Editorial

LIPU-UK in 2015-16.  

Another business year closes for LIPU-UK and your trustees look back on it with gratitude, because without your continuing support we would have been unable to achieve what we have. We set out to raise funds to help LIPU with seven projects and when we add the normal membership contribution the total came to €80,000 and thanks to you we have succeeded.

The greatest challenge we face is still that of a slow decline in membership and, as far as we can tell, this is not caused by dissatisfaction but by the one thing none of us can prevent. We are trying many ways to reverse the trend, and over the course of the next months will be sending modest recruitment packs in the hope that friends and acquaintances might be told of what we do. Despite that rather gloomy thought the 2016 annual appeal was even more successful than that of the previous year – my thanks to all who took part and gave so generously.

One of the trustees’ responsibilities is to monitor the success of our support and we receive regular reports from Claudio Celada, the Conservation Director, but there must also be visits to see the work in progress. This year I combined attendance at the LIPU Assemblea (AGM), which was held in Comacchio, with a very busy few days on the east coast of Sicily – a more detailed account can be found in this issue.

We are facing much uncertainty in the future but one thing you can rely on is that our work for the birds in Italy will continue, but for that to be certain in the longer term we must look again for someone to take over the reins of LIPU-UK – again, more of that later.

Thank you again for your support over that past year, I hope you find this issue of the Ali interesting.

Contents

• Return of the White Stork
• Save the Skylark
• Protection of the Cory’s Shearwater – Marine IBAs
• Environmental Education
• Reserves – Gravina di Laterza
• From the World of LIPU
• News from LIPU-UK

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