Ulcinj,
18 April 2009 - The first Adriatic Flyway Conference
took place in Ulcinj, Montenegro from 14-17 April 2009.
Nature conservationists and ornithologists from the Balkans
joined 120 representatives from international organisations
working in bird protection at this conference organised
by EuroNatur and its partners. The main goal of the meeting
was to facilitate the dialogue between these groups and
to point out the major importance of the East Adriatic Coast
within the Central European migration route.

The venue was situated close to the Bojana-Buna-Delta,
a coastal area between Albania and Montenegro including
a riverine corridor that had not been developed, as it
was situated behind the Iron Curtain. Border crossings
were closed for over 40 years. The area is of significant
ecological value in particular for birds that breed, migrate
and winter in this region.

The
Bojana-Buna-Delta and its residents are under pressure
due to a number of threats, such as hunting and other
developments like the erection of wind farms on the mountains
and migratory corridors detrimental for soaring birds
and raptors. To protect this area participants of the
conference have adopted the Ulcinj Declaration recommending
inter alia the introduction of sustainable hunting,
advocating bird watching-oriented tourism or the encouragement
of cross-border cooperation for the protection of migratory
birds along the Adriatic Flyway.

Bert Lenten, Executive Secretary of AEWA represented
the Agreement at the conference and welcomed the adoption
of the declaration, stressing the importance of addressing
hunting and other pressures at EU level. He also noted
that one obstacle to solving the problems in the Bojana-Buna-Delta
is that not all countries along the flyway are Parties
to CMS, AEWA or the Raptors Agreement. He took the opportunity
to urge Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Serbia
to join AEWA and, if applicable, CMS and the Memorandum
of Unterstanding on Raptors.

For more information and to see the full Ulcinj Declaration,
please visit:

http://www.adriaticflyway.com/#

http://www.adriaticflyway.com/#/theulcinjdeclaration/4533581541