12 Days of BirdLife: Our 2025 Highlights
As 2025 comes to a close, we reflect on everything our Partnership and supporters have accomplished and want to thank all who have made these achievements possible.
Explore our year in review through the 12 Days of BirdLife:
1 – A record-breaking US$140,000 donated by Global Birdfair to support our Safeguarding Ocean Species project in Suva, Fiji
Through its international Albatross Task Force, BirdLife International in partnership with our UK Partner, RSPB, has made major strides in promoting seabird-safe fishing. More vessels now use bird-scaring “Tori lines”, highly effective devices that keep albatrosses, such as the Endangered Antipodean Albatross, away from baited hooks. Crafted by local women in the Nasinu neighbourhood of Suva, these bird-scaring lines support local livelihoods and ensure safer seas in the southern Pacific.
With this huge funding boost, the programme will expand to more Pacific ports, empowering more women and protecting more albatrosses. A heartfelt thank you to Tim Appleton, Penny Robinson and the entire Global Birdfair community, including sponsors, the 14,000+ attendees, and dedicated volunteers, for their extraordinary support.
2 – Nearly 200,000 citizens said “Do not weaken our nature laws” in #HandsOffNature campaign
In just 10 days, 196,118 messages poured in from European citizens, urging the European Commission to stop any rollback of EU nature laws under the guise of “simplification.”
When they quietly opened a consultation that could have weakened the very laws protecting Europe’s forests, rivers, wetlands, and wildlife, citizens answered the call. Decision-makers now cannot ignore the message: Europe’s environmental laws are not for dismantling – they are for defending, enforcing and safeguarding our shared home and future.
3 – The Killing 3.0 report released: Most countries off track on illegal bird killing pledge
Illegal killing is one of the biggest threats to wild birds across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. In 2020, countries pledged to halve illegal bird killing by 2030, under the Rome Strategic Plan. But our latest report ‘The Killing 3.0’ finds that 38 out of the 46 countries assessed are not on track to meet this crucial target.
But there’s a path forward. When governments act with political will, coordination, and proper resourcing, they can drastically reduce illegal bird killing. The Rome Strategic Plan clearly outlines what needs to happen to stop illegal bird killing, offering plenty of tools and practical guidance. But to make real progress, countries must act now, with urgency and much stronger national efforts.
4 – 40 years of the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP): Building the next generation of conservation leaders
CLP is a global partnership between BirdLife International, Fauna & Flora and the Wildlife Conservation Society. Over four decades, the CLP has empowered 4,500+ early-career conservationists across 100+ countries through funding, training, and long-term support.
CLP alumni have gone on to discover or rediscover 130 species, establish 75+ protected areas, and launch 126 conservation NGOs. As the planet faces urgent challenges like biodiversity loss and climate change, CLP’s work is more vital than ever.
5 – £5 million awarded by Darwin Initiative Extra Grant for our Forest Impact Accelerator (FIA) programme
The Forest Impact Accelerator has run for five successful years with generous support from the Hempel Foundation, Waterloo Foundation and the King Charles III Charitable Fund, as well as £6 million of additional funding sourced in collaboration with our Partners. Overall, it is benefitting 38,000 local people, has improved protection for 400 threatened species, and has impacted over one million hectares.
This year, we were awarded an important Darwin Initiative Extra grant through the UK government’s Biodiversity Challenge Awards, a programme that supports global biodiversity conservation, reduces poverty, and addresses climate change. The £4,978,335 award will expand and scale these achievements to secure one million hectares of Key Biodiversity Areas while generating economic benefits for 200,000 local people.
6 – 6 vital African Penguin breeding colonies will benefit from 10-year fishing closure to save them from extinction
This landmark decision follows a hard-fought legal battle, culminating in an official High Court order in Pretoria. The agreement was reached by BirdLife South Africa and SANCCOB, represented by the Biodiversity Law Centre, alongside commercial purse-seine fishers.
The newly established no-take zones will replace interim closures that conservation scientists have long deemed inadequate. While this is a significant win for Critically Endangered African Penguins, the fight for their survival is far from over. Continued efforts are crucial to securing their future.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone involved and look forward to ongoing collaboration—not just for African Penguins but for the health of marine ecosystems and the communities that rely on them.
7 – 78 million datapoints for 189 species on BirdLife’s Seabird Tracking Database
Oceans are essential to all life on Earth – they cover over 70% of the Earth’s surface, contain a multitude of biodiversity, regulate our climate, and provide food and livelihoods for billions of people. Seabirds spend the majority of their lives, often covering large ranges, across our planet’s vast oceans. But 30% of these species are globally threatened.
