Compiled by S Chan, MJ Crosby, MZ Islam, and AW Tordoff.Birdlife's Red Data Book - Threatened Birds of Asiaidentified that one quarter of all bird species in Asia were aconservation concern, 323 species, about 12% were at risk ofglobal extinction. Clearly it is imperative that important birdareas be identified and then prioritised on the basis ofscientific evidence.Important Bird Areas in Asia is the first comprehensiveinventory of Asia's key sites for birds and biodiversity.Country-by-country, the book details the region's 2,293 ImportantBird Areas (IBAs), of these 976, or 43% are lacking any formalprotection. This book presents a sound basis for the developmentof national conservation strategies and protected area programmes,and highlights areas which should be safeguarded through wisepolicies and land-use planning.Review'...much valuable information for each country...a wonderfulbook' - Alula.

This is the first single volume guide ever devoted to the eastern Asian avifauna. The eastern Asian region, centring especially on the major islands off the continental coast (including Japan and Taiwan) and the immediately adjacent areas of the Asian continent from Kamchatka in the north and including the Korean Peninsula are an important centre of endemism. Birds endemic to this region include representatives of many of the major families, from the world's largest eagle - Steller's Sea Eagle - to the tiny Formosan Firecrest. The east Asian continental coast and the offshore islands also form one of the world's major international bird migration routes, especially for waterfowl, shorebirds and raptors, while the east Asian continental mainland itself is home to a wide range of species little known to western ornithologists such as Scaly-sided Merganser, Oriental Stork and Mugimaki Flycatcher. The guide features the most up-to-date text available, which, in conjunction with extensive colour plates throughout, facilitates the field identification of all of the species known from the region. Colour distribution maps enhance the text by providing a visual analysis of the summer, winter and migratory ranges of all species.

Birds of Central Asia is the first field guide to include the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, along with neighbouring Afghanistan. This vast area includes a diverse variety of habitats, and the avifauna is similarly broad, from sandgrouse, ground jays and larks on the vast steppe and semi-desert to a broad range of raptors, and from woodland species such as warblers and nuthatches to a suite of montane species, such as snowcocks, accentors and snowfinches. This book includes 141 high-quality plates covering every species (and all distinctive races) that occur in the region, along with concise text focusing on identification and accurate colour maps. Important introductory sections introduce the land and its birds. Birds of Central Asia is a must-read for any birder or traveller visiting this remote region.

Updated and extended, this book provides comprehensive coverage of the 3,619 most important sites for bird conservation in 51 European countries, equivalent to seven percent of the continent's land area. Each country's entry is the work of one to three local experts. Key species, habitats and conservation issues are discussed for every site, with thumbnail location maps. Hundreds of graphics, maps and data tables show key information at national and regional levels. An essential guide for policy-makers and developers, conservationists and environmental consultants, and a call for action to national governments, who have left 40 percent of these sites with no legal protection. "A tremendous source of valuable data" - Ibis. "Of the highest value for conservation in general" - British Birds. "Raises the bar very high for the rest of us" - The Condor. "A working document, to be used by conservationists on a local, national and international level to save these special places from destruction" - BBC Wildlife.

Edited by the Bombay Natural History Society, this book is the result of five years' exhaustive work by the BNHS. The data, which form the core of the book, have been collected by more than 1,000 people: many hundreds of professiona and amateur ornithologists, birdwatchers, conservationists, forest officials, and others interested in birds. It is the most detailed publication ever produced on the subject of birds or conservation and it uncovers, analyzes and assesses all of the evidence, presenting it together with all the sources. The study has given a detailed analysis of sites that have been identified for bird conservation in India on the basis of globally accepted criteria. Each bird area is introduced with maps, analysis, avifauna section with tables of threatened species present, and a brief description of threatened birds, which have important habitats in the relevant states. The study shows that out of 465 important birds in India, 191 wildlife sanctuaries have been idenfitied as IBAs, 52 are national parks, 23 are tiger reserves, while 198 are not officially protected.