BirdLife International is a global partnership ofnon-governmental organizations that strives to conservebirds and theirhabitats.[2] BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding important sites for birds, maintaining and restoring key bird habitats, and empowering conservationists worldwide.
BirdLife International publishes a quarterly magazine,BirdLife: The Magazine, which contains recent news and authoritative articles about birds and their conservation,[8][9] and publishes its official journalBird Conservation International withCambridge University Press.[10]
A warden with an ICBP mark on his uniform onLa Digue, Seychelles in the 1970s
BirdLife International was founded in 1922 as theInternational Council for Bird Protection by AmericanornithologistsT. Gilbert Pearson andJean Theodore Delacour. The group was renamedInternational Committee for Bird Preservation in 1928,International Council for Bird Preservation in 1960, andBirdLife International in 1993.[11][12]
In 2008, the English name ofWild Bird Federation Taiwan was renamed toChinese Wild Bird Federation in order to comply with BirdLife International's demand, stemming fromPeople's Republic of China's pressure.[19] Following the organization's removal from BirdLife International in 2020, the English name was changed toTaiwan Wild Bird Federation (TWBF).[20][21]
In December 2019, BirdLife International askedTaiwan's then namedChinese Wild Bird Federation (CWBF), to address the following issues or risk removal from its partnership program:[22]
CWBF was to sign a document formally committing to not promote or advocate for the legitimacy of theRepublic of China (Taiwan).
BirdLife International would no longer participate in or allow its logo to be associated with any event related to or funded, in part or in whole, by the Taiwanese government or its agencies.
BirdLife International would no longer allow its name or logo to be used in any document where the Taiwanese flag, symbols, or emblems were displayed.
However, BirdLife International stated that even if CWBF were to address all of its demands, it may still be removed from BirdLife International's partnership program. On 7 September 2020, before CWBF had the opportunity to discuss BirdLife International's demands in its General Assembly meeting, BirdLife International Global Council voted to remove CWBF from its partnership program.[23][24]
BirdLife International CEO Patricia Zurita subsequently issued what Reuters described as a "gag order", directing her staff to not comment publicly on the "sadly public statement" from CWBF. "If you receive any queries regarding this matter, please DO NOT offer comment and instead refer the matter to me directly," Zurita wrote.[25]
Correspondence between CWBF and BirdLife International was released by CWBF on 19 September 2020 to demonstrate that CWBF had been negotiating in good faith prior to its removal and was willing to discuss the name change.[20][26]
