Conservation Defined is a podcast dedicated to exploring the different aspects of wildlife conservation through s series of interviews with guests, from a variety of backgrounds, that actively work and support conservation efforts. Our guests share valuable insight on the hurdles they have had to overcome, the current challenges they face, the lessons they have learned and more.
As part of the annual tradition of celebrating one of the most popular and iconic bird species in Albania – the Dalmatian Pelican – the first episode is dedicated to exploring the conservation efforts and status of this species in the region. Specifically, in this episode, we direct our attention to “the good, the bad and the ugly” of pelican conservation, with the help of our very special guest, Dr. Giorgos Catsadorakis: biologist, one of the founders of the Society for Protection of Prespa, winner of the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2001, Chairman of IUCN Pelican Specialists Group, etc., and our host, archaeologist and board member of AOS, Ols Lafe.
This episode features a number of topics such as the conservation status of the pelicans in the Balkans, successful conservation measures taken thus far, current and future challenges and threats as well as many important messages and takeaways for everyone from Dr. Catsadorakis.
When asked what have been the most important achievements in regards to the conservation of the species, Dr. Catsadorakis remarks: “… our biggest accomplishments, as I see it now, is that we achieved to have a better monitoring, a better understanding of their populations … better numbers. And if you have better numbers and better knowledge, you can take the right decisions… We helped also for the creation of new colonies, including those that were helped by the building and placing of artificial nesting structures… So we achieved to have a better scientific understanding of their ecology, their movements, their needs, their biology. And this is very important for conservation”.
To listen to the full interview, choose your favorite platform and click on the following links:
The Conservation Defined series is an AOS production supported by the by Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), within the framework of “Maintaining the Ecological Integrity and Biodiversity of Divjaka-Karavasta National Park” project.
