OMPO (Migratory Birds of the Western Palearctic – European Institute for the Management of Wild Birds and their Habitats) have produced  an Atlas of Duck Populations in Eastern Europe. It covers the latest population data and ecology of 11 species of ducks from the genera Anas and Aythya from six countries of Eastern Europe (European Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine).

This publication addresses some key gaps in our knowledge about duck species on the scale of a region stretching from the Barents, White and Baltic sea in the north to the Caspian and Black Sea in the south. Up to now, the knowledge about all major changes related to the distribution and numbers of duck species in Eastern Europe have been relatively poor, as most new studies were published on regional issues and not translated into English.

Because this atlas does not attempt to be all inclusive covering all duck species throughout their entire distribution it is able to offer a detailed insight into annual life cycle of these ducks in their most important breeding areas, and the changes which are taking place.

Of the 11 species covered in the atlas 10 are huntable within the EU, including those most commonly hunted such as the Mallard and Teal. For the conservation and management of these species by hunters, sources of information such as this atlas are essential.

As Jean-Marc Michel of the French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing of France sums up in the Atlas’ Foreword: “Migratory birds are a connection between wetlands which are several thousands of kilometers apart, but they are also a link between people; the conservation of wetlands being an additional path to a better understanding of our societies.”

The Atlas is available in English only through OMPO: http://www.ompo.org/index.php/en/publications/69-atlas-des-populations-de-canards-en-europe-orientale.