On December 18, Minsk /BelTA correspondent/. The Braslav Lakes and the Shchara floodplain have officially received international conservation status and become the 50th and 51st Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Belarus. This was reported to BelTA by the public association "Aхова птушак Бацькаўшчыны" (Association for the Conservation of Birds of the Fatherland). Important Bird Areas (IBAs) is the name of an international programme that has been carried out for many years by the international conservation organisation BirdLife International and its partners worldwide. IBAs are areas that are most important for bird life. These include habitats of rare and endangered species, water bodies where large numbers of waterfowl and water-associated birds gather, and areas where birds rest and feed in large numbers during autumn and spring migrations. There are about 14,000 IBAs worldwide. "The IBA 'Braslav Lakes' is of international importance for the conservation of two bird species close to being globally threatened: the Eurasian curlew and the black-tailed godwit. According to specialists' estimates, 20-25 pairs of Eurasian curlews and 15-20 pairs of black-tailed godwits inhabit this area. In many European countries, the populations of these species continue to decline. Each territory inhabited by ten or more pairs is of great interest to scientists. The conservation of key nesting sites for these waders is one of the main tasks for maintaining their numbers," said Semyon Levy, a conservation specialist at the public association "Aхова птушак Бацькаўшчыны". The "Shchara floodplain" area (2594 ha) is located in the Ivacevichy District of Brest Region, north of the "Vygonoshchansky" заказник (nature reserve). According to the programme coordinator, the territory was chosen due to the presence of the Aquatic Warbler. "Up to 40 singing males of this rare species are registered annually in the sedge fens of the river floodplain," he explained. Currently, 51 Important Bird Areas have been designated in Belarus. The total area of all IBAs is over 1.5 million hectares. 74.3% of the total IBA area has various national conservation statuses. The largest IBA is the Polessye Radiation Reserve, covering 218,000 hectares. Most IBAs are located in the Pripyat Polesye and Vitebsk Poozerye regions. -0-

BelTA