The mandate and duties of the International Species Expert Groups working under the AEWA banner are outlined in the generic Terms of Reference adopted by the AEWA Technical Committee at its 11th Meeting in August 2012. These are:

• To set priorities for action and implement them;
• To coordinate the overall international implementation;
• To raise funds for implementation;
• To assist Range States in producing national Action Plans;
• To ensure regular and thorough monitoring of the species’ populations;
• To stimulate and support scientific research in the species necessary for conservation;
• To promote the protection of the network of critical sites for the species;
• To facilitate internal and external communication and exchange of scientific, technical. Legal and other required information, including with other specialists and interested parties;
• To assist with information in determination of the population size and trends of the species;
• Regularly monitor the effectiveness of implementation of the ISSAP and take appropriate action according to the findings of this monitoring;
• To regularly report on the implementation of the ISSAP to the AEWA Meeting of the Parties by submitting reports to the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat; and
• To revise the ISSAP and update it as required.

AEWA International Species Expert Group membership consists of (1) representatives of Governmental bodies of all key Range States relevant to the implementation of AEWA, (2) representatives of national expert and conservation organisations from all key Range States, (3) representatives of international organizations, and (4) other experts as required.

Eurasian Spoonbill International Expert Group

The AEWA Eurasian Spoonbill International Expert Group (AEWA ES IEG) was established in 2014 on the basis of the existing Expert Group for the species. The Coordinator of the ESIEG is Jocelyn Champagnon, who is based at the Tour du Valat Research Station in France.  The ESIEG has its own Facebook presence.

The AEWA International Single Species Action Plan for the Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia was adopted at the 4th Meeting of the Parties to AEWA (MOP4) in 2008.

Bewick’s Swan International Expert Group (NW European Population)

The AEWA Bewick’s Swan International Expert Group (AEWA BS IEG) was established in 2014 to guide the implementation of the International Single Species Action Plan for the Conservation of the Northwest European Population of the Bewick‘s Swan Cygnus columbianus bewickii.

The Coordinator of the Bewick’s Swan IEG is Dr. Eileen Rees, who works for the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and chairs the IUCN Swan Specialist Group. More information can be found on the Wetlands International/IUCN Swan Specialist Group’s website.

The International Single Species Action Plan for the Conservation of the Northwest European Population of the Bewick‘s Swan is available as publication no. 44 in the AEWA Technical Series.  The final draft was adopted by the 5th Session of the Meeting of the Parties to AEWA in May 2012.