BirdLife boots out Taiwanese group over politicsBy Dennis Xie / Staff writer, with CNA and AFPA Taiwanese bird protection group yesterday said that it has been kicked out of BirdLife International — a global conservation partnership — after it refused to sign a statement saying it would never advocate independence. The Taipei-based Chinese Wild Bird Federation said that BirdLife International last week voted to remove it, ending a partnership that had been in place since 1996. Photo: Liu Hsiao-hsin, Taipei TimesThe federation said that it was informed that its Chinese name — which contains “ROC” — “posed a risk” to UK-based BirdLife. Signing such a statement would be inappropriate, because “we are a conservation organization,” not a political one, it said. There are no national borders for birds, it said, adding that cross-border collaboration on bird conservation efforts is important.

Source: Taipei Times September 15, 2020 15:56 UTC