The
"Initiative for the Conservation of
Migratory Waterbirds and their habitats
in Africa" was adopted at the Fourth
Meeting of the Parties to the African-Eurasian
Migratory Waterbird Agreement (UNEP/AEWA).
Bonn, 23 October 2008
- The decision to increase international
efforts to conserve waterbirds and their
habitats in Africa was made by government
representatives from 80 African, Asian and
European countries attending the Fourth
Meeting of the Parties to AEWA (MOP4) in
Antananarivo, Madagascar, 15-19 September
2008.
At the meeting delegates
adopted, among others, AEWA Resolution 4.9
on the Initiative for the Conservation of
Migratory Waterbirds and their Habitats
in Africa, which calls for the mobilization
of resources to support the new initiative
aimed at building capacity for and strengthening
the coordination of the conservation of
waterbirds and their habitats in Africa.
Bert Lenten, the Executive
Secretary of AEWA said: "Africa is
an important wintering area for many birds
from Eurasia. At the same time Africa is
home to many intra-African migrants such
as the Lesser Flamingo. Increased habitat
and waterbird conservation in Africa does
not only mean more protection for these
birds, it is also a means of poverty alleviation
and resource preservation for many African
countries."
The new initiative gives
all 118 AEWA Range States (plus the European
Community) and the AEWA Secretariat a mandate
to increase efforts to strengthen capacity
for waterbird and habitat conservation in
Africa.
"The African Initiative
represents an important step in recognizing
the flyway conservation principle upon which
AEWA is based. If we are serious about conserving
migratory waterbirds and their habitats
across the African-Eurasian Flyways, we
must make sure that all countries along
the bird's migration routes have the capacity,
resources and know-how to really do so."
continued Lenten.
At the meeting in Antananarivo,
delegates agreed on the development of a
new international plan of action for Africa
which will include proposals for priority
areas for the conservation of migratory
waterbirds and their habitats in Africa
and instructed the AEWA Secretariat to explore
synergies and to enhance cooperation with
existing conservation activities of other
relevant conventions and organisations in
Africa.
Following the adoption
of the "African Initiative for the
Conservation of Migratory Waterbirds and
their Habitats in Africa" (AEWA Resolution
4.9), the European Union (EU) welcomed its
approval and the African Union (AU) congratulated
delegates on the adoption of the initiative
and also urged African states that had not
yet signed the Agreement to do so as soon
as possible.
Notes for Editors:
AEWA - The African-Eurasian
Migratory Waterbird Agreement or AEWA is
a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
backed treaty dedicated to the protection
of 255 species of waterbirds which migrate
along the African - Eurasian Flyways. Developed
under the auspices of the Convention on
Migratory Species (CMS), AEWA provides the
framework for countries in the region to
work together to conserve such species as
ducks, waders, storks, flamingos and many
other migratory waterbirds. Countries that
have become Parties to the Agreement commit
themselves to putting measures in place
to conserve the region's waterbird populations
and the habitats on which they depend. Currently
62 Parties out of 118 Range States in Africa
and Eurasia have joined AEWA.
For more information
on AEWA please see: www.unep-aewa.org
Waterbirds in Africa
- Resolution 4.9 makes reference to a number
of reports which underline the need to increase
conservation efforts for waterbirds in Africa.
For example, the fourth
edition of the Conservation Status Report
(CSR4) highlights that Africa holds the
highest proportion of populations of waterbirds
recognized as being Globally Threatened
with 34 of the 38 AEWA Globally Threatened
or Near Threatened species occurring in
Africa and that particularly the sub-Saharan
African parts of the AEWA area are among
the regions where the need to improve the
quality of population estimates is greatest.
The International Review
on Hunting and Trade Legislation in the
AEWA area highlights that due to insufficient
enforcement measures, illegal hunting is
particularly widespread in Africa compared
to other regions in the AEWA area with 96%
of African countries being affected.
The findings of this
review also show that in 25% of the African
Parties to AEWA, neither hunting nor trade
is prohibited for any population listed
in Column A of the Agreement (populations
listed on Column A have the poorest conservation
status and are protected by the provisions
of the Agreement).
A report on the use
of non-toxic shot for hunting in wetlands,
shows that no African Parties to AEWA have
so far introduced a legal ban on lead shot
and that, particularly in Africa, there
is a general lack of awareness on the issue.
The resolution also highlights that many
AEWA Range States in Africa lack the expertise
and finances to provide adequate conservation
responses to the impacts of climate change
on migratory waterbirds and calls for the
mobilization of resources and better cooperation
and exchange of information among African
Range States for the conservation of migratory
species of waterbirds and their habitats
in Africa.
For more information
please see Resolution 4.9 under "Final
Resolutions":
www.unepaewa.org/meetings/en/mop/mop4_docs/mop4.htm
MOP4 in Madagascar -
Madagascar was host country to the Fourth
Meeting of the Parties to AEWA(MOP4), which
was jointly organized by the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat
and the Madagascan Ministry of the Environment,
Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) in Antananarivo,
Madagascar, 15-19 September 2008. At the
meeting a total of 20 resolutions were adopted
and delegates reviewed the implementation
of the Agreement and Action Plan and addressed
a number of issues relating to the conservation
of migratory waterbirds.
The theme of MOP4 was
"Flyway conservation at work - Review
of the past, vision for the future".
Mr. Florian Keil, Information Officer, UNEP/AEWA
Secretariat
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