| ABP Sponsors Black-Tailed Godwit |
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Following a donation of £5,000, Associated British Ports (ABP) is sponsoring the black-tailed godwit as part of the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) Bird Atlas 2007-11 species-sponsorship scheme. For birdwatchers, scientists and conservationists, bird atlases are an invaluable tool, used to provide a periodic insight into the status of all of the bird species in a particular area. Their scope varies from small counties up to entire continents, but what they all have in common is a series of maps that depict patterns of distribution of every bird species, whether they are breeding, wintering, or even present all-year-round. A new edition of the Bird Atlas, which maps the distribution of birds in Britain and Ireland, has not been produced since 1991. In the intervening period, much has happened to the habitats and climate of the British Isles, and so the new Atlas aims to determine what the effect has been on the nation’s birds. Information about the distribution of bird species is gathered on behalf of the BTO by volunteers around the country, and donations such as that made by ABP are crucial, both in providing the necessary support for these volunteers, and in enabling detailed analysis of the information gathered. Peter Barham, ABP’s Sustainable Development Manager, said: “We are delighted to support the good work carried out by the BTO. As a company owning and operating 21 ports around the country, it is perhaps particularly appropriate that we have been able to sponsor the black-tailed godwit, a wading coastal bird that may well be spotted in and around our port estates.” Kate Aldridge, Birds & Business Alliance Co-ordinator for BTO, commented: “We would like to thank ABP for their generous sponsorship. This is a tremendous opportunity for the whole of the birdwatching and conservation community to work together on this nationally important project, and it is fantastic to have companies such as ABP acknowledging the project and lending their support.” |