The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
(WWT)
and the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat have recently signed two Memoranda
of Cooperation (MoC) for the White-headed Duck (Oxyura
leucocephala) and the Red-breasted Goose
(Branta
ruficollis).

The
aim of these MoCs is to ensure complete and effective implementation
of the SSAPs for both species. The UNEP/AEWA Secretariat
and WWT
intend to build on their good collaboration in the past
to achieve an improved conservation status for both species.
The main activities as laid down in these MoCs will focus
on the AEWA Species Working Groups for the White-headed
Duck and the Red-breasted Goose. WWT will convene and service
these Working Groups and will provide a part-time post of
Coordinator for each Group. The Coordinators will work in
close consultation with the Chairs of the Working Groups
and the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat and will fully support the
Groups’ operations. These AEWA Species Working Groups
will facilitate the implementation of both Single Species
Action Plans (SSAPs) and will represent the international
coordination mechanism for their implementation.

The need for closer cooperation was raised
by the poor conservation status of both birds. The White-headed
Duck and the Red-breasted Goose are globally threatened
species (IUCN Red List category: Endangered (EN)) and are
listed on the AEWA Table 1 in Column A (White-headed Duck:
categories 1a, b and c; Red-breasted Goose: categories 1a,
b and 3a & c). Currently, their wild populations consist
of not more than 7,900-13,100 White-headed Ducks and 44,000
birds for the Red-breasted Goose.

Since 2005, the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat has
supported the operations of international expert working
groups for several species that have been subject to SSAPs.
Amongst them was the Red-breasted Goose International Working
Group, which was jointly supported by The Royal Society
for the Protection of Birds
(RSPB), Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
(WWT), Vogelbescherming
Netherlands (VBN) and the UNEP/AEWA
Secretariat. This informal working group will be the
foundation for the new coordination mechanism and will be
transferred into the AEWA Species Working Group, for the
Red-breasted Goose.

The Species Action Plan for the Red-breasted
Goose from 1995 is currently being revised by BirdLife International
and WWT and will soon be proposed for endorsement under
the auspices of AEWA and the EC.

AEWA is looking forward to a fruitful cooperation
with WWT with the ultimate aim of achieving an improved
conservation status for both species.

For more information please visit:

•
Single Species Action Plan for the White-headed
Duck (PDF)

Red-breasted
Goose International Working Group (informal expert
group)