As part of ongoing efforts to protect waterbirds and monitor their ecological diversity, the Libyan Society for Birds launched the 2024 Winter Count of Waterbirds (IWC) today, 11 January 2024. This program is part of international efforts to monitor the numbers and distribution of waterbirds in wetlands, aiming to assess their ecological status and provide accurate data to support habitat conservation and sustainable management strategies.

This year’s field survey begins in coastal areas, from the Greater Zuwara region to Tobruk, in collaboration with the Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Tripoli, the Bessida Society for the Protection of Farwa Island and Lake, the Alhaya Organization for Protection of Wildlife and Marine Organisms, and the National Research Center for Tropical and Transboundary Diseases. This collaboration aims to strengthen research efforts and the exchange of scientific knowledge, contributing to more accurate environmental data on waterbirds in Libya.

The Winter Count of Waterbirds is one of the leading programs organized by Wetlands International, providing a scientific database used to assess waterbird populations and study the impact of environmental and climatic changes on their habitats. The data collected through this survey also help in shaping policies for the protection and conservation of biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems.

The Libyan Society for Birds extends its sincere thanks and appreciation to all researchers and volunteers participating in this program, wishing them success in their efforts to study and protect waterbirds.