Project ORPHEUS - CABS "Online-Bird Protection Camp" 2020
Tracking down illegal bird trapping sites using satellite images
The corona crisis has us all in its grip. Instead of travelling to our regular areas of operation, CABS members and activists - as well as friends, donors and supporters must all stay at home. However, we want to make the most out of this bad situation and continue to deliver pro-active work against poaching and for bird protection. As such, together with your help we want use citizen science to research and collate data on bird-trapping sites by analysing Google Earth satellite images.
Poachers typically hide their traps well though fear of prosecution and are therefore very difficult to track. The situation is different with the widespread clap-net trapping sites, which are relatively easy to spot from the air and on satellite images. While we already know all trapping sites in Malta, in eastern Spain and southern Italy we have incomplete intelligence data regarding the distribution of this form of bird trapping.
During our bird protection camps in Spain, which take place mainly during the migration season in autumn, we will direct volunteer teams to inspect the trapping sites you find. If they are active, we will work with the police and hunting authorities to ensure that they are shut down and the perpetrators are brought to justice.
Join us on a virtual search for bird trapping sites!
During these times of curfews and quarantine, let’s do something proactive for future bird protection, help locate and pinpoint illegal bird trapping sites using Google Earth.
There are likely thousands of undiscovered bird-trapping sites in the Mediterranean. Large clap-net sites are clearly visible from above and on satellite images. Our goal is to systematically search several hundred thousand square kilometres of landscape for illegal songbird trapping sites. We will start with eastern Spain and later extend the search to southern Italy.
Besides some spare time, all you need is a PC or laptop, Google Earth installed and a basic understanding of working with computers. With a smartphone or tablet this work is difficult to do because the display is too small.
Just send us your name and email address via the contact form below. You can also contact us directly via info@komitee.de.
Before you can get started, we will send you a practice quadrant, on which some of the clap-net trapping sites we already know are located. In order to participate in our online bird protection camp, you have to first find these trapping sites, mark them on Google Earth and send them back to us via email. After you have found the trapping sites and sent them to us, you will receive your own personal search area of about 100 square kilometres on the coast of Eastern Spain and you can start stalking for poachers!