Journal de La Réserve Naturelle Nationale de St.Martin #35

19 ZICO: Zones of Importance for Bird Conservation. On April 1, 2019, to help define these high-priority sites, Julien Chalifour and Aude Berger, from the scientific division of the Réserve Naturelle, hosted a mission from the League For The Protection of Birds (LPO), as part of the European BIODIV’OM LIFE project. The goalwas to initiate the process of defining ZICO for Saint Martin, which will be based on existing data and the acquisition of additional knowledge in order to delineate sites that represent major challenges for protected spe- cies, such as the little tern or blue egret. Once identified, a list of these high-priority zones will be presented to ornithology experts for validation, and certain zones will be added to the ZICO world list. Being included on the list would create newopportunities for the recruit- ment of experts and the funding of activities to promote the protection of birds on our island. This project comprises the Réserve Naturelle of Saint Martin, as well as five additional struc- tures in French Guyana, Martinique, Reunion, and Mayotte. The LPO, coordinator of the BIODIV’OM LIFE project, serves as the liaison between the European Union and the six par- ticipating partners. Réserve Naturelle SAINT MARTIN Tomaintainor improve local conditions for nestingbirdpopulations ZICO. What Is It? The LPO has published brochures as part of a public awareness campaign, and for the benefit of those involved in the protection of targeted species in the BIODIV’OM LIFE pro- ject in each of the participating territories. These brochures are available at the newoffices of the Réserve Naturelle: rue Barbuda, Hope Estate. Additional information is available on theweb at lifebiodivom.fr and on the BIODIV’OM LIFE Facebook page.