[ AEWA E-Newsletter: Issue #17 ]
[ français ]
World Migratory Bird Day 2008 highlights: “Migratory birds – Ambassadors for Biodiversity” in more than 60 countries!
World
Migratory Bird Day (WMBD)
was successfully celebrated for the third time on 10-11 May 2008, with 140
separate events taking place in more than 60 countries around the world.
The events, which are all registered on the WMBD website, were celebrated
across the world’s flyways and helped to bring the message of this
year’s World Migratory Bird Day campaign to local communities in many
parts of the world. The WMBD campaign also generated an unprecedented wave
of global
media coverage specifically focused on the decline in migratory
birds. [read
on]
Fennoscandian neighbours meet to form a Committee for Lesser White-fronted Geese
The AEWA Secretariat convened a new Committee to guide captive breeding
and release into the wild of the globally endangered Lesser White-fronted
Goose (Anser erythropus) in Fennoscandia. Delegations of the four
countries Norway, Finland, Sweden and Germany, and their scientific and
conservation experts came together on 7-8 May 2008 in Bonn to establish
the ‘Committee for Captive Breeding, Reintroduction and Supplementation
of Lesser White-fronted Geese in Fennoscandia’ [short: ‘LWfG
Recap Committee’]. The Committee’s purpose is to guide the future
of the small Fennoscandian population of this globally endangered species.
[read
on]
AEWA Secretariat participates in 55th General Assembly to CIC
On 21 - 26 April 2008 the 55th General Assembly of the International Council
for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) took place in Marrakech, Morocco.
The AEWA Executive Secretary Bert Lenten attended this meeting to deliver
a welcome address to the Assembly and to report on ongoing CMS and AEWA
activities to the Commission on Migratory Birds. Bert Lenten also participated
at a side event, which was organized to raise awareness on the need to phase
out the use of lead shot. [read
on]
Experts meet for action planning workshop for the Madagascar Pond-heron in Nairobi, Kenya
Experts
from nine African countries came together in Nairobi on 15-17 April 2008
to develop a Single Species Action Plan (SSAP) for the Madagascar Pond-heron
Ardeola idae. The SSAP for this species is being developed under
the auspices of CMS and AEWA. The workshop was organised by the BirdLife
International Africa Partnership Secretariat and was financially supported
mainly by the CMS Secretariat through a grant received from the Italian
Ministry for the Environment and co-funded by the AEWA Secretariat. [read
on]
Species action planning for the White-winged Flufftail launched in a workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The
White-winged Flufftail is a tiny rail known from three breeding sites in
the highlands of Ethiopia and nine non-breeding wetlands in South Africa.
A few non-confirmed records from Zimbabwe and a few more countries suggest
that the species migrate from Ethiopia to South Africa, but this has not
been confirmed yet and there might be two distinct populations in the north
and in the south of Africa.This exlusive bird, which is categorised as Endangered
on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals,
was rediscovered in 1995 and is amongst the AEWA
species for which we know least. [read
on]
AEWA and the WOW Project presented at CBD COP9
The AEWA Secretariat and the Wings Over Wetlands (WOW)
Project Partnership used the ninth Conference of the Parties to the Convention
on Biological Diversity (CBD
COP9) as an opportunity to present the Agreement and the UNEP-GEF
Flyways Project to the 5000+ international delegates attending the meeting.
In addition to being present at the conference with a dedicated AEWA stand
(part of the CMS Family tent) and a new 2m x 2m display, the AEWA Secretariat
helped to organize a CBD COP side event on behalf of the WOW Partnership
on Monday 26th May 2008. [read
on]
In the mood for MOP?
The preparations for the fourth Session of the Meeting of the Parties to
AEWA (MOP4),
which will take place on 15 - 19 September 2008 in Antananarivo, Madagascar,
are well under way. The Secretariat would like to take the opportunity of
this e-newsletter to provide participants of this meeting with a MOP update.
[read
on]
Voluntary contributions received
In 2008 voluntary contributions have so far been received from Belgium,
the European Commission, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.The
Secretariat is very grateful for this support! However, we would like to
use this opportunity and make a strong plea to all Governments, partners
and stakeholders to provide further financial support for the Government
of Madagascar as well as the Secretariat in the preparation for the forthcoming
Meeting of the Parties in order to cover all costs needed to make this important
meeting a real success. A total amount of € 50,000 still needs to be secured.
[read
on]
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