Bonn, 1 September 2011 - The UNEP/AEWA Secretariat is very pleased to announce that the Republic of Chad has submitted its instrument of accession to the Depositary and the Agreement will enter into force for Chad as of 1 November 2011, thus increasing AEWA’s membership to 64 Parties.

Chad is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It spans an area over 1,284,000 km2 and shares its borders with the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, the Republic of Sudan, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Nigeria and Niger. The country is divided into multiple regions: a desert zone in the north, an arid Sahelian belt in the centre and a more fertile Sudanese savanna zone in the south. Lake Chad, after which the country is named, is the largest wetland in Chad and the second largest in Africa.

The entire lake which is shared with Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria, is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar Site) and is identified by the Wings Over Wetlands (WOW) Critical Site Network (CSN) Tool as one of the critical sites for migratory waterbirds in the country. It is also one of three Important Bird Areas (IBAs) that the country holds, next to Lake Fitri and Oaudi Rimé-Ouadi Achim, and which are of great importance for many migratory species using the Black-Sea/Mediterranean Flyway or the East Africa/West Asia Flyway. According to the WOW CSN Tool 120 out of the 255 migratory waterbirds covered by AEWA occur in Chad, including several that are of global conservation concern, like the Marbled Teal Marmaronetta angustirostris (Vulnerable), Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca (Vulnerable) Great Snipe Gallinago media (Near Threatened) and the Black-winged Pratincole Glareola nordmanni (Near Threatened).

The UNEP/AEWA Secretariat is happy to welcome Chad to the “AEWA Family” and looks forward to continuing to work closely with the Government of Chad and other AEWA stakeholders in implementing the Agreement in Chad.