Dear colleagues and friends of migratory waterbirds across the African-Eurasian region and beyond,

It is my sincere pleasure to announce the start of the 20th anniversary year of AEWA – the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement. For the past two decades, AEWA has provided the framework for international cooperation on the conservation and management of migratory waterbird populations in the region - also serving as an example for flyway cooperation around the globe.

The third session of the Plenary of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) opened today in the World Conference Center (WCCB) in Bonn, Germany. The agenda for the week-long deliberations includes consideration of the implementation of the 2014-2018 work programme; the Platform’s initial programme of work, financial and budgetary arrangements, and operational rules and procedures.

The Center for African Wetlands (CAW) in Ghana has recently finalized its project co-funded by AEWA entitled “Priority setting and conservation of migratory waterbird species at key coastal sites in Ghana”. The project aimed at gaining a better understanding of trends in populations of waterbird species, reviewing the importance of Ghana’s coastal wetlands for waterbirds as well as advocating enhanced management of designated Ramsar sites and protection of other key sites for waterbirds. Financial support was provided by the AEWA Small Grants Fund (SGF).

Bonn / Trondheim, 2 December 2014 - The Arctic Council’s working group on the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) organized the Arctic Biodiversity Congress, which took place in Trondheim, Norway, from 2-4 December, in conjunction with the Norwegian Environment Agency