30 Years of AEWA 

30 years, the age of reason, clarity and pragmatism, the age at which the future emerges from the work.

While AEWA reaches this milestone, since its adoption in June 1995 in The Hague, Netherlands, OMPO (Migratory Birds of the Western Palearctic), one of the architects of its conception, reaffirms its wish to see it applied, one day, by each of the 119 States in the African-Eurasian migratory waterbird distribution range.

OMPO, by its identity is placed at the crossroads of rigorous scientific knowledge of migratory birds available to all and the concern for the perennity of their sustainable use at the scale, not of a country or a geographical region, but of the global territory (including breeding area, migratory flyways and wintering area) of these birds, OMPO recognises in AEWA the most relevant international instrument to make the management of migratory waterbirds the most reliable tool for their conservation.

AEWA has a major responsibility, both towards the bird populations which it has the mission to preserve for the benefit of mankind and towards the people who have always used them according to specific habits and customs, in phase with the cycles and evolution of nature. We know just how important the renewable resource that these birds are is, firstly for many local communities (in Siberia, the Nile basin, Sahelian Africa, etc.) who need them for their material and/or spiritual survival, but also for modern man in their seasonal manifestations, rediscovers the carnal link with nature, the source of his traditions, and flesh of his imaginary world.

To support AEWA, OMPO has developed its programmes in large areas of the Agreement, particularly in the white areas of Eastern Europe, Russia and Western Africa that are poorly known or underestimated by science, despite being crucial for the breeding and wintering of major contingents of the populations of many migratory waterbird species. Therefore, OMPO relied on renowned scientists of these countries and their governing bodies, the aim being to provide the authorities of countries members of the Agreement with up-to-date information, while at the same time raising awareness among biodiversity users (not just hunters), who are committed to the sustainable, reasonable and respectful use of nature's resources.

OMPO has never failed to promote AEWA among the authorities of the African-Eurasian States that are its long-term partners. With OMPO's assistance, Morocco ratified the Agreement in 2012, Belarus did it in 2016, and African countries such as Senegal have played a leading role in the implementation of the RESSOURCE - RESSOURCE+ programme, implemented since 2017 in several Sahelian African States and in Egypt with other institutional partners, under the aegis of FAO, an initiative financially supported by the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) and the EU for the sustainable management of migratory waterbirds and wetlands and food security for African communities.

This approach is fully in line with the spirit and principles of OMPO, for the benefit of stakeholders concerned with maintaining biodiversity, who may find in adaptive management a concept free from activism based on science and permanent dialogue between stakeholders and knowledges, the means to manage, without dogmatism and in a consensual manner, species and their habitats likely to be used sustainably by a responsible and tolerant society.

The DNA of OMPO is also that of AEWA. Let's hope that within another 30 years, all 119 African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Range States will have ratified and implemented the Agreement.

Back to the AEWA 30th anniversary website