Bonn/Samobor – 9 September 2016 – A regional workshop aiming to enhance cooperation and implementation of AEWA for countries situated along the Adriati
The world’s largest conservation event – the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress has adopted an important motion to help make lead ammunition a poison of the past. Lead poisoning from ammunition sources is a long standing problem and it is known to contribute to population declines as well as creating extensive avoidable deaths and sickness amongst waterbirds and scavengers such as vultures.
To mark Wadden Sea Day 2016 a special event was held yesterday, focusing on the great importance of the area as a staging post for the millions of birds that seek food and shelter there during their migration along the East Atlantic Flyway. So vital is the Wadden Sea to the survival of migratory birds that when it was placed on the World Heritage List in 2009 (extended in 2014), UNESCO called upon the Wadden Sea States to strengthen their cooperation with other countries on the African-Eurasian Flyways.
The ornithological world has lost one of its most inspiring benefactors with the death on 21 July of Hans Lukas “Luc” Hoffmann, the renowned conservationist and philanthropist, who has passed away at the age of 93 in his beloved Camargue.
Patrons of Waterbirds around the world: from left to right: Harvey Nelson (USA), Hugh Boyd (Canada), Geoffrey Matthews (UK) and Eckhart Kuijken (Belgium) - Photo: Dougie Barnett
Hugh was a pioneer of waterbird science and helped lay the foundations of AEWA as well as being a great supporter of the Ramsar Convention. In the UK, he helped establish from scratch a great deal of the essential work, now taken for granted, such as systematic counts, the use of ringing in understanding demographics, studies of age ratios and aerial surveys.
The development of a revised strategic plan for the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) for the period 2019 – 2027 was formally launched at the meeting of the AEWA Strategic Plan Working Group held 28 – 30 June at the United Nations Premises in Bonn, Germany.
New Executive Director of UNEP, Erik Solheim: Photo Harry Wad
Erik Solheim has taken up his appointment as the new Executive Director of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), replacing Achim Steiner, who served as Executive Director of UNEP for ten years from 2006.
Imagine for a moment that a delegate from a state has to prepare a briefing on flyway conservation ahead of a major international conference. Previously, this delegate would have had to wade through a bewildering array of websites, trawling the internet for relevant information on legislative action and jurisprudence on flyway conservation.
The Secretariats of the Convention and the Bonn-based Agreements are participating in a new venture – a joint website of the 18 UN agencies located in the city.
Every year more than 25 million of migratory birds are illegally killed or taken across the Mediterranean. They are shot or caught with nets and other indiscriminate traps. With the slogan “… and when the skies fall silent? Stop the illegal killing, taking and trade!”, World Migratory Bird Day 2016 highlighted the incredible numbers of migratory birds being lost each year as a result of these activities.
