Partridge, Quail, and Francolin Specialist Group

IUCN-SSC/BirdLife International/World Pheasant Association

There has long been an interest in galliform conservation as many of the birds in this order are attractive and popular with the general public. The most popular and conspicuous Galliformes are the pheasants, and inevitably most work concentrated on this group. More emphasis on the smaller species was intitiated when, in 1991, The Game Conservancy Trust, jointly with WPA, hosted the First International Symposium on partridges, quails and francolins at their headquarters in Fordingbridge, England. This symposium culminated in a decision to form a Specialist Group, affiliated to the Species Survival Commission of the World Conservation Union, The International Council for Bird Preservation (now BirdLife International) and WPA to deal with the smaller galliform species. These include all of the partridge, quails, francolins, snowcocks, and guineafowl. The Partridge, Quail and Francolin Specialist Group (PQF Specialist Group) was initially made up of symposium delegates (more than 80), rising to about 150 members representing 44 countries, by 1997.

The SG always welcomes new members and is open to anyone with a professional or amateur interest in the conservation biology of the smaller Galliformes. The PQF Specialist Group has a Chair and Executive Committee who handle day-to-day management. There is also a wider committee of Regional Coordinators around the world to serve as primary contacts.

The SG has developed a worldwide Action Plan to help direct conservation efforts for 1995-1999. Although the SG has no funding directives, there is a proposal mechanism to allow researchers and conservationists to formally elicit support for specific projects. The SG has already assisted a number of Principal Investigators by making connections to funding organisations. Several funding groups are even requiring SG approval of projects before giving financial support to projects.