The AEWA 15^th Anniversary
Symposium was hosted by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture,
Nature and Food Quality (LNV) and was attended by more than
100 participants from over 25 countries including many representatives
from AEWA partner organizations.

The multimedia website combines all the
photo, video and audio material which was captured over
the course of the two-day Symposium and makes it accessible
in a central place on the Web. This website recreates the
atmosphere of the symposium by presenting a selection of
the contributions, which helped to pave the way for the
recommendations held down in the Hague
Action Statement.

Key Note Presentations

The website includes the full length video of the two key
note presentations which were given during the two-day Symposium.

Mr.
Eddy Wymenga, (Director of the Ecological Consultancy
Altenburg & Wymenga) who presented the findings captured
in the book he co-authored "Living on the edge", highlighting
the challenges Palearctic birds face due to climate change
and other rapid man-made habitat changes caused by deforestation,
irrigation and reclamation of wetlands in the Sahel.

Prof.
Theunis Piersma, from the
University of Groningen who highlighted the effect of short-term
habitat destruction and changes on waterbird populations
in his presentation, pointing out that although climate
change is of great importance in explaining the long-term
changes in the distribution of migratory birds, the human
hand and the effect it has on the birds' critical habitats
is of utmost conservation concern particularly in the short-term.

Plenary Presentations

The website also includes plenary presentations
by Mr.
Paulo Paixão (DG Environment & Biodiversity
Division of the European Commission), Prof.
Nick Davidson (Deputy Secretary General, the
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands), Dr.
Marco Lambertini (CEO, BirdLife International),
Ms.
Jane Madgwick (CEO, Wetlands International),
and Mr.
John Swift, (CEO, The British Association for
Shooting and Conservation (BASC)), who was also speaking
on behalf of the International Council for Game and Wildlife
Conservation (CIC) and the Federation of Associations for
Hunting and Conservation of the EU (FACE).

Interviews
with Participants