Migration superhighway success

Efforts by the RSPB and partners to help migratory birds along the East Atlantic Flyway – the avian ‘superhighway’ stretching from the Arctic to South Africa – are being bolstered thanks to funding and education wins in West Africa.

In Ghana, habitat restoration and livelihood development work around Mole National Park received major new funding. The park hosts migratory species including Pied Flycatcher, Wood Warbler and Yellow Wagtail, but surrounding areas have become degraded. The funding, which comes from the Dutch People’s Postcode Lottery and the A. G. Leventis Foundation, enables us to continue our work in those areas with Ghana Wildlife Society and other partners. These projects include supporting community-led conservation efforts, developing sustainable alternative livelihoods, and trialling the use of research technologies. Learn more about RSPB community projects.

A Blue-breasted Kingfisher is perched on a branch

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Blue-breasted Kingfishers are resident birds in Ghana. Photo: Nick Williams (rspb-images.com)

Collaborating in the field Upper-East region_Credit Nick Williams, RSPB

Staff from the RSPB, Ghana Wildlife Society and Ghana Forestry Commission in the field discussing wildlife migrations. Photo: Nick Williams (rspb-images.com)

Elephant and ranger Mole-NP_Credit Nick Williams, RSPB

Mole National Park is a hotspot for elephant conservation. Photo: Nick Williams (rspb-images.com)

A man from Ghana Wildlife Society is knelt down in a tree nursery

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Alhassan Siriki - Nursery Officer at Ghana Wildlife Society – raising native tree seedlings which will be used to restore degraded areas. Photo: Nick Williams (rspb-images.com)

A Yellow Wagtail is perched on a tree stump

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Yellow Wagtails are one of the many migratory species to visit the national park. Photo: Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

In Senegal, the first cohort of students graduated from a pioneering master’s course in ornithology and conservation at the University Gaston-Berger in Saint Louis. This is the first course of its kind for French speakers in West Africa, and it aims to train the next generation of conservationists and bird researchers from francophone countries in the region. These countries host many migratory species that also visit the UK. It took years of work to introduce the course, which was coordinated by BirdLife partner Nature-Communautés-Développement with support from the RSPB, Dutch BirdLife partner Vogelbescherming Nederland and funding by the A. G. Leventis Foundation.

A group of students stand and kneel outside a building named 'Station Biologique'

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Students alongside researchers from the Dutch African Landbird Initiative during a training event. Photo: Nick Williams (rspb-images.com)

A man looks through a telescope at waders in the water. A woman next to him is writing notes.

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Masters students practicing their bird monitoring skills at Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary in northern Senegal. Photo: Nick Williams (rspb-images.com)