Slaty Egret workshop in Maun, Botswana

Bonn, 5 April 2011 - An important step towards better protection of the Slaty Egret (Egretta vinaceigula) was taken in March in form of a three-day, multi-stakeholder, action-planning workshop, which took place from 3 - 5 March 2011 at the Thamalakane River Lodge in Maun, Botswana. The aim of the workshop was to share information on the numbers, distribution, threats and conservation status of the Slaty Egret in each Range State, with the aim of compiling an International Single Species Action Plan (ISSAP) for the species, to be presented to the 5th Meeting of the Parties to AEWA (MOP5, France, 14-18 May 2012).

The Vulnerable Slaty Egret has a small and declining population with very limited information available about its status and distribution, and is hence considered to be in crucial need of an ISSAP. The core breeding area of this AEWA species is virtually confined to the Okavango Delta, the world’s largest inland delta.

The workshop was jointly organized by BirdLife Botswana and the AEWA Secretariat, with valuable facilitation from the Botswana Wildlife Department. It was attended by 15 participants comprising Government representatives and experts from the six key Range States of the Slaty Egret (Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe) as well as AEWA partner organizations. The AEWA Secretariat was represented by its Technical Officer, Mr. Sergey Dereliev, and the Coordinator for the African Initiative, Ms. Evelyn Moloko.

A warm welcome from Dr. Lucas Rutina of the Department of Wildlife of Botswana, Mr. Pete Hancock of BirdLife Botswana, and Sergey Dereliev started off the workshop. It then focused on presenting AEWA and its Single Species Action Planning and implementation process as well as determining the Slaty Egret’s population distribution and migration, status and dynamics, status of knowledge and scientific monitoring efforts in each Range State.

Presentations were interspersed with very lively and informative discussion, and followed by an in-depth problem analysis which identified and prioritized threats across the entire range. The key threats identified include habitat destruction, for instance from dams, drainage and reed cutting, destruction of roost and nest sites by fires, and lack of scientific data on the species’ distribution and breeding biology.

The workshop subsequently determined an overall goal for the ISSAP, as well as specific objectives for tackling the main threats, each with expected results and key actions to be undertaken, with specifications for the Range States concerned. The recommended actions centered around promoting enforcement of regulations to minimize destruction of habitats caused by anthropic activities and supporting/promoting scientific research for more information, amongst others, on the species’ distribution, population size and breeding biology. The draft ISSAP is to be presented to MOP5 for approval in 2012, and will be applicable for implementation in all six Range States present at the workshop.

A one-day field trip to the Moremi Game Reserve situated within the Okavango Delta Ramsar Site was also part of the workshop programme. This visit to one of the core known breeding areas for the Slaty Egret was an occasion for the workshop participants to get a first-hand impression of the species’ habitat and observe birds in their natural environment. Despite being notoriously difficult to find and identify in the wild, the participants had a great opportunity to see 14 Slaty Egrets feeding in the floodplains of Moremi Game Reserve. The Okavango Delta is a key site for many other AEWA species, some of which the workshop participants saw on the trip, such as the Vulnerable Wattled Crane, a number of herons and egrets, Pink-backed Pelicans and African Open-billed Storks.

The workshop terminated with a session promoting the accession to AEWA of those Range States which are not yet Contracting Parties (Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe). Information on the current status of the accession process and constraints faced were shared and suggestions on possible action to be taken at the national level as well as by the AEWA Secretariat were put forward. It was generally agreed that these countries needed to become members to the Agreement in order to facilitate and promote coordinated conservation action on a flyway scale.

The AEWA Secretariat would like to thank the Governments of Switzerland, Germany and France which made this very productive workshop possible by providing voluntary financial contributions.