A renowned conservationist,

A renowned conservationist,
andand a team
a team of international
of international scientists,
scientists,
taking the world on a 7000km journey into the lives of migrating birds...
taking the world on a 7000km journey into the lives of mi-
grating birds...

FLIGHT OF THE OSPREY

- CASE FOR SUPPORT
1 CONSERVATION-WITHOUT-BORDERS.ORG
 FLIGHT OF THE OSPREY
FLIGHT OF THE OSPREY
Flight of the Osprey is an innovative airborne conservation
project
Flight ofinthe
collaboration with
Osprey is an UN agencies,
innovative scientists,
airborne media
conservation
and governments.
project in collaboration with UN agencies, scientists, media
and governments.
Accompanying the osprey on its 2020 autumn migration across
Europe and Africa,
Accompanying the this 7000
osprey on km paramotor
its 2020 autumnexpedition
migrationwill gather
across
vital data on the threats faced by this iconic bird of prey and
Europe and Africa, this 7000 km paramotor expedition will gather other
migratory species. At the same time we will create a unique platform
vital data on the threats faced by this iconic bird of prey and other
from whichspecies.
migratory to engage, educate
At the and empower
same time communities
we will create a uniquealong
platform
the flyway and further afield, promoting a deeper understanding
from which to engage, educate and empower communities along
of
thethe challenges
flyway to migratory
and further birds, both
afield, promoting a within
deeperand beyond the
understanding
conservation community.
of the challenges to migratory birds, both within and beyond the
conservation community.
A journey across rising seas and vast deserts, diving into the hidden
world underwater
A journey and battling
across rising seas andfrequent storms,
vast deserts, the team
diving willhidden
into the show in
a dramatic and tangible way, the catastrophic effects of a changing
world underwater and battling frequent storms, the team will show in
climate andand
a dramatic other humanway,
tangible impacts on our wildlife,
the catastrophic theirofhabitats
effects and
a changing
people that live along the flyway.
climate and other human impacts on our wildlife, their habitats and
people that live along the flyway.
This bold and pioneering initiative, offering a true bird’s-eye
perspective
This bold and ofpioneering
trans-continental species
initiative, migration,
offering promises to ignite
a true bird’s-eye
new
perspective of trans-continental species migration, promises about
initiatives and leave the public inspired and empowered to ignite
the
newglobal conservation
initiatives and leaveimpact of local
the public efforts.
inspired and empowered about
the global conservation impact of local efforts.

CONTENTS
CONTENTS 3
The project ....................................................................
The project
Key ....................................................................
objectives .............................................................. 3
4
Key objectives
Project details .............................................................. 4
5
Project
Why details
is this ..............................................................
needed? ................................................... 5
7
Why is this
Project ...................................................
needed?.......................................................
outcomes 7
8
Project outcomes
Monitoring .......................................................
and evaluation ...................................... 8
9
Monitoring
Project and evaluation
budget ......................................
............................................................. 9
10
Project
Why budget .............................................................
Conservation Without Borders? .................. 10
11
2 CONSERVATION-WITHOUT-BORDERS.ORG
Why Conservation Without Borders? .................. 11
2 CONSERVATION-WITHOUT-BORDERS.ORG
THE PROJECT

LIVE SATELLITE TRACKING CRITICAL SITES HIGH PUBLIC PROFILE STRONGER NETWORKS
Eight wild ospreys will be tagged An experienced ground crew of The footage and photographs This project has the support of
with high tech GPS collars, to scientists, media, local experts from the expedition and its the most prominent researchers
give real-time locations on their and educators, will gather vital investigations will be shared and organisations in species
journey to Africa. data, engage communities and through local, national and restoration and research,
politicians, and visit critical sites international media, to engage wetland conservation, and public
Following in the air, by paramotor, along the flyway. multiple audiences – the engagement, e.g. Roy Dennis
will be acclaimed conservationist public, conservationists, Wildlife Foundation (osprey
and ‘Flight of the Swans’ veteran, At each important stopover scientists, politicians, educators tagging and nest building over
Sacha Dench. Matching their site, the team scientists will – in the challenges facing 5 decades), United Nations
speed and altitude, and sharing analyse the bird movements and migratory species. (CMS – AEWA and Raptors
the same thermals for lift, Sacha samples of water, sediments, MOU, Ramsar), Wetland
will gather crucial scientific insects and fish. Live broadcasts and social media Link International, Birdlife
insights into the world of will allow the team to share with International, and other scientists
Progress of the ground crew the public the ups and downs
migratory birds. and conservationists along
can be monitored online and of the migration, from Northern
the public will be encouraged the flyway.
By capturing the journey on film Europe to West Africa, bringing
to visit the team at camp to the perils of this extraordinary
and photograph, and building a Strengthening and growing
share stories, pictures and ideas journey onto the screens and
stunning bird’s-eye view of the networks, and empowering small
- giving an opportunity to take into the lives of the people
epic journey, the team will create NGOs already working on osprey
an active part in conservation. whose support these species
a unique platform to engage the and wetland conservation, will be
Others further afield can get desperately need.
media and public. a focus of the project.
involved online.

