On the fifth and closing day of AEWA MOP7 in Durban (Saturday, 8 December 2018), delegates heard final reports from the Chairs of the Credentials Committee and the two Working Groups, the first on Scientific and Technical Matters and the second on Financial and Administrative Matters. Resolutions were adopted on the Aichi Targets and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); Amendments to the AEWA Annexes; Definitions and Interpretation of Terms Used in AEWA Annex 3; Treatment of International Species Action and Management Plans; Conservation of Seabirds; Monitoring of Migratory Waterbirds; Revised Conservation Guidance; Climate-Resilient Flyways; and the Standing and Technical Committees.

On the fourth day of AEWA MOP7 in Durban (Friday, 7 December 2018), delegates enjoyed a day of excursions offered by the host country to a number of exciting destinations located in and around the city of Durban. In the evening following the excursions, delegates were invited to a special Gala Dinner hosted by the Province of Kwazulu-Natal (KZN), which took place in the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

The seventh session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP7) to the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) is taking place 4-8 December in Durban at the kind invitation of the Government of South Africa. MOP7 promises to be an important milestone in the development of AEWA because the Parties will have to make important decisions determining the way ahead for the Agreement over the next decade.

The African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is the only penguin found on the African continent, and is therefore also the only one listed on AEWA. Historical estimates in 1900 for the species’ population ranged from 0.5 – 1 million breeding pairs, but by the year 2000 only 50,000 pairs remained. The latest census of the South African population in 2018 has revealed a further decline to fewer than 16,000 pairs. Approximately 5,000 pairs persist in Namibia.

The AEWA National Focal Points from 21 African Contracting Parties met from 12-14 September 2018 at the Royal Swazi Spa Hotel in the Ezulwini Valley, in the Kingdom of Eswatini, for their preparatory meeting for the 7th Session of the AEWA Meeting of the Parties (Pre-MOP7). The meeting was jointly organized by the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat and the Swaziland National Trust Commission, and kindly hosted by the Government of Eswatini.

A Preparatory Meeting for the 7th Session of the Meeting of the Parties to AEWA (Pre-MOP7) will be organized for African Parties. The meeting will take place at the Royal Swazi Spa hotel in the Ezulwini Valley in Eswatini from 12 – 14 September 2018.

The UNEP/AEWA Secretariat is pleased to announce that the 7th Session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP7) to the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) will take place 4 - 8 December 2018 in Durban, South Africa. The decision on the venue was officially communicated to the Secretariat by the South African Department of Environmental Affairs , which also announced that it has appointed the Olive Convention Centre located in the heart of the city of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal Province as the venue for hosting AEWA MOP7.

The AEWA Eurasian Spoonbill International Expert Group (ESIEG) in conjunction with the Association “les Amis des Oiseaux”, the BirdLife partner in Tunisia, is organizing a workshop to be held on Djerba Island from 14 to 18 November. The workshop is open to members of the Expert Group as well as the wider Eurasian Spoonbill network and any additional stakeholders with an interest in wetland conservation. It will be of interest to staff from a variety of nature conservation organizations, including scientists, statutory agencies, NGOs, volunteers and students.

BirdLife South Africa announced exciting news last Saturday reporting the important discovery of only the second breeding site in the world for the Critically Endangered White-winged Flufftail (Sarothrura ayresi) and the first ever in South Africa. Previously, the only known breeding site was in the Berga wetland of Ethiopia, leading ornithologists to believe that the species was a non-breeding visitor to South Africa, with some mystery surrounding how it covered the 4,000 km distance between the two countries.