The African Bird Club (ABC) has passed a major conservation milestone, providing £755,241 in grants for bird conservation across Africa since its Conservation Awards programme began in 1996.Over the past 30 years, ABC has supported 383 projects in 53 countries and territories, helping around 300 individuals and organisations carry out practical conservation, scientific research, environmental education and capacity building.
ABC Chair Keith Betton highlighted that the milestone is not just about the money, but the impact those funds have had in supporting dedicated people, generating knowledge, protecting habitats and conserving some of Africa’s most threatened bird species. The Conservation Awards programme has grown from a modest grant scheme into an important source of support for locally led conservation.
Annual funding has increased to around £30,000–£45,000, backed by individual donors, charitable trusts and partner organisations. The awards have supported work on at least 120 species or species groups, with more than 60% of species-focused projects involving birds classified as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Among the programme’s achievements, ABC funding contributed to the protection of 323 hectares of Dakatcha Woodland in coastal Kenya, safeguarding important habitat for threatened species including Clarke’s Weaver, Sokoke Scops-owl and Sokoke Pipit. In Zambia, an ABC-supported aerial survey of the Barotse Floodplain discovered three major waterbird breeding colonies, including one with an estimated 68,000 African Openbill nests.
ABC grants have also invested in the next generation of conservationists. In Sierra Leone, funding helped establish bird clubs for young people and supported a bird guide in a local language, while around Uganda’s Kibale National Park, Village Bird Clubs have inspired more than 200 children while promoting tree planting and awareness of threatened species.
Many ABC grant recipients have subsequently developed careers in research, conservation and environmental education, while supported organisations have attracted further funding and built partnerships with communities and governments. This ripple effect underscores the long-term value of investing in local conservation capacity.
For Africa’s threatened bird species, the milestone represents three decades of sustained support for the people and organisations working to protect them. The challenge now is to build on this foundation and scale up efforts to address the growing threats facing the continent’s birdlife.
Africa Presents is a Pan-African digital magazine and monthly publication covering politics, business, economy, culture, tech, and the stories shaping Africa and its diaspora. Visit africapresents.com and follow @AfricaPresents for daily coverage and monthly themed magazine editions.
Leave a comment