About Us
Between 2017 and 2019 Zoos of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) joined forces in a conservation Campaign aiming to address and mitigate the ongoing songbird extinction crisis in Asia and increase awareness within and beyond the zoo community. Achieving these aims means ensuring the zoo community has the capability to scramble the resources needed in manpower, know-how and funding to help save a growing number of Asian songbird species from imminent extinction. The Silent Forest Group is the continuation of the work initiated and funded during the official campaign and continues the tasks of coordinating EAZA community response towards the Asian Songbird Crisis.
Silent Forest Vision:
A world where people live in appreciation and respect of Songbirds with awareness not to engage in unsustainable practices.
Achieved through three pillars:
-Consistent and quality long-term technical and financial support for in-range and in-situ conservation projects.
-Cooperation between EAZA ex-situ programmes as well as enable networking with other regions, research as well as conservation entities.
-Jointly carried-out supportive activities on education, awareness, fundraising, and publications.
Silent Forest Mission:
The Silent Forest Group is a working group of the EAZA Songbird Taxon Advisory Group collecting and sharing information on the Asian Songbird Crisis caused by unsustainable and illegal trade.
Actively fundraising, providing project management as well as technical support services for in-situ PROJECTS and empowering our partners.
Overseeing and linking relevant ex-situ PROGRAMMES sharing resources.
Promoting songbirds, increasing knowledge, awareness, and commitment to action with educational ACTIVITIES within and beyond the zoo community.
ASAP Species That We Work On
What We Do
Positioned as a working group of the EAZA Songbird Taxon Advisory Group members of the Silent Forest Group actively work with project partners in the region on tangible conservation action, providing funding, technical support and advocacy. Project funding is currently administered by the EAZA Executive Office which has charity status and all areas of project evaluation and finance administration is covered by the EAZA community and hence all donations can be forwarded 100% to the project partners.
Current supported projects include ASAP species like Bali Myna, Javan Green Magpie, Rufous-fronted Laughingthrush, Blue-crowned Laughinghthrush, Nias Hill Myna, and Straw-headed Bulbul. It also includes a focus on taxa as conservation units supporting projects for threatened subspecies or populations of unclear taxonomical status. There is a very close cooperation with the IUCN SSC ASTSG BirdLife and the Oriental Bird Club.
Where We Work
Primarily based in Europe with close partners primarily in Indonesia the strongest focus is on South East Asia but with less restriction in geographic scope than our partner organisation ASTSG.
Photo Credits
Simon Bruslund