Protecting migratory birds with green tourism
Countless migratory birds fall victim to hunters and trappers in Egypt each year. Now a local NGO is trying to protect the birds, and help hunters put their skills to better use by leading bird-watching vacations.
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00:00 This is the story of an experiment.
00:09 The main subjects are endangered birds at Lake Borolos in northern Egypt.
00:15 And on the human side, a bird hunter who'd like to stop if he had another way to feed
00:20 his family.
00:23 And an environmentalist with a new idea.
00:27 We work with small tour agencies that are based in the area.
00:32 Plus a tour operator who's up for a challenge.
00:35 We didn't have any guidebooks and knew nothing about the birds.
00:40 And tourists from Egypt who are paying a lot to see the birds.
00:44 Will it be worth it?
00:45 They're all trying something that's brand new to them.
00:52 Especially the bird hunter.
00:55 As evening falls, he heads out onto the water.
00:59 Salah Abdelaziz checks his nets in Lake Borolos.
01:03 His trick is to use fake ducks to encourage real migratory birds passing through, like
01:08 ducks, to join them.
01:12 His duck call serves the same purpose.
01:18 But they only sometimes work.
01:24 Playing back recordings of real duck calls is a more reliable way to attract them.
01:32 This method is illegal.
01:34 But the state doesn't prosecute hunters like him.
01:38 In fact, there are thousands of them.
01:43 The next morning, Salah Abdelaziz discovers that he didn't catch any ducks during the
01:48 night.
01:49 But he did catch three night herons.
01:52 He sells them to private buyers and restaurants.
01:55 The bird hunter has no other source of income and a family of five to feed.
02:00 But this is becoming more difficult, because the animals he prefers to catch are declining
02:05 in number.
02:06 In the past, a flock might include 200 ducks.
02:12 Now it may only be 50.
02:16 Lake Borolos is more than 460 square meters in size and is located in a densely populated
02:22 area.
02:25 Today is a first, a bird-watching tour.
02:29 More than a hundred bird species can be observed at the lake.
02:33 Now that they're endangered, locals are starting to understand the value of seeing them, and
02:38 even paying to do so.
02:46 It's so unique.
02:48 I never thought that I would travel such a long way just to watch birds.
02:56 The organizers weren't sure if enough people would book the tour.
03:00 And there are lots of details to work out.
03:03 We can't organize bird-watching trips without binoculars, because the birds are too far
03:09 away and you need binoculars to see them.
03:14 Trips are not that easy to come by in Egypt.
03:17 The environmental organization Nature Conservation Egypt provides them.
03:21 It was their idea to launch the bird-watching tour together with local tour operators.
03:27 We're supporting and training them.
03:30 We'll try to help them make these trips, and we'll stay there until they no longer need
03:34 us.
03:35 When they've managed to get access to the tourism market, reach bird-watchers, and build
03:40 connections with the hunters.
03:45 There are very few bird-watching guides in Egypt, and certainly none like bird hunter
03:50 Salah Abdel Aziz.
03:52 For his work as a guide on the trial day, he received the estimated earnings that he
03:56 lost from not hunting.
04:02 And then the magic happens.
04:04 Birds come right up close to the group, resting on fishing nets.
04:09 There are black-crowned night herons and squeako herons on their way from Europe to Asia.
04:20 It's also a moment for Salah Abdel Aziz.
04:22 As a bird hunter, he can now share his knowledge of the birds.
04:29 The rarer the bird, the more expensive.
04:31 The phyregenous duck is one of the rarest and most beautiful.
04:35 Are the eggs expensive?
04:36 Yes, but they don't lay eggs here.
04:39 If we focus more on bird-watching tourism, there could be many benefits in terms of jobs
04:44 and the places we're trying to protect.
04:47 And if people understand that these birds in these places can earn them money, then
04:51 they'll protect them, because they'll be profiting from them directly.
04:58 The tour operator is happy.
05:00 He's already thinking long-term.
05:04 If we organize a trip and it's successful, the people who come will bring more people
05:08 next time.
05:10 And while not so many people are interested in Lake Baralos now, the tours will make that
05:13 number grow.
05:17 Bird hunter Abdel Aziz can be proud of his first day as a bird-watching guide.
05:22 The tourists were impressed with his knowledge.
05:27 The thing I liked the most was having a guide that could tell you about the bird species
05:31 around us.
05:33 And who gave us some background information about the different areas.
05:38 They also explained how bird migration works.
05:43 Despite his success as a guide, Salah Abdel Aziz will continue to hunt birds for the time
05:48 being.
05:49 It will take time to create real change here.
05:52 I'm just one individual.
05:56 If other hunters did the same, it would make a big difference.
06:02 Salah Abdel Aziz has caught a kingfisher, a magnificent specimen.
06:07 He releases the bird.
06:09 Luckily, kingfishers not on the menu around here.
06:12 [MUSIC PLAYING]