The Hague, 14 June 2010 - The 15th Anniversary of the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) is being celebrated on 14-15 June 2010 at an International Symposium being hosted by the Government of the Netherlands in The Hague, where AEWA was concluded on 16 June 1995 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

AEWA is a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) administered international wildlife treaty dedicated to the conservation of migratory waterbird species which migrate along the African-Eurasian Flyways. AEWA provides the framework for up to 118 countries in the region to work together to conserve migratory waterbirds such as ducks, waders, storks, flamingos, geese and terns.

The two-day Symposium is being hosted by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) and is providing an opportunity to look back on the achievements made under AEWA as well as at the challenges lying ahead.

Six workshops are taking place, each with a different focus:

1) land use developments in the AEWA region with a special focus on Africa;
2) management of waterbird site networks on the national level;
3) sustainable management of migratory birds and invasive species;
4) the wider flyway approach and priorities for each single species;
5) establishment of international site networks; the role of the International Waterbird Census; and
6) migratory waterbirds and climate change in the light of human interferences.

The outcome of these workshops will result in a declaration, which will be tabled for approval. This statement will be of importance for the development of new ideas on the role of AEWA in the conservation of migratory waterbirds, which will, in turn, provide feedback to the 5th Meeting of the Parties to AEWA, which is scheduled to take place in May 2012 in France.

The symposium is being facilitated by Dr. Gerard C. Boere, one of the founding fathers of AEWA. He was involved in drafting the Agreement text, the consultations with all the major stakeholders as well in the final negotiations 15 years ago.

Note to Editors

AEWA – The African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement is a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) backed treaty dedicated to the protection of 255 species of waterbirds which migrate along the African-Eurasian Flyways. Developed under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), AEWA provides the framework for countries in the region to work together to conserve such species as ducks, waders, storks, flamingos and many other migratory waterbirds. Countries that have become Parties to the Agreement commit themselves to putting measures in place to conserve the region's waterbird populations and the habitats on which they depend. Currently 63 Parties out of 118 Range States in Africa and Eurasia have joined AEWA.

The Agreement was drafted by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was concluded at the Negotiation Meeting on 16 June 1995 at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. AEWA was opened for signing as of 15 August 1996 and the Agreement entered into force on 1 November 1999. An interim Secretariat was provided by LNV from 1996 until mid-2000 when a permanent Secretariat was established, integrated within the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and co-located with the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) in Bonn, Germany.

Other highlights of the Symposium include:

The launch of the Critical Site Network (CSN) Tool - a new web-portal for waterbirds and their critical sites developed in the framework of the UNEP-GEF Wings Over Wetlands (WOW) Project. The tool will make available currently dispersed information on almost all waterbird species covered by AEWA and the sites they depend on in the AEWA region. For more information see: www.wingsoverwetlands.org/csntool
Two new books to mark the 15th Anniversary of the Agreement:

A book highlighting the threats faced by the Black-tailed Godwit – or “Grutto” in Dutch – during its annual migration to Western Africa has been prepared to mark the 15th Anniversary of AEWA. The Black-tailed Godwit is one of the most important migratory waterbird species breeding in the Netherlands, and has faced a 60 percent decline in breeding pair numbers since the 1960s. The book has been compiled by the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat in close cooperation with the Belgium artist Yves Fagniart, whose paintings will also be on display in an exhibition during the Symposium.

In addition, a booklet describing the development history of AEWA compiled by Dr. Gerard C. Boere, honorary patron of AEWA, will also be launched during the Symposium.