This discussion was first published as part of the 2022.1 Red List update. At the time a decision regarding its status was pended, but to enable reassessment of this species as part of the 2022.2 Red List update this post remained open and the date of posting had been updated.
Dear colleagues
we are still conducting surveys on this species in Jordan and will be able to communicate up-dated data soon; it appears for now that the breeding habitat at Dana Reserve is much more degraded than before and new threats may be arising due to mining activities and windfarms near the breeding area. The breeding area itself is currently in the range of 20-30 sq Km only in SW Jordan.
Dear colleagues,
The Association for Bird Conservation in Lebanon (ABCL) has recently conducted field research to survey the Syrian Serin in Lebanon. Using Point Counts method, the researchers recorded the Syrian Serin with other breeding avian species that shared it the different surveyed habitats.
All gathered data was analyzed by the project scientific advisor Professor in Ornithology Dr Ghassan Ramadan-Jaradi.
Unfortunately, numbers have dropped in many locations compared to previous records and many threats were identified.
The results of this study that was supported by the 2021 Trevor Poyser Species Conservation Fund Committee and the OSME Council will be published in a paper in the next Sandgrouse issue.
ABCL has been also coordinating with organizations and individuals working on the conservation of the Syrian Serin in its distribution range, and have assisted in the fundraising for two research projects in Jordan and Egypt. The plan is to have updated data from all range countries in order to fully understand the current status of this bird. We’re hoping to assist as well in the fundraising of similar projects in both Syria and Palestine.
So far results from those studies aren’t that promising and I would strongly suggest to wait for all regional studies results to come out before a status revision is made.
Fouad Itani makes an important point about waiting until the current studies are completed. These are the first such comprehensive studies of this species and it would make sense to put any Red Data revision on hold until the results become clearer – hopefully in a year’s time.
Following a new survey of the Syrian Serin in 2021 executed by the ABCL and supported by the 2021 Trevor Poyser Species Conservation Fund Committee and OSME Council; using the Point Counts method, and covering 9 large sites distributed almost evenly over Lebanon, I analyzed the results of these surveys and compared 4 of them to the same 4 studied in 2002 (Ramadan-Jaradi & Ramadan-Jaradi, 2002). It appeared that the mean densities of the Chouf Cedars Biosphere Reserve (0.86 in 2002 and 0.87 in 2021) and that of the Horsh Ehden Nature Reserve (1.46 in 2002 and 1.66 in 2021) remained almost the same and were not significantly different under a 95% confidence interval on the difference between the means. However, the mean density of the Qammouha nature reserve has increased insignificantly from 1.2 in 2002 to 3.11 in 2021 while in Tannourine Nature Reserve, it has fallen to about half (from 2.07 in 2002 to 2.1 in 2021). In addition, since I was in charge of monitoring the illegally killed birds in Anjar between 2016 and 2020, I have noted a decline in the number of Syrian Serin pairs, especially after the intrusion of Anjar by the European Serin and its invasion by the invasive mynah Acrydotheres tristis. Accordingly, I second Dr. Fares Khoury and Mr. Fouad Itani to recommend greater protection of the species against the threats, at least those identified by the ABCL in 2021, and maintaining the species as Vulnerable, especially that nowadays, the Syrian Serin is attracting all the countries in which it breeds, and where coordinated efforts to update the records of this species are undertaken.
From my point of view, the Syrian Serin feeds in a grazed way (documented with videos and photos) and in unequal competition with livestock. The Syrian Serin food is short-lived and its consumption by goats and sheep may threaten the Syrian Serin and displace it from its traditional breeding area to a less favorable area for its survival; and the observed use of herbicides may compromise the life of the species (Ramadan-Jaradi in prep.).
Dear All,
It was a pleasure reading all your interesting thoughts that I completely support.
Based on the updated data collected by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon – SPNL while working on updating the site-based action plan for this species in Anjar, we think that the wisest decision is to give it more time to make final conclusions.
SPNL is planning to monitor the Syrian Serin this spring in Anjar, and hopefully, by next year, we will have a more comprehensive interpretation concerning its conservation status.
Thank you.
Dear Colleagues,
In Juergens et al. 2021 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352340921003772?via%3Dihub we also recorded persumed illegal trade in this species entering the European Union. Based on the small population size we considered this trade issue potentially significant. I suggest including trapping and trade as a potential threat for this species and investigating this issue further in the future. Thank you
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion. We greatly appreciate the time and effort invested by so many people in commenting. The window for consultation is now closed and we are unable to accept any more comments until 21 February 2022. We will now analyse and interpret the new information, and we will post a preliminary decision on this species’s Red List status on this page on 21 February 2022, when discussions will re-open.
Preliminary proposal
Based on potential new information becoming available in the near future, which could be paramount to the species’ status, our proposal for the 2022.1 Red List is to pend the decision on this species and keep the discussion open, while leaving the current Red List category unchanged in the 2022.1 update.
There is now a period for further comments until the final deadline on 27 February 2022, after which the recommended categorisations will be put forward to IUCN.
Final 2022.1 Red List categories will be published on the BirdLife and IUCN websites in July 2022, following further checking of information relevant to the assessments by both BirdLife and IUCN.
Dear colleagues,
We have conducted the breeding survey at Dana in SW Jordan, with a result of 440-490 pairs remaining, i.e. a 25-30% decline since 1995/96 (i.e. in a timeframe greater than 3 generations, so A criteria cannot apply).
Criterion B: The breeding area has apparently decreased to (max.) 11-12 square kilometers, i.e. a continuing decline since 1995; in winter birds disperse and their range in winter is not really well known and may fluctuate annually. There is no actual data that indicates the breeding populations / range are continuous across the region. The polygon connecting points in the map at the regional/global level is a considerable exaggeration of the actual EOO.
The yellow area indicating breeding occurrence in SW Jordan in the map is also exaggerated.
I suggest the AOO refers to the breeding area only, and not the areas where serins have been recorded wandering during the winter.
Without / or with a tiny area left for breeding, the population cannot be considered viable anymore, even if potential wintering areas are extensively available. If the AOO refers to the breeding area, then criteria B applies and the species would be endangered (approaching critically endangered at the Jordanian – national level), as there is a continuous decline in breeding area at least in Jordan (30% since 1995/1996). This is because the quality of the habitat has apparently declined due to a combination of droughts and overgrazing + disturbances by livestock owners who reside in the area during part of the year + random picnicking.
Threats have increased and are expected to increase in the Barrah-woodland in the Dana reserve in SW Jordan, which is the main breeding area; asphalt roads have been established, increasing access / unregulated picnicking, wood cutting, and hunting, not to mention the immense erosion enhanced by overgrazing (leading to degradation of habitat due to dieback of shrubs and trees and decline of food resources). There are now new plans for mining at or near the breeding habitats.
Due to conflicts among decision makers and authorities, we do not expect action / a real improvement in the management of the breeding habitat in near future, although there are efforts to make stakeholders aware of the threats and obligations arising from signing international treaties etc.. (e.g. CMS and CBD).
We have enough data to show that the species is endangered at the national level using trends in AOO during the breeding season, continuous decline in national breeding population size and increasing threats; similarly, if we use only the breeding distribution (i.e. more accurate maps than what is available) as indication of AOO in the entire breeding range / i.e. including Lebanon and Syria, we might get a similar result/category in the global status.
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion. We greatly appreciate the time and effort invested in commenting. The window for consultation is now closed and we are unable to accept any more comments until 18 July 2022. We will now analyse and interpret the new information, and we will post a preliminary decision on this species’ Red List status on this page on 18 July 2022, when discussions will re-open.
Preliminary proposal
Based on new information submitted via this discussion, the Red List status of Syrian Serin has been reassessed. It is now recognised that due to key breeding sites across Lebanon and Jordan undergoing moderate declines in the past, and evidence of declines in species densities since then (for example in the Tannourine Nature Reserve, Lebanon), and due to ongoing threats, the data quality appears sufficient to infer a continuing decline in mature individuals (tentatively assumed to exceed 20% reduction over three generations). Furthermore, a revised population size estimate equates to 7,000-9,999 mature individuals, based on available country-level data, all of which are considered to occur in only one subpopulation due to its migratory nature. Therefore, our preliminary proposal for the 2022.2 Red List would be to list Syrian Serin as Vulnerable under Criterion C2a(ii).
There is now a period for further comments until the final deadline on 24 July 2022, after which the recommended categorisations will be put forward to IUCN. The final 2022.2 Red List categories will be published on the BirdLife and IUCN websites in December 2022, following further checking of information relevant to the assessments by both BirdLife and IUCN.
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion. We greatly appreciate the time and effort invested in commenting. The window for consultation is now closed and we are unable to accept any more comments. We will post a final decision on this species’ Red List status on this page on 1 August 2022.
Recommended categorisation to be put forward to IUCN
The final categorisation for this species has not changed. Syrian Serin is recommended to be listed as Vulnerable under Criterion C2a(ii).
Many thanks for everyone who contributed to the 2022.2 GTB Forum process. The final 2022.2 Red List categories will be published on the BirdLife and IUCN websites in December 2022, following further checking of information relevant to the assessments by both BirdLife and IUCN.