Farewell to AEWA - a few words from Bert Lenten who is stepping down as Executive Secretary of AEWA to join the CMS Secretariat

After having worked as Executive Secretary of AEWA for more than 15 years, it is time for me to move on and take up a new challenge. As you might be aware, in addition to my position at the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat, I have held the post of Acting Deputy Executive Secretary of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) since July 2009. The Executive Director of UNEP, Mr. Achim Steiner, recently appointed me as the new Deputy Executive Secretary of CMS as of 2 May 2011. [read on]

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New multimedia website showcases 15th Anniversary of AEWA

The UNEP/AEWA Secretariat has published a special multimedia website devoted exclusively to the AEWA 15th Anniversary Symposium. The website includes all plenary presentations, key note speeches and interviews given during the international event which took place in The Hague, the Netherlands on 14-15 June 2010. [read on]

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Join us in celebrating World Migratory Bird Day 2011 on 14-15 May

With only a few days to go, the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat would like to once again make a strong appeal to all stakeholders, national authorities, NGOs, clubs and societies, universities, schools and individuals worldwide to participate in World Migratory Bird Day 2011. This year’s campaign focuses on “Land use changes from a bird’s-eye view”. By highlighting this theme, we want to raise awareness on the dramatic effects human land use has on migratory birds and the ecosystems upon which they depend. [read on]

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AEWA Small Grants Fund – launch of the 2011 cycle!

The AEWA Secretariat is calling for applications from African countries for the 2011 cycle of the Small Grants Fund (SGF). The deadline for submission of project proposals is 1 August 2011. [read on]

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Russia hosts the 13th Meeting of the IUCN/Wetlands International Goose Specialist Group

Goose experts from some 20 countries as well as representatives from several international organizations gathered at Elista in the Republic of Kalmykia located in south-western Russia from 25 - 30 March 2011 for the 13th meeting of the IUCN/ Wetlands International Goose Specialist Group. The meeting was organized by the Goose, Swan and Duck Study Group of Northern Eurasia (RGG) and was facilitated by RRG Chair Evgeny Syrechkovskiy. [read on]

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Wadden Sea Flyway Workshop - Strengthening Management and Research along the African-Eurasian Flyways

An international workshop dedicated to strengthening management and research on migratory birds along the African-Eurasian Flyways took place in Wilhelmshaven, Germany from 22 - 23 March 2011. The two-day workshop was chaired by Dr. Gerard C. Boere, one of AEWA’s founding fathers, and brought together 35 experts from a number of African and European countries as well as Russia and the United States to try to identify ways of improving research and international cooperation between the Wadden Sea and other important sites for migratory birds along the African-Eurasian Flyways. [read on]

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First meeting of the AEWA Sociable Lapwing International Working Group in Syria

The AEWA Sociable Lapwing International Working Group (SLIWG) is an inter-governmental body which was convened by the AEWA Secretariat in 2010 in order to coordinate and guide the implementation of the Single Species Action Plan (SSAP) for the Sociable Lapwing (Vanellus gregarius). The Sociable Lapwing SSAP was approved by the 2nd Meeting of the Parties (MOP2) in 2002, but a revision was initiated in 2009 and a significantly revised and updated SSAP will be presented to MOP5 in 2012. SLIWG is the second AEWA Species Working Group to actually convene a meeting after the Lesser White-fronted Goose International Working Group. [read on]

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Slaty Egret workshop in Maun, Botswana

An important step towards better protection of the Slaty Egret (Egretta vinaceigula) was taken in March in form of a three-day, multi-stakeholder, action-planning workshop, which took place from 3 - 5 March 2011 at the Thamalakane River Lodge in Maun, Botswana. The aim of the workshop was to share information on the numbers, distribution, threats and conservation status of the Slaty Egret in each Range State, with the aim of compiling an International Single Species Action Plan (ISSAP) for the species, to be presented to the 5th Meeting of the Parties to AEWA (MOP5, France, 14 - 18 May 2012). [read on]

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New Report Series for the Lesser White-fronted Goose

The UNEP/AEWA Secretariat is pleased to announce the launch of a new report series developed under the AEWA Lesser White-fronted Goose International Working Group (LWfG IWG). The new LWfG Reports will, for example, feature the results and outcomes from Lesser White-fronted Goose conservation projects being carried out across the species’ range as part of the implementation of the AEWA LWfG Single Species Action Plan. The overall goal is to make new knowledge acquired in the Range States available to those interested in the efforts being undertaken to save the Lesser White-fronted Goose as well as in international waterbird conservation promoted under the AEWA banner. [read on]

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How you can support the implementation of AEWA!

The UNEP/AEWA Secretariat is pleased to announce the recent publication of a revised version of its fundraising kit “How you can support the implementation of the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement”. This bilingual publication (English and French) consists of a kit of 29 leaflets, each presenting a project which was given priority by the 4th Meeting of the Parties to AEWA (MOP4/Antananarivo, Madagascar, 2008), but for which funds are lacking. The Secretariat would like to urge all Parties and partners of AEWA to carefully consider the projects described and to support their realization. Every contribution helps! [read on]

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Nominations still open for the AEWA Waterbird Conservation Award 2012!

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 AEWA Waterbird Conservation Award. [read on]

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In Focus: AEWA Conservation Guidelines No. 11– Guidelines on how to avoid minimise or mitigate the impact of infrastructure developments and related disturbance affecting waterbirds

Infrastructure developments such as dams, railways, roads or mines can have a variety of impacts on waterbirds and their habitats, including direct mortality, habitat loss or degradation. Careful planning and implementation of infrastructure developments is therefore vital in order to avoid biodiversity losses and ensure that viable populations of waterbird species can be maintained across their ranges. Appropriate planning may even result in infrastructure developments that create or enhance habitat for waterbirds (for instance the creation of wetlands after gravel extraction). [read on]

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