Bonn, 24 May 2013 - A group of 19 highly motivated participants from 13 Eastern and Southern African countries successfully completed the first-ever AEWA Regional Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop on the Flyway Approach to the Conservation and Wise Use of Waterbirds and Wetlands.

The workshop took place at the Kenya Wildlife Service Training Institute (KWSTI) in Naivasha, Kenya, from 6 - 10 May 2013 and was immediately followed by a major sub-regional World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) event at Lake Elementeita on 11 May 2013. Both events are priority activities identified in the AEWA Plan of Action for Africa 2012-2017, which was adopted by the 5th Session of the Meeting of Parties to AEWA in La Rochelle, France, in May 2012.

Both the AEWA ToT workshop and regional WMBD celebration were organised by the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat in the framework of the AEWA African Initiative and in close collaboration with the Kenya Wildlife Service, which is the AEWA implementing agency in Kenya. The workshop was made possible by funding from the Thematic Programme for Environment and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources including Energy (ENRTP) Strategic Cooperation Agreement between the European Commission - DG Environment and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), whereas funding for the regional World Migratory Bird Day event at Lake Elementeita was provided by the Kenya Wildlife Service and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).

The central training resource used during the ToT workshop was the Flyway Training Kit (FTK), developed under the Wings Over Wetlands (WOW) UNEP-GEF African-Eurasian Flyways Project. The FTK is a unique training resource, which provides a practical framework for trainers on how to conduct workshops and deliver trainings at the national and regional level for different target audiences.

The AEWA ToT workshop assembled a diverse group of participants from the region, representing both governmental and non-governmental institutions, as well as a wide range of fields of expertise, including ornithology, environmental sciences, wildlife management and planning, natural resources management, education and capacity building and legal studies.

The ToT workshop provided participants with the knowledge and skills to be able to design and deliver national and/or regional training workshops on the Flyway Approach, tailored for a wide range of target groups, ranging from school children, to policy makers and technical experts. The AEWA ToT workshop programme was highly interactive and included an excellent mix of classroom lectures, group exercises, indoor and outdoor activities and educational field visits. Topics covered during the workshop included migration strategies and challenges, site management planning, population dynamics, waterbird monitoring techniques, flyway conservation policies and capacity building in the context of flyway conservation.

Led by two experienced trainers, Tim Dodman (independent conservation consultant) and Jane Wamboi (KWS), this theoretical foundation was enhanced by practical exercises as well as a number of field excursions, including to Lake Naivasha and the Lake Nakuru National Park. These enabled participants to apply their newly gained knowledge and skills in practice. The workshop also provided opportunities for participants to share knowledge and experience from their countries and individual backgrounds.

In addition to the knowledge and skills passed on through this ToT workshop, each participant was presented with a bird field guide for their institution, while binoculars were also provided for some of the institutions represented. It is hoped that these materials will contribute to increasing the capacity of these institutions for waterbird identification and monitoring.
 

Having successfully completed the training, participants declared their determination to make use of the knowledge and skills they acquired during the ToT workshop in their different roles and functions at the national level. The UNEP/AEWA Secretariat looks forward to accompanying ToT participants as they design and roll out similar national training workshops in future, thereby helping to further put the Flyway Approach to the Conservation and Wise Use of Waterbirds and Wetlands into action in the region.

Regional World Migratory Bird Day 2013 Celebration

The AEWA ToT workshop was followed by a regional World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) 2013 event which took place in the Great Rift Valley, on the borders of Lake Elementeita, on 11 May 2013. More than 300 guests, including the ToT workshop participants, gathered for this first major sub-regional WMBD celebration in Africa. The event took place under the global World Migratory Bird Day theme “Networking for migratory birds".

Lake Elementeita was a very well-chosen location, given its great importance for migratory birds which earned it the recognition as an Important Bird Area, a Wetland of International Importance, a World Heritage Site and most recently a Wildlife Sanctuary, the latter being officially launched during the WMBD event.

The celebration was accompanied by several colourful and lively performances from school children and community entertainers as well as speeches from various dignitaries, highlighting the importance of conserving migratory birds and their habitats. Among the speakers were Mr. Amos Gatheca, County Commissioner of Nakuru County, Ms. Kuki Gallmann, CMS Ambassador and Conservationist and Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson and Director of Communications.

The participants of the AEWA ToT were honoured to receive their workshop certificates from the representative of Nakuru County. The event was also used to hand out certificates and trophies to a number of key individuals, community-based organisations, schools and conservation organisations which have had a positive impact on the conservation of migratory birds in Kenya and especially in the surrounding Lake Elementeita area.