Abstract
1. Introduction: A first ever comprehensive winter ornithological survey of coastal wetlands in Libya had been carried out in January 2005. The present survey aimed to complement and extend the results of the previous survey. 2. International Framework: The survey was once again carried out under the auspices of the Environment General Authority of Libya (EGA), which had called for the survey as an implementation of the RAC/SPA Action Plan for Mediterranean marine birds, and the Afro- Eurasian Waterbird Agreement. It was timed to coincide with the international midwinter waterbird census, organized by Wetlands International (WI). 3. Objectives: The objectives were similar to those of the 2005 survey, i.e. to search for wintering Slender-billed Curlews, to make a comprehensive survey of waterbirds on Libyan coastal wetlands (with more detailed attention given to those identified in 2005 as being of major importance), to collect further data on wetland sites and their functioning (for incorporation in RAC/SPA Standard Data Sheets); this year greater attention was paid to training Libyan ornithologists. 4. Participants: The same participants took part as in 2005 (three experts from Libya, two from Tunisia, one from Italy, one from France, one from UK), with in addition three trainees from EGA and Al Fateh University. 5. Programme: Most of the main coastal wetlands were visited, from Ras Ajdir on the frontier with Tunisia in the west, to the Gulf of Bumba between Derna and Tobruk in the east. A visit was also paid to Houn, in the Jofra inland oasis complex. On returning to Tripoli, the participants presented the results to the Head of EGA and a seminar was organized at EGA headquarters to present the 2005 and 2006 findings to EGA staff and invited representatives from Al Fateh University, the National Authority for Rural and Agricultural Development, the Marine Biology Research Centre (MBRC), the Environment protection offices of Tripoli and Jafara, and other local stakeholders. The seminar was featured Libyan television’s main evening news on Libyan television on 31 January. National press covered the event on 1 February. The survey was the cover-page item in EGA’s February 2006 news bulletin.