3 CONSERVATION-WITHOUT-BORDERS.ORG
KEY OBJECTIVES

• Increase public awareness of will involve groups that often

the conservation challenges for feel side-lined or marginalised in
ospreys and other migrating birds, conservation and other land-use
particularly due to climate and decisions - which will produce
human impacts, through footage actionable solutions. We will do
from a bird’s-eye view and a series this by bringing people together in
of short, dramatic and inspiring person and online.
stories and interviews delivered via
media and social media. • Resource local groups and wetland
centres through the production of
• Assess critical wetland habitats a communication toolkit and by
on this migratory route for plastic promoting the established tools
and other pollutants, and the and processes for community
likely impacts of those factors on engagement, which have already
migratory birds and their food been developed by UN agencies.
chain, from fish to invertebrates and
microorganisms. • Create a film and a digital flyway
experience that will allow schools
• Demonstrate the global impact to engage in the project before,
of local action, and the benefits during, and after the expedition.
of international collaboration, by It will also allow connections and
profiling local conservationists collaborations between schools in
along the route, and their work. different countries.
This will also deliver a constant
and high-profile message of hope • Promote regional and national
conservation efforts along the “Through their migrations ospreys cross many
and empowerment on solving
route, and ecotourism activities with social, political and cultural divides.
environmental challenges.
positive impacts on conservation.
• Help identify, train and support
The great strength of this expedition is that it will
conservation leaders and potential • Seek opportunities to empower help us reach a much wider audience than has been
leaders, where identified as a women and girls, in rural and possible until now, raising awareness of important
priority by country partners and urban environments, which has issues, such as habitat loss, degradation of wetlands
networks like WLI, WI, Birdlife. been identified as a global priority and illegal hunting.
for conservation by Ramsar,
• Engage governments, hunters, the Convention on Biological It will also encourage and support local
landowners, power companies Diversity (CBD), the United conservationists and grassroots organisations in
and other target audiences – Nations Framework Convention their actions and collaborations, and will facilitate
through the exchange of ideas and on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and learning in a new and exciting way in schools in
opportunities for dialogue. This the UN Convention to Combat
different countries along the osprey flyway.”
interaction between stakeholders Desertification (UNCCD).
- Roy Dennis MBE, global authority on osprey
reintroduction
4 CONSERVATION-WITHOUT-BORDERS.ORG
PROJECT DETAILS
SAVING SPECIES ordinary people – we will enable people to
engage with the investigation and have a better
The osprey became extinct as a breeding bird understanding of how conservation works and
in England in 1840, but has been slowly making a a sense of connection between cultures for
comeback since the 1950s. With over 200 pairs a common good. We have already agreed an
now breeding in Scotland, it is a truly inspiring association with BBC Breakfast in the UK (daily
and empowering example of what can be done to reach of 6,580,000 with an average audience
reverse wildlife declines, but conservationists are of 1,528,000), as well as other national and
now asking: international broadcasters / news agencies.

• What might be limiting their comeback to their POLLUTANTS AND PLASTICS IN

past range, right across England and Wales?
CRITICAL HABITATS
• Where we know there is a threat – from illegal
hunting to pollution or powerline collisions - how The osprey shares the migration route with many
can we motivate and mobilise enough people to thousands of other migrating waterbirds, a journey
help us solve it? that relies on access to healthy wetland stopover
• Could there be other threats along their sites. Researchers in the Ground Crew (from
migration route, where monitoring and Cardiff University) will be sampling these sites –
conservation is less supported? the water, sand, mud, small invertebrates and the
• Could the threats to ospreys also be fish – for pollutants like pesticides, plastics and
harming people? pharmaceuticals all along the route. Immediate
field analysis and detailed analytics after the trip
• And what about the other, lesser known bird
will give deep insights into how these factors
species that fly this same migration route each
might be impacting on the survival of the osprey
year? Could saving the big, beautiful and iconic
and the many other waterbirds.
ospreys help declining species using the
same habitat?
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND SUPPORT
UNFORGETTABLE STORIES
Through face-to-face encounters with
communities along their migration route, allowing
By following in-person and experiencing the exact
people to track and visit the expedition team in
conditions on the ground and in the air, across
real time, and through the media and social media,
seas, coastal wetlands, mountain ranges, cities
we will generate a wave of interest and support
and deserts, researchers and the public will for the
for the birds from community to political level.
first time have a real panoramic view of the lives of
With this support and a visually powerful story, we
ospreys, and the challenges and possible threats
will highlight the work of conservationists along
they face on their annual migration.
the flyway and bring extra interest and support
By also telling human stories of the individuals for their work, including by recruiting additional
already making a difference – scientists and observers so that we have more complete flyway
data for the future.

