On January 6th, a technical meeting was held in Fort Ikoma aimed at discussing and defining potential conservation strategies for the secretarybird in the Serengeti ecosystem, one of the last key areas for the species’ survival in East Africa.

The meeting was attended by ecologists from the Tanzania National Parks Authority and researchers from the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute. Priority topics were addressed, including the management of prescribed fires in the core breeding sites of Serengeti National Park, direct persecution of the species outside protected areas, challenges related to connectivity between populations, and the role of sustainable tourism.

The discussions shared the common goal of initiating a collaborative process aimed at ensuring the maintenance of a viable breeding population of secretarybirds within the ecosystem.

The contribution of all participants proved essential in beginning to translate the results—both published and preliminary—generated during the first three years of Northern Tanzania Secretarybird Project into concrete and implementable conservation actions on the ground.