Third International Scientific and Practical Conference “Eagles of the Palearctic: Study and Conservation”

Third International Scientific and Practical Conference «Eagles of the Palearctic: Study and Conservation», 24–29 September 2023, Almaty Resort Sanatorium, Almaty, Kazakhstan

All Eurasian eagle species are relatively rare, and, consequently, their conservation requires joint efforts by the countries where the birds breed, migrate, and overwinter. Conservation planning requires examination of species population status and existing threats.

The purpose of the conference is to discuss the current situation, negative factors, and methods of studying and conserving eagles, as well as to propose a strategy for the conservation of the most vulnerable species.

This Conference was first held in Russia in 2013 (Elabuga, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia)¹, and the second time – in 2018 in the Aya village (Altai Kray, Russia)².

Special attention was paid to the most vulnerable species – Steppe Eagle. Thanks to the international cooperation initiated at the first conference, the Steppe Eagle’s status on the IUCN Red List was upgraded to “endangered,” and a Russian strategy for the conservation of this species was also created. A working group formed at the second conference proposed to create a Global Plan of Action for the Conservation of the Steppe Eagle as part of the Memorandum of Understanding on Raptors under the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).

The focus of the 2023 Conference is the development of practical actions to balance out negative factors affecting predators in steppe and desert regions, including bird mortality at power grid facilities, poisoning, inadequate food supply in both nesting areas and on migration routes. It is planned to discuss the plan for the creation of the National Strategy for the Conservation of the Steppe Eagle in Kazakhstan on the Conference.

Species of the Сonference: Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), Imperial Eagle (A. heliaca), Spanish Imperial Eagle (A. adalberti), Steppe Eagle (A. nipalensis), Tawny Eagle (A. rapax), Bonelli’s Eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus), Greater and Lesser Spotted Eagles (A. clanga, A. pomarina), Booted Eagle (H. pennatus), Mountain Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus nipalensis), White-Tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), Steller’s Sea-Eagle (H. pelagicus), Pallas’s Fish-Eagle (H. leucoryphus), Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus), Osprey (Pandion haliaetus).

The Key topics of the Conference:
- eagle populations – status and trends
- threats – human persecution, poisoning, electrocution, and collisions,
- conservation – approaches and methods, international cooperation
- methods and techniques for studying eagles,
- breeding biology, ecology,
- movements – habitat usage, migration studies including ringing and trackers
- genetics, evolution, phylogeny, and eagles phylogeography, taxonomy
- climate change – potential influence and impact
- breeding in captivity and sustainable use,
- eagles as ecological indicators.

Organizers:
Biodiversity research and conservation centre community trust (BRCC)³
Russian Raptor Research and Consevation Network⁴
Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK)⁵
Institute of Zoology-Republic of Kazakhstan⁶
Bird Conservation Union of Kazakhstan
Russian Bird Conservation Union (RBCU)⁷
MME/Birdlife Hungary⁸
Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU)⁹
Aquila – Kordian Bartoszuk (Poland)¹⁰
Wind of Wandering (Veters, LLC)¹¹

Sponsors:
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF)¹²
European Union’s LIFE Nature Fund LIFE (LIFE21-NAT-HU-LIFE SakerRoads)¹³
VGP FOUNDATION¹⁴
Trust for Mutual Understanding¹⁵
Siberian Wellness¹⁶

Conference Program Committee:
Anatoly F. Kovshar (Conference Chair), Doctor of Biological Sciences, Prof., Bird Conservation Union of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan;
Todd Katzner (Conference Co-chair), PhD, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center U.S. Geological Survey, Boise, Idaho, USA;
Arkady P. Isaev, DSci, Institute of Biological Problems of the Cryolithozone, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Russia;
Richard E. Harness, Certified Wildlife Biologist, EDM International, Inc.;
Marton Horvath, PhD, MME BirdLife Hungary;
Igor V. Karyakin, RRRCN, Sibecocenter LLC, Novosibirsk, Russia;
Vitalij Kovalev, NABU, Germany;
Michael McGrady, PhD, International Avian Research, Austria;
Bernd-Ulrich Meyburg, PhD, Prof., NABU, Germany;
Alexander L. Mishchenko, PhD, Institute of Ecology and Evolution Problems named after A.N. Severtsov RAS, Moscow, Russia;
Eugene R. Potapov, PhD, Bryn Athyn College, Pennsylvania, USA;
Matyas Prommer, PhD, Herman Otto Institute, Hungary;
Ilya E. Smelansky, ACBK, Kazakhstan;
Sergey L. Sklyarenko, ACBK, Kazakhstan.

Conference Organizing Committee:
Ekaterina Akentyeva, Institute of Zoology Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan;
Rinur Bekmansurov, RRRCN, Nizhnyaya Kama National Park, Yelabuga, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia;
Alyona Kaptyonkina, Institute of Zoology Republic of Kazakhstan, BRCC, Karaganda, Kazakhstan;
Igor Karyakin, RRRCN, Sibecocenter LLC, Novosibirsk, Russia;
Vitalij Kovalev, NABU, Germany;
Dmitry Malakhov, Institute of Zoology Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan;
Elvira Nikolenko (Conference Secretary), RRRCN, Sibecocenter LLC, Novosibirsk, Russia;
Ongarbayev Nurlan, BRCC, Karaganda, Kazakhstan;
Genriyetta Pulikova, Institute of Zoology Republic of Kazakhstan, BRCC, Karaganda, Kazakhstan;
Elena Shnayder, PhD, RRRCN, Sibecocenter LLC,

Conference Location:
“Almaty Resort” Sanatorium
Address: Kazakhstan, Almaty, str. Almerek, 1/1 (Kargaly, Bostandyk district). Location: N43.1748, E76.8779

Conference Format:
Part-time - in agreement with the organizing committee for individual speakers, reports will be broadcast online.

Working Languages: English, Russian, Kazakh (simultaneous translation will be provided).

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1 http://rrrcn.ru/ru/conference-2013
2 http://rrrcn.ru/ru/conference-2018
3 http://www.brcc.kz/en
4 http://rrrcn.ru/en
5 http://www.acbk.kz
6 http://zool.kz/eng/main-page
7 http://www.rbcu.ru
8 http://www.mme.hu
9 http://en.nabu.de
10 http://aquila-it.pl/en
11 http://veters.kz
12 http://www.cepf.net
13 http://cinea.ec.europa.eu/programmes/life/nature-and-biodiversity_en
14 http://www.vgp-foundation.eu
15 http://www.tmuny.org
16 http://ru.siberianhealth.com

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