To protect seabird populations, tracking data reveals where they spend their time and encounter threats. It also helps identify important sites and enables more targeted conservation actions. Our Seabird Tracking Database, the largest collection of seabird tracking data, contains over 1,500 datasets for over 180 species, totalling almost 78 million locations and it’s still growing!
8 – 8th comprehensive assessment of the extinction risk of the world’s birds
Our 2025 Red List update includes reassessments of 1,360 bird species and completes our eighth comprehensive assessment of all bird species. Involving thousands of experts over nine years, 11.5% of the 11,185 species assessed are globally threatened. Overall, 61% of bird species have declining populations – an estimate that has increased from 44% in 2016.
Safeguarding Key Biodiversity Areas globally, restoring ecosystems and ensuring that agriculture, forestry and fisheries are managed sustainably will help put these species on a path to recovery. One success story is the Rodrigues Warbler, endemic to Rodrigues Island, Mauritius. Through restoration of native forest habitat, partnership and perseverance, this species has recovered from Critically Endangered in 1996 to Least Concern today.
9 – 9th country to launch our Avian Sensitivity Tool for Energy Planning (AVISTEP): Australia
AVISTEP’s interactive maps show where bird species and their habitats are most sensitive to energy infrastructure on land and at sea, covering onshore and offshore windfarms, solar facilities and powerlines. It provides government planners and the renewable energy sector information to avoid harming birds whilst expanding the infrastructure needed for a sustainable future. The maps are the result of a collaboration between BirdLife International and our national Partner BirdLife Australia, with generous support from Fortescue.
New developments, without proper planning, can cause fatal collisions, interrupt bird migration flyways or displace species from their preferred habitats. With Australia aiming to achieve 82% of its electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030, it has never been more urgent to ensure that this transition keeps local wildlife in mind.
10 – 10 countries across Middle East form the “South-West Asia Illegal Taking of Migratory Birds Intergovernmental Task Force”
We are proud to stand with partners across South-West Asia in launching this new alliance, bringing together ten countries from across the region: Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. United in the shared responsibility, this is a critical step toward protecting some of the most iconic, vulnerable, and endangered migratory bird species.
The primary objective of the Task Force, in line with the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), is to eradicate Illegal Hunting, Taking and Trade (ITB) of migratory birds in South-West Asia. It supports countries in improving and harmonising their hunting legislations and promotes the effective national implementation of the South-West Asia Action Plan.
11 – 112 years between sightings of Critically Endangered Chinese Crested Tern in Sarawak, Malaysia
For the first time in more than a century, the Chinese Crested Tern, known as the “bird of legend,” has been seen in Sarawak, Malaysia — an “indescribable” moment for the team at Malaysian Nature Society Kuching Branch.
One of the rarest birds on Earth, fewer than 200 of these Critically Endangered seabirds remain in the wild. Its rediscovery in Sarawak highlights both the importance of under-surveyed coastal wetlands and the value of regional partnerships in bird conservation.
12 – 12 projects selected to receive funding, and two more projects selected through direct investment, as part of the Conserva Aves Initiative, to protect more than 75,000 hectares of critical habitat in Mexico
The Conserva Aves Initiative is a partnership between BirdLife International, Audubon, American Bird Conservancy, Birds Canada, and RedLAC, supporting Indigenous Peoples, Afrodescendant communities, community-based organizations, and NGOs to protect sites of importance to threatened endemic and migratory birds. A joint effort of 110 partner organisations working to establish or expand 179 subnational protected areas in Latin America, with the support of the Bezos Earth Foundation, Global Affairs Canada, and Fundación Cosmos.
In 2025, Conserva Aves launched the initiative in Mexico and Chile. In Mexico alone, 14 projects were selected to strengthen the protection of more than 119,000 hectares of critical bird habitat. With a focus on protected area creation, management, equity, and sustainable development, these projects will begin in 2025 and contribute to the global goal of protecting 30% of the planet by 2030.
Supported by Global Affairs Canada, the Bezos Earth Fund, Fundación Bomaco, and other donors, the Conserva Aves Initiative now protects more than 2.7 million hectares across eight countries in the Tropical Andes, Mexico, and Central America, the majority of which lie within Key Biodiversity Areas. Benefiting from these supported areas are more than 1,600 bird species, over 300 migratory bird species, 92 globally threatened bird species, and an estimated 500 local communities.
