AEWA Electronic Update:
- Countdown towards MOP 3
- AEWA...back to the roots
- "The AEWA Award goes to..."
- The EU joins AEWA
- The Republic of Ghana joins AEWA
- Articles about AEWA
- Subscribe to the new AEWA E-Newsletter
[ AEWA E-Newsletter: Issue #3 ]
Countdown towards MOP 3, Dakar, Senegal, 23 - 27 October 2005
The AEWA Secretariat has received 112 registrations as at 26 September 2005
for the third Meeting of the Parties taking place in Dakar, Senegal, in
four weeks' time. Those who have not yet registered are reminded to do so.
The procedure for obtaining an entry visa and the recommended vaccinations
may need to be started some weeks in advance. Please download the meeting
documents at
http://www.unep-aewa.org/meetings/en/mop/mop3_docs/mop3.htm.
The AEWA Team is looking forward to meeting all participants in Dakar on
23 October.
AEWA...back to the roots
On 27-28 August 2005 the AEWA Secretariat took part in the Dutch Bird Fair,
the Vogelfestival, which was held in the Oostvaardersplassen wetland, Lelystad,
the Netherlands, by the Dutch BirdLife partner Vogelbescherming Nederland.
About 9,000 visitors came to see 97 different stands selling binoculars,
cameras and outdoor equipment, wildlife books and photographs as well as
holiday trips and everything to do with birds, and to take part in the workshops,
birdwatching excursions and special events for both adults and children.
[read
on]
"The AEWA Award goes to...
Mr. David A. Stroud in the Individual Category and the Government of the
Netherlands, represented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food
Quality (LNV) in the Institutional Category are the winners chosen to receive
the AEWA Waterbird Conservation Award 2005 to be presented at the opening
ceremony of the Third Meeting of the Parties on 23 October 2005 (Dakar,
Senegal). The award is for their outstanding contributions to the development
and implementation of the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement, as decided
by the Standing Committee at its meeting on 4-5 July 2005. In addition,
Dr Gerard C. Boere will be declared Honorary Patron of AEWA for his crucial
role in the process of drafting and negotiating the Agreement. [read
on]
The Eu joins AEWA
The European Community has deposited its instrument of
accession to AEWA and will become 51th Contracting Party as of 1 October
2005.
The European Community currently has 25 Member States. The EU Birds Directive, which celebrated its 25th Anniversary last year, provides a framework for bird conservation across the EU, defining the minimum legal requirements and standards that all Member States must comply with, to protect and conserve wild birds and their habitats in their territory and in the EU as a whole. Many of these birds migrate to wintering areas located outside Europe. One of the findings presented at the Conference held at the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the Bird Directive was that long-distance migrants are still in decline. The ratification of AEWA by the EU therefore is of high importance for the EU as well as for AEWA. In a combined effort we will try to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2010, which is the target set for Europe. The EU has ratified the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Ramsar Convention and the Bern Convention. The UNEP/AEWA Secretariat is pleased to welcome the European Community on behalf of the Contracting Parties.
The Republic of Ghana joins AEWA
The Republic of Ghana has deposited its instrument of
accession to AEWA and will become 50th Contracting Party as of 1 October
2005.
The Republic of Ghana shares
borders with Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Togo to the east and Burkina Faso
to the north while, to the south, it borders the Gulf of Guinea with a coastline
of some 550 km, from where it extends inland for about 675 km. Three main
ecological zones are identifiable in the country: the forest zone in the
south-western part of the country, the interior savanna and the coastal
savanna. 725 bird species occur in the Republic of Ghana, of which a number
is covered by the Agreement, e.g. the Royal Tern (Sterna maxima), the Sanderling
(Calidris alba), the Western Reef Egret (Egretta gularis), the Spotted Redshank
(Tringa erythropus), the Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis), the Black
Tern (Chlidonias niger) and the White-faced Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna
viduata).
Ghana has ratified the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species
of Wild Animals (CMS), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, the Convention
to Combat Desertification (CCD), the Convention on Climate Change (FCCC),
the World Heritage Convention and the Ramsar Convention. The UNEP/AEWA Secretariat
is pleased to welcome the Republic of Ghana on behalf of the Contracting
Parties.
If you are interested to know more about issues related to the work of AEWA please read our articles...
Saving our waterbirds by 2010 - an ambitious target [read on]
Saving a charismatic bird [read on]
The mysteries of bird migration [read on]
Planting seeds of awareness [read on]
Subscribe to the new AEWA E-Newsletter
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It will keep you up to date on waterbird conservation activities and keep
you informed about recently published AEWA news, events and conferences.
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