Preliminary assessment of the scope and scale of illegal killing and taking of birds in the Arabian Peninsula, Iran and Iraq

High levels of illegal killing and taking of wild birds were recently reported for eastern Mediterranean countries, and anecdotal information from other countries of the Middle East suggests this may be a significant conservation issue for the whole region. We quantified the approximate scale and scope of this threat in the Arabian peninsula, Iran and Iraq, using a diverse range of data sources and incorporating expert knowledge.