The Gulf War 
The recent war centred on Kuwait has caused devastation for man and 
wildlife. As this Bulletin goes to press, the complete picture of the effects 
on the area is still emerging. The huge oil slicks within the Red Sea and 
the oil well fires on land have killed many resident birds and pose major 
hazards to the huge numbers of migrants passing through the area. 
Already, reports suggest that as many as half of the individuals in some 
nrdgrating wader flocks are visibly oiled. The effects on particular species, 
such as Red-necked Phalaropes Phalaropus lobatus that nugrate in huge 
flocks and feed and rest on water during their voyage, can only be 
guessed at. 
The whole environmental tragedy of the Gulf still makes headline news, 
and now is not the time for a full assessment of the damage in the OSME 
Bulletin. We hope to be able to print a round-up of the situation in 
Bulletin 27. If anyone resident in or visiting the Middle East in conning 
months can provide information on the environmental effects of the war 
on the different Middle Eastern states, please write to the Editor, by 15 
August 1991. 
Finally, we send our best wishes and hopes for a return to a stable peace 
to all OSME members, their families and friends. 
Priority bird species in Turkey 
Richard Porter 
This paper has been written with the view of inviting connment. The 
author welcomes the views of anyone on criteria used, assignment 
of sp>ecies to these criteria and omissions. 
If wise use is to be made of the currently limited resources available to 
wildlife conservation, it is important that conservation objectives are 
established and that these are based on priorities. The building blocks of 
any conservation strategy are the species of animals and plants in the 
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