5 CONSERVATION-WITHOUT-BORDERS.ORG
PROJECT DETAILS

We will work with the Osprey Leadership Foundation

to identify individuals and training opportunities to
help develop the next generation of conservation
leaders in West Africa.

In the UK we will use the story to make an inspiring

and tangible case for improving water quality, and
making more space for nature in the UK (a Natural
England target). And of course improving the state of
nature through rewilding and improving water quality
is critical for both combatting climate change and
improving human health.

From the air, ground and conversations with people,

we will identify human activities that might be
negatively impacting wildlife, and encourage and
promote sustainable livelihoods such as ecotourism.

ENGAGING OTHER LAND USERS,

WHERE THERE IS SOMETIMES CONFLICT
WITH CONSERVATION
We will engage fishing, shooting and landowning
organisations as partners in this expedition, for both
practical and strategic reasons. Their support (already
given by some that partnered with ‘Flight of the
Swans’) will help us to reach and engage with hunters,
farmers and other land and fishery managers along
the way, who are enthusiastic about helping with
logistical support for an epic adventure in the name
of conservation (local knowledge, places to land and
take off, places to camp and access to water etc). This
in turn provides additional opportunity for dialogue,
understanding, development of mutual respect and
for great ideas for progress to develop.

Flight of the Swans proved that this novel and direct

approach really works.

6 CONSERVATION-WITHOUT-BORDERS.ORG
WHY IS THIS NEEDED?

WHY IS THIS PROJECT URGENTLY • There are large stretches of this migration route
NEEDED? where support is urgently needed for recruiting
and training data collectors and observers, and
• Migratory birds are some of the most influential champions for the natural world.
threatened animals on the planet, and the These gaps must be filled if we are to achieve
hardest to protect due to their reliance on long term effective conservation for ospreys
multiple countries and many habitats. and other migrating birds.

• The trends of many of the waterbirds using the • Local conservationists need extra national
East Atlantic flyway are in long-term decline, and international support. Implementing
with a significant number globally threatened international agreements can be very difficult
with extinction. Indeed, many are not monitored without raising the issues, over an extended
so we have no idea of their current status. period, in a very public way. Working with
This stresses the need for urgent conservation partners in each country, ‘Flight of the Osprey’
responses, at multiple levels. • There are critical wetland habitats along this will begin this role in August 2019 across the
flyway that are not protected and which are year preceding the expedition, during the
• Threats to the birds include illegal hunting and expedition, and will continue after the project
being degraded. We have a window of time to
persecution, pollution, entanglement in nets, through the film and local activity.
change that before the damage is irreversible.
collision with powerlines, habitat degradation,
Governments need to take urgent action to
fish barriers in waterways etc. These threats can
conserve and restore wetlands for wildlife “A ground-breaking expedition… an
be directly addressed through generating mass excellent example of a flyway-scale
and human health, and as a climate change
awareness, political support for change, and
promoting international collaboration.
adaptation strategy (wetlands store large awareness raising campaign to stimulate
quantities of carbon). conservation action and international
• Pollutants like pesticides, pharmaceuticals and cooperation” - Jacques Trouvilliez, Executive
plastics are a growing threat, and their potential Secretary UNEP/AEWA Secretariat
impacts on the osprey and their food chain are
an important part of the puzzle.

• This is a tried and tested model for

conservation and engagement. The UN
Convention on Migratory Species and its
agencies have identified public engagement
across flyways as critical to the conservation of
migratory birds, and yet most efforts to do so,
across geographical and political boundaries,
fail. No other projects have delivered the results
of ‘Flight of the Swans’.

7 CONSERVATION-WITHOUT-BORDERS.ORG
PROJECT OUTCOMES

WITH YOUR SUPPORT, BY THE END OF THIS PROJECT:

• Engagement: we will have reached an • Data gaps in our wetland and waterbird
audience of over 10 million people through censuses are able to be filled by newly
building relations and sharing stories with identified and trained observers, for the
local, national and international media (with first time providing a full picture of their
a target of 2,000 media pieces). population status.

