FAO to resume Africa waterbird training programme

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has announced the opening of registration for the second session of its free online course on identifying and monitoring waterbirds in the wetlands of North Africa and the Sahel.

The FAO-led waterbird training aims to strengthen the skills of observers and improve the conservation of wetlands and biodiversity in Africa.

Entitled “Identifying and Counting Waterbirds in North Africa and the Sahel – How and for What Purposes?”, the course will run from September 15, 2026, to May 31, 2027.

Registration will remain open until April 2027. The first session, held in 2025, brought together
more than 1,600 participants from 45 countries, including 27 African countries.

More than 240 learners completed at least half of the program, and 172 received a certificate of completion. “Effective conservation relies on reliable data, and reliable data depends on qualified field observers,” emphasised Hubert Boulet, Senior Forestry Officer at FAO.

Completely free and taught in French, the course is open to everyone, with a particular focus on participants from North African and Sahelian countries.

Through six interactive modules, learners will learn to identify approximately 210 species of waterbirds, organize census operations, interpret collected data, and join active observer networks in the region.

The program includes expert content, identification sheets, photographs, videos, and self-assessment exercises.

Participants can progress at their own pace and typically complete the training in six weeks. A certificate is awarded to learners who successfully complete the final assessment. Young people are a key target group for the program.

During the first session, students represented 42% of participants, while the majority of learners were between 18 and 34 years old.

Preserving Sahel Wetlands

The training is developed within the framework of the RESSOURCE+ Project, integrated into the Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme (SWM Programme), coordinated by the FAO in partnership with Tour du Valat and the French Office for Biodiversity.

The RESSOURCE+ Project supports governments and communities in Senegal, Chad, and Mauritania in the preservation of wetlands and waterbirds.

It aims to strengthen international monitoring of waterbirds, promote sustainable hunting levels, and support the development of effective wetland conservation policies in the Sahel.

Co-financed by the French Global Environment Facility and the European Union, the project also involves national authorities, wildlife institutions, non-governmental organizations, and local communities.

Through this initiative, the FAO intends to strengthen local monitoring capacities and contribute to better protection of wetland ecosystems, which are essential to biodiversity and the livelihoods of
many African communities.

TE/Sf/fss/as/APA