was compiled by A.J. Crivelli, T. Nazirides, and H. Jerentrup. First steps have also been taken for a future Management Plan of P. carbo sinensis in Europe.

Mennobart R. van Eerden, Coordinator WIlSSC Cormorant Specialist Group

Triennial Plan 1996-1998

Priority Issues

Management Plans for P. carbo sinensis, Western Europe
Management Plans for P. auritus, North America
Action Plans on rare and endemic cormorant species in South America, Africa, and Australasia.

Priority Actions

To contribute to the proposed Management Plan on P. carbo sinensis
To investigate the necessity and, if necessary, to contribute to a Management Plan on P. auritus in North America.
To make an inventory of the knowledge of the cormorant species of the world.
To organize the fifth conference on European cormorants in 1997.