• Reported reduction in persecution and • Resourcing wetland centres from Scotland

illegal hunting of ospreys and other to West Africa: better resourced centres
migratory birds, over the subsequent 3 will engage more people and attract more
years, at least in part through hunter-led support. The Wetland Link International
initiatives. (WLI) network will have attracted at least 3
new wetland centres as members, and will
• Greater protected status for wetlands: we have energised and engaged with existing
will have helped to bring about increased WLI member centres.
protection of at least 3 important wetland
stopover sites along the way, and have • Schools and environmental centres: we will
given local groups greater agency to have conducted a programme available to
continue this work at other sites. all schools along the flyway, including the
development of a digital ‘flyway’ for use
• Data on the impacts of pollutants and in education, live following and interaction
plastics on wetland sites and migrating with the expedition.
birds: we will have analysed the results
of a wide range of plastic and pollutant • Leave a lasting legacy: by ensuring local
sampling of the critical wetlands on conservation partners are fully involved in
the migratory route, which will benefit steering the project in their countries, we
national and regional governments and will have provided media assets, a film, and
conservationists (we will provide the results ongoing support for the year following the
on an open access basis). Scientific results expedition.
from the expedition will be published
in international journals to make new • Share the messages globally: presentations
findings available to the wider science and will be given to governments and
conservation communities. conservationists around the world, working
on different flyways, in the following year to
• Increased landowner and public interest ensure the lessons learnt are broadly shared
and support for greater wild areas in the with the public and decision makers.
UK, which would support ospreys and
other wildlife, as well as contributing more
generally to water and air quality, as well as
human health.
8 CONSERVATION-WITHOUT-BORDERS.ORG
MONITORING AND EVALUATION

MONITORING AND EVALUATION WILL BE DONE “I couldn’t be more enthusiastic about this - I think
THROUGH VARIOUS METHODS: it is admirable & what a fantastic example at this
time, when we are all so concerned about climate
change, that Sacha is yet again drawing attention to
1. During the project to maintain direction: its consequence.”
• Project partners will be engaged in monthly skype calls - Dame Judi Dench
to review the progress of the project, throughout the
project, ensuring plans can be adapted as necessary.

• The Conservation Without Borders Science Advisory “I am excited to support Sacha Dench. I’m confident
Committee (led by David Stroud, Honorary Patron of that she will do her utmost to fulfil her ambitions with
AEWA and Chair of the Ramsar Scientific and Technical great skill and panache. This is not the first time we
Review Panel) will regularly assess progress, approach have supported Sacha and I’m sure it won’t be the last.
and the focus of the project to ensure the work is Her projects have a flair that draws attention to her
aligned with achieving international conservation cause. She is highly effective in championing important
priorities. conservation issues and her influence spans continents.
For any supporter the association with her is both a
2. After the project to assess impact and share learnings: pleasure and a reason to be proud.”
• A report will be compiled that compares our success - Sir Ranulph Fiennes Bt OBE
against objective and subjective criteria i.e.

o Any objective with an objectively measurable result

(e.g. numbers of articles in the media and social “This expedition is marvellously imaginative and
media) will be recorded. adventurous. Peter Scott did similar in his day and
o Partners will be asked to identify their priorities inspired the world.”
in each country. Where these are tangible (e.g. - Sir David Attenborough
protected status of a wetland) this will be recorded,
and where it is less tangible (e.g. improved
collaboration with local media or hunters), partners
will be asked to review and score the level of “Truly admirable in both its conception and its
success. ambitions. There will no doubt be gruelling moments
for Sacha! However, she’s dedicated to the cause and
o We will conduct recorded interviews with target
fully committed and I have every confidence that the
audiences along the flyway, to measure the most
project will be a great success – both in generating a
significant changes. These will be assessed by an
lot of public attention but also helping the communities
independent reviewer.
along the flyway to protect these beautiful and iconic
birds”
- Ann Daniels, polar explorer
9 CONSERVATION-WITHOUT-BORDERS.ORG
 WHY
WHY
CONSERVATION
CONSERVATION
WITHOUT
WITHOUT
BORDERS?
BORDERS?

Conservation
Conservation
without
without
Borders Borders
will undertake
will undertake The projectThe project
was described
was described
as follows
as follows
by Jacques
by Jacques
projects
projects
to support
to support
leading leading
conservationists
conservationists Trouvilliez,
Trouvilliez,
Executive
Executive
Secretary
Secretary
UNEP/AEWA
UNEP/AEWA
and scientists
and scientists
by creating
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media,media,
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political
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for work,
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an excellent
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UN bodies
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advisory
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committee). example
example
of a flyway-scale
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awareness
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The charity
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was founded
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by Sacha
Dench Denchcampaign
campaign
to stimulate
to stimulate
conservation
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and and
and Emma
and Emma
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international
cooperation
cooperation
for the
for
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founder
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including
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and Charity
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and DEFRA,and others).
and others).

11 11 CONSERVATION-WITHOUT-BORDERS.ORG
CONSERVATION-WITHOUT-BORDERS.ORG
 In the words of Thomas Lovejoy, eminent biologist
and inventor of the term ‘biodiversity’:
“If you take care of birds, you take care of most of
the environmental problems in the world.”

12 CONSERVATION-WITHOUT-BORDERS.ORG