For example, little is known about bird of prey migration along the Red 
Sea coast, or stork passage through northern Egypt. There is more to 
learn about migration along the Western Desert Mediterranean coast, as 
well as the hunting that takes place in the area. 
The Zaranik Protected Area in north Sinai has recently opened, and its 
migrant birds should be counted every autumn. There is a need for a 
thorough survey of Lake Nasser. 
If you are interested in Egyptian ornithology, please join the Ornithological 
Society of Egypt. I should be delighted to help visiting birdwatchers or 
researchers to enjoy this wonderful country and to contribute to the 
conservation of its wildlife. 
Mindy Baha El Din, c/o Executive Business Services, Cairo Mariott Hotel, PO Box 
33, Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt 
Important Bird Areas in the Middle 
East: the new OSME/ICBP project 
MR W Rands and MI Evans 
OSME members will know that the Middle East is omithologically rich, 
with a diversity of extreme environments - deserts, wetlands and 
mountains in particular - as well as regional specialities including 20 
endemic and 23 globally threatened bird species. Some of the largest and 
most diverse wetlands and steppes are to be found in the Middle East, 
upon which millions of waterfowl, waders and grassland birds depend 
as breeding, stopover or wintering areas. Their value to birds is but a 
reflection of their overall ecological importance. 
Initiatives to conserve birds and wildlife habitats at either a national or 
a regional level in the Middle East are, however, far from advanced. 
Given the rapid increase in the region over the last 20 years of human 
population, agricultural intensification and industrialization, heralding 
increased rates of over-grazing, wetland drainage, woodland clearance, 
coastal landfill and over-hunting, the need for a directory of the most 
critical areas for conserving birds and habitats is now urgent. Such a 
volume, if effectively used, could save many of the region's valuable 
ecosystems and so help to maintain global biological diversity. 
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