Mr. Vasile Bîrsan, AEWA National Focal Point, Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Moldova
The Republic of Moldova is currently in the process of transposing the Birds Directive (Directive 2009/147/EC) and the Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC), as part
Mr. Tornike Zautashvili, AEWA National Focal Point – Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia
On behalf of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, I would like to extend heartfelt congratulations to AEWA on the occasion of its 30th A
As the world rallies behind the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, collaborative efforts are underway to safeguard and rehabilitate some of Africa’s most critical transboundary wetland habitats. “Wetlands are the lifeblood of biodiversity. They play a crucial role in supporting ecosystems, mitigating climate change, and are critical for migratory waterbirds – as resting, refuelling, breeding, nesting and feeding grounds,” says Jacques Trouvilliez, Executive Secretary of the African Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA).
The 20th Meeting of the AEWA Technical Committee (TC20) successfully convened in the picturesque town of Mikulov, Czech Republic, from 24-28 February 2025. Hosted by the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic and co-funded by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the four-day meeting brought together experts and policy makers from across Africa and Eurasia. Participants of the meeting included regional representatives, experts from a wide spectrum of fields as well as Party Observers and several key implementing partner organizations of the Agreement.
Photo: One of the last Slender-billed Curlews, photographed by Michel Brosselin on 15 February 1968 in Vendée, France, roosts in front of its larger cousin, the Eurasian Curlew, now globally Near Threatened.
Today marks the solemn 30 year anniversary of the last indisputable sighting of the Slender-billed Curlew (Numenius tenuirostris), at Merja Zerga, Morocco, on 25 February 1995. Now considered extinct, this tragic loss stands as the first recorded extinction of a former widespread species since records began, the other cases of extinction concern mainly island or non-migratory birds with a restricted range.
AEWA has played a crucial role in fostering international cooperation and conservation action for migratory waterbirds across the African-Eurasian Flyways over the last 30 years.
2025 marks the 30th Anniversary of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), the unique international treaty dedicated to the conservation of migratory waterbirds and their habitats across Africa, Europe, and parts of Asia. Since it was negotiated and concluded on 16 June 1995, in The Hague, the Netherlands, AEWA has played a crucial role in fostering international cooperation and conservation action for 255 migratory waterbird species across the African-Eurasian Flyways.
An AEWA National Reporting training workshop for Anglophone African Parties took place from 27-28 November 2024 at the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat premises in Bonn, Germany. The training was made possible thanks to the generous financial support from the European Commission’s Global Public Goods and Challenges (GPGC) Programme Cooperation Agreement (PCA) with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which seeks to improve international environmental governance.
