TWBF Talks about How Birds Connect Our World
Mr. Pursner presents about the TWBF in Kaohsiung, Taiwan
By: TWBF Staff
In Taiwan, a number of government-sponsored international forums take place every year focusing on topics such as the promotion of democracy, human rights, and medical assistance. Yet there is generally little representation of issues such as biodiversity and bird conservation. This is a topic rarely discussed outside of Taiwan’s Forestry Bureau or Endemic Species Research Institute. The Taiwan Wild Bird Federation (TWBF) was able to present this perspective and make the case that bird and biodiversity conservation are also important international issues that deserve representation and support this fall at a number of internationally-themed events.
The organization was invited for the first time by time Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss its international work and how it coordinates with other international groups and partners in conservation. This took place at two different events. The first was the two-day annual NGO Leaders Forum held in October while the second was part of a month-long series of workshops held throughout Taiwan over the month of November entitled SDGs for NGOS-Taiwan Can Help!
Mr. Pursner on a panel discussion at the NGO Leader's Forum
The NGO Leaders Forum is an annual event which this year was held from October 13-14, 2020 in Taipei. It brings together representatives of government, business, and the NGO sector to better understand the work of MOFA's Department of NGO International Affairs This. The forum also serves as a platform for NGO leaders to discuss their achievements, experiences, and insights and allows participants to take part in a number of panel discussions to learn from one another and gain a better understanding of Taiwan's NGOs. Mr. Scott Pursner, TWBF's Director of International Affairs took part in a panel discussion on October 13th entitled Creating International NGO Networks: Connections, International participation, and Nurturing Talent. Mr. Pursner presented for 10 minutes on the TWBF’s international work. This included its seabird bycatch collaboration project with the UK’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the importance of regional bird festivals and conferences for sharing knowledge and experiences. He mentioned how through these interactions and events, people outside Taiwan are able to learn more about the country and why it is important for topics related to conservation. Later, during the Question and Answers session, Mr. Pursner was asked what he would suggest the government do in order to help NGOs in this area. In response, he suggested doing one thing, birdwatching. He then went on to explain that,“it sounds simple but there is such a thing as bird diplomacy. Birds connect our world and and birding brings people together. Certain countries even have projects where they collaborate on conservation plans for a specific species which has important meaning culturally or ecologically. This brings people together in a way most in Taiwan would not initially consider.”After the talk, many participants mentioned that they had not thought of conservation as a means to do international outreach before, but that they would now.
The November talks took place on the 8th and 15th in Taichung and Kaohsiung respectively. The focus of the SDGs for NGOS-Taiwan Can Help! was to share the international work done by the speaker or speaker’s organization and discuss how it related to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Mr. Pursner discussed how the TWBF’s work was related to SDG Goal 14 (Life Under Water) and Goal 15 (Life on Land). Again he explained to the participants how the TWBF worked with many international partners because of similar conservation goals or just because of a mutual appreciation of birds. One example he provided involved Palau. Since 2018, the TWBF has been in contact with the Palau Conservation Society to look at ways that they could improve collaborative efforts in bird conservation. One tangible outcome of these talks was that a representative of PCS was able to come to Taiwan to take part in Free Buzzard at Mt. Bagua, one of Taiwan's biggest community conservation events held by TWBF partner organization the Wild Bird Society of Changhua. It opened new doors to both organizations in terms of deepening ties and better understanding the conservation situation in both countries. Another example Mr. Pursner provided was about working with the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand. The good relationship between BCST and the TWBF helped to facilitate a smooth visit by representatives of Thailand’s IUCN team. The group of over 20 came to learn about southwestern Taiwan's Taijiang National Park and Aogu Wetland. The goal of this fact-finding mission was to better understanding how governments, NGOS, and local people came together to do species conservation while also encouraging local economies in Taiwan.
Mr. Pursner presents in Taichung, Taiwan
Mr. Pursner also talked about the organization’s use of social media to interact with international groups and share information about the conservation issues and stories from Taiwan. "One of the most important things is continuous engagement and creating good content, while also making sure that people understand your message," he said.
After the event, Mr. Pursner was approached by many participants who told him they did not realize that Taiwan was doing so much in the world of bird conservation or that there were so many international connections to be made there. Many were inspired to learn more about the group, with some saying they would look into the work of their local bird societies.