two pairs - which had nested in the 
Hula and Beit She'an valleys - 
disappeared, probably because of the 
draining of the Hula and the increased 
use of pesticides. 
Nature Reserve Authority officials say 
that two previous attempts to 
reintroduce the birds to their natural 
environment - in 1980 and in 1986 - 
were unsuccessful. 
CITES 
New member 
Djibouti acceded to CITES (The 
Convention on International Trade in 
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and 
Flora) on 7 February 1992 thus 
becoming the 113th member of the 
convention. 
Dabai burns ivory stocks 
Ten tonnes of African Elephant ivory 
and two tonnes of rhinoceros horn were 
publically burnt on 22 January 1992. 
The estimated value was US$ 2 million . 
Uniquely, the Dubai government paid 
compensation to the owners for their 
financial loss. 
Dubai - UAE 
First bird tour 
Birdwatching tours have recently 
started to Dubai. The first two- week 
tour from Germany in spring 1992 saw 
172 species. Birds seen included 
Arabian rarities such as Crab Plover 
Dromas ardeola, Great Knot Calidris 
tenuirostris, Pin-tailed Snipe Gallinago 
stenura and Trumpeter Finch Bucanetes 
githagineus. It is hoped that this new 
aspect of Dubai's attraction to overseas 
visitors will help to promote a new 
awareness among the authorities to 
conserve the country's birdlife. 
Cyprus 
Springtime hunting resumed 
After two years ban, and despite strong 
representations from the Cyprus 
Ornithological Society, springtime 
hunting of migratory birds on Cyprus 
is to be resumed from 25 April. This can 
only add to the huge numbers of birds 
shot in the country (see the review of 
Birds of Cyprus in this Bulletin for 
more details). This is contrary to the 
UNESCO Convention concerning the 
protection of the world's cultural and 
natural heritage and the Berne 
Convention, both of which are ratified 
under Cyprus Law. 
OSME Council has formally objected 
to this retrograde step in a world 
increasingly concerned with bird 
conservation. If OSME members wish 
to express their own views, they should 
fax Mr Glafkos Clerides, President of 
the Republic of Cyprus (Fax no. 357-2- 
445016). 
Parks and reserves 
The state forests of Cyprus cover 
161,820 hectares - about 18% of the 
country. So far, 10,091 hectares have 
been declared national forestparks and 
1,043 hectares nature reserves. The two 
together amount to about 7% of all 
state forests. In addition, 41 ,000 hectares 
have been provisionally designated 
national forest parks or na ture reserves . 
Thus the total area of land protected or 
awaiting protection amounts to about 
32% of state forests and almost 5.5% of 
the area of the country. 
Protection of sea turtles 
The sandy beaches of Toxevtra and 
Lara on the western coast of Cyprus 
33 
