The Songbird Species Knowledge Initiative
Songbirds are the first taxon to be mapped using the SKI methodology with the main objective of supporting the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The Songbird SKI is a preliminary study that integrates information into a decision framework to identify species for which more research is needed on international trade impacts. The Songbird SKI is designed to contribute to CITES Decision 18.256 on songbird trade and conservation management, which was adopted at CoP18, as stated in AC31, Doc.30, paragraph 6. The Songbird SKI is led by Species360’s Conservation Science Alliance and The University of Southern Denmark’s Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics (CPop), and has been prepared by a consortium including Marlow Birdpark, the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), Monitor Conservation Research Society (Monitor), Lincoln Park Zoo, TRAFFIC, and Universidade Estadual da Paraíba with review by BirdLife International.
There is little to no regulation for international songbird trade beyond CITES-listed species, regardless of legal protection in countries of origin
– Songbird SKI
Goal of the Songbird SKI
The goal of the Songbird SKI is to identify and rank species in terms of their prevalence in international wildlife trade in relation to their survival status in situ and to direct further research on the impacts of international trade.
The SKI is a decision support tool that identifies priority species meeting set criteria for conservation action across knowledge areas. The framework also allows the identification of species for which data are lacking and which require further research (e.g. threatened species where specific trade impacts are unknown). The results are illustrated through data visualization to support decision making at the species level.
Download the Songbird SKI
The Songbird Species Knowledge Initiative to Support CITES Decisions and Recommendations for Passeriformes comprises three documents – A summary version highlighting the main points and recommendations for songbirds, a full length document which delves into the data analytics, and research methodology (Annex 1); and a collection of essays on songbird trade and conservation (Annex 2).
The data used for this project can be found in the following paper by Jürgens, et al, available here. The data used to develop the SKI is openly available here.
The tables with the priority species and associated information will be posted online soon.
Please click the hyperlinks below to download the reports.
Songbird SKI Summary report (single page PDF)
Songbird SKI Full Version (Annex 1)
