The AEWA Secretariat - looking back at 2010
2010 was a milestone year for different reasons. The World Summit on Sustainable Development, which took place in Johannesburg in 2002, had set 2010 as the deadline for significantly reducing the current rate of loss of biodiversity. In addition, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) had declared 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity. The resulting high expectations were, unfortunately, not fulfilled. Although some achievements have been made, we continue to lose biodiversity at an unprecedented rate. [read on]
Land use changes and their impact on migratory birds will be the topic for World Migratory Bird Day 2011
The conversion of natural areas into agricultural land, the construction of buildings, roads and dams, or deforestation are just some examples for the human use of land, also known as land use. Land use and land management practices have a major impact on natural resources including water, soil, nutrients, plants and animals. Migratory bird populations are particularly sensitive to land use and studies reveal that this is one of the major threats they are facing. [read on]
Wings Over Wetlands project successfully concluded
Wings over Wetlands (WOW), the largest flyway conservation project of its kind ever undertaken in the African-Eurasian region has come to a successful conclusion. [read on]
2010 - A productive year for the African Initiative!
For AEWA’s African Initiative, 2010 proved to be a particularly busy year. Thanks to the support and encouragement from a number of AEWA Contracting Parties (in particular from France, but also from Switzerland and Germany), AEWA Partners and especially the African countries, the potential of this Initiative was able to evolve and grow significantly over the past year. [read on]
International conservation of the Lesser White-fronted Goose (Anser erythropus) – Outlook for 2011
Last month, an eventful year drew to an end for the international conservation of the Lesser White-fronted Goose (LWfG). 2010 started off with new insights into the possible wintering areas of Lesser White-fronted Geese in the Syrian Arab Republic, followed by a workshop in Greece to launch the preparations for a new LWfG LIFE+ project proposal for the European flyway as well as a workshop in northern Kazakhstan to launch the drafting of a Kazakhstani LWfG National Action Plan preceded by a large-scale LWfG monitoring mission. [read on]
Taking care of huntable species – Flyway Management Plan for the Svalbard-breeding Pink-footed Geese
Target 2.5 of the AEWA Strategic Plan for 2009-2017, adopted by MOP4 in September 2008, aims at ensuring that in the next decade at least two quarry populations will be managed in accordance with international adaptive harvest management plans. At the same time, paragraph 4.3.4 of the AEWA Action Plan calls upon Parties to cooperate on developing species action plans for populations causing significant damage, especially to crops and fisheries. [read on]
AEWA Waterbird Conservation Award 2012 - nominations open!
Institutions and citizens from all nations are invited to nominate individuals or institutions – governmental and non-governmental, including community groups or private sector enterprises – of any country in the Agreement area for the third edition of the AEWA Waterbird Conservation Award. This Award was established in order to recognize and honour institutions and individuals within the Agreement area that have made a significant contribution towards the conservation and sustainable use of waterbirds. [read on]
EU guidances on compliance with the Birds and Habitats Directives – wind farms, non-energy mineral extraction and the Natura 2000 network
The Birds and Habitats Directives are the European Union’s main legal instruments for the protection of biodiversity. Together they form the pillars on which the Natura 2000 network of conservation sites is built. The AEWA Secretariat would like to draw attention to two recent European Commission guidance documents related to the implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives. [read on]
In Focus: AEWA Conservation Guidelines No. 10 – Guidelines on avoidance of introductions of non-native waterbird species
Non-native species are those that have been established in a region where they would not naturally occur, as a result of direct or indirect human activity. They include, for instance, species that have been released or allowed to escape to an area where they are not ordinarily resident. Another example is that of non-native (water) bird species breeding in an area where they occurred in the non-breeding season only, prior to human interference. Potential problems related to the introduction of non-native species include, among others, hybridization, spread of disease, predation and competition for habitat and food. [read on]
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