AN AGREEMENT UNDER THE CONVENTION ON

THE CONSERVATION OF MIGRATORY SPECIES OF

WILD ANIMALS

CMS

FIRST SESSION OF THE MEETING OF THE PARTIES TO THE Distribution: General

AFRICAN-EURASIAN WATERBIRD AGREEMENT (The Hague, 1995) AEWA/MOP 1.5

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA, 6-9 NOVEMBER 1999 15 September 1999

English only

REPORT OF THE SECRETARIAT 1996-1999

(DRAFT)

INTERIM SECRETARIAT OF THE AFRICAN-EURASIAN WATERBIRD AGREEMENT

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, NATURE MANAGEMENT

AND FISHERIES OF THE NETHERLANDS

INTRODUCTION

In accordance with the Article VIII paragraph of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) one of the duties of the Agreement Secretariat is to prepare reports, on an annual basis for each ordinary session of the Meeting of the Parties, on the work of the secretariat and on the implementation of the Agreement. The Interim Secretariat follows this procedure.

Reports have already been made at various points. In recent years on the activities of the secretariat. For example, the 1996 annual report was drawn up for the fifth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Geneva, 1997). During the second International Conference on Wetlands & Development (Dakar, 1998) a verbal report was delivered on the activities of the secretariat in previous years and information was provided on the work programme for the coming years. Finally, we have tried to keep you as well informed as possible about the secretariat’s activities through the Secretariat News section of the AEWA newsletter.

The present report describes the period from 1996 to 31 October 1999 inclusive based on the following six categories which are summarised for each year:

  • administrative activities;
  • activities relating to Action Plan;
  • preparations for MOP1;
  • promotions of the Agreement;
  • Other activities

This report will cover only the main points of the secretariat’s activities. Regular administrative tasks, such as the provision of information, answering correspondence, drawing up contracts for the outsourcing of work, etc. will therefore not be covered, although these take up a considerable amount of the secretariat’s time.

  1. 1996…INITIAL YEAR

Establishment of the Interim Secretariat

As set down in the Final Act of the Negotiation Meeting to adopt the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (June, 1995) the Netherlands offered to act as Depositary and to provide, at its own expense for the first three years from the date on which the Agreement was first open for signature, an interim Agreement secretariat, and to host the first session of the Meeting of the Parties following the entry into force of the Agreement. Pursuant to this offer, on 1.1.1996 the Interim Secretariat created within the International Nature Management Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries. On 8.1.1999 the ministry appointed Mr. L. Lenten as full-time secretary for the day-to-day work. Dr. Gerard C. Boere remained on a part-time basis as a senior policy official of the International Nature Management Department and, in his role as supervisor, was closely involved in the operations of the Interim Secretariat. The Ministry provided all the necessary infrastructure with regard to accommodation, communications, secretarial support, etc.

Administrative matters

The first year was largely concerned with the initialisation of the Interim Secretariat, in which much time and thought was devoted to the integration of the old archives dating back to 1988 into a new system which was to be set up. The main concern here was that the new system would have to interface seamlessly with the system used in the UNEP/CMS Secretariat so that no unnecessary problems would be created in this respect at the time of co-location of the permanent Agreement Secretariat. Aside from archiving, much time was spent in setting up and subsequent verification of an address database for the national focal points for AEWA in 117 Range States. The need for good address databases was recognised from the outset.

At the start of the year in particular much attention was given to the final administrative and financial details concerning the AEWA negotiation agreement (June, 1995). Although it is not laid down in the Final Act, it was agreed during the negotiation meeting that the original Agreement would be translated into Russian and Arabic. Owing to unforeseen problems with the translation the opening of the Agreement for signature by Range States was delayed. Eventually the AEWA was opened for signature on 15 August 1996.

Preparations for MOP1

The Final Act states that the Meeting invited the Interim Agreement Secretariat, to the extent possible, to prepare proposals for submission to the Meeting of the Parties at its first session concerning:

a)amendment of the Action Plan with regard to species or families of species listed in Annex 2 to the Agreement;

b)a review on the conservation status of populations covered by the Action Plan;

c)criteria related to emergency situations;

d)the Conservation Guidelines;

e)a format for reports of the Parties;

f)a budget, financial rule, and any other matter relating to the financial arrangements for the Agreement;

g)the establishment of the Technical Committee; and

h)a logo for the Agreement.

In the First instance priority was given to action points a, b and c. These activities were to be contracted out to Wetlands International as a project. Although the aim was to start up this project during 1996 some delay crept in due to the relocation of Wetlands International from the UK to the Netherlands.

The next priority was the design of a logo for the Agreement. A graphic agency was brought in for this purpose. By mid-1996 is the agency produced designs for a complete graphics package to be applied to [all] correspondence, envelopes, flyers, reports, etc.

Activities relating to the Action Plan

The great Cormorant (Phalocrocorax carbo) is one of the species manifesting the success of nature conservation policy and management. Nowadays in some parts of the flyway this species causes damage to fisheries, mariculture and fish farms. This type of problem demands an international approach. Denmark and the Netherlands took the lead in drafting an International Management Plan for this species. The Interim Secretariat participated in the workshop “Towards an International Conservation and Management Plan for the Great Cormorant” which was held in Lelystad, the Netherlands (October, 1996). Although the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries carries prime responsibility for the establishment of this plan, the Interim Secretariat is also indirectly involved in the project.

Promotion of the Agreement

One of the options for drawing attention to the AEWA was to set up and publish a newsletter. The first Newsletter was produced in August. This Newsletter was widely distributed and informed all the addressees about AEWA, activities of the Interim Secretariat, outlines of the work programme 1996-1997 and other AEWA related-matters. The Interim Secretariat was the sole contributor to this first issue. Although Newsletter No. 1 was quite simple the Interim Secretariat received a number of positive reactions.

In order to brief Range States on the AEWA and to promote its implementation the Secretary, Mr. Bert Lenten (BL) and Mr. Gerard C. Boere (GB) attended the following international meetings:

  • From Research to Action Plans, organised by UNAVI, March 1996, Italy (BL)
  • 6th Conference of the Parties of the Ramsar Convention, March 1996, Australia (GB)
  • Meeting of Nordic Hunters Association, April 1996, Denmark (GB)
  • European Conference of Birdlife International, June 1996, Finland (GB and BL)
  • Meeting of the Working Group for the Conservation of Artic Flora and Fauna (CAFF), September 1996, Finland (GB)
  • International Symposium on White Storks, September 1996, Germany (BL)
  • Ninth PanAfrican Ornithological Congress, December 1996, Ghana (BL)

To promote the Agreement verbal and/or poster presentations wee held during all the above-mentioned meetings.

Other activities

In the course of the year the Secretary, not personally familiar with the “waterbird world” made a number of working visits to familiarise himself with a number of organisations which may play an important role in the AEWA network or the implementation of the AEWA. Visits were made to the World Conservation and Monitoring Centre (WCMC), Birdlife International, The European Union for Coastal Conservation (EUCC), Wetlands International, Ramsar, IUCN, CMS, (EUROBATS, ASCOMBANS).

Overview of the Parties to AEWA

The AEWA was opened for signature on 15 August 1996. By 31 December, the following Range States (see table 1) had signed, with or without reservation in respect of ratification, acceptance or approval:

Range States / Date of signature /

Date of ratification

The Netherlands / 15-08-1996 / 15-08-1999
Germany / 15-08-1996
Ireland / 17-08-1996
United Kingdom / 27-09-1996
Switzerland / 15-10-1996 / 15-10-1996
Sudan / 31-12-1996 / 31-12-1996

Table 1

  1. 1997…PROMOTION YEAR

General

The second year was largely taken up with the promotion of the Agreement in many different ways and whatever it was possible to do so.

Administrative matters

After having devoted so much time and energy in 1996 to the creation of a new archive, financial administration and the construction of address databases, etc., the Secretariat limited its administrative work in 1997 mainly to normal administrative matters. However, it did draw up a 1996 annual report for the fifth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (April, 1997).

Preparations for MOP1

The first concrete steps in this project were taken in early 1997 when Wetlands International started to draw up draft proposals for the amendment of the Action Plan, a review of the conservation status of population covered by the Action Plan and criteria related to emergency situations. A decision was also taken to contract Wetlands International to draw up the AEWA Implementation Plan for 1997-1999. The purpose of this plan was to identify what action is required in respect of the Final Act, Agreement text and Action Plan determine the financial implications, and in particular decide what could and should be achieved for the benefit of MOP1. In total ten urgent activities were identified which would require a budget of around US $ 750,000. A copy of the relevant Implementation Plan was sent to all the national focal points in the course of 1997, asking them to determine whether their country would be able to finance, or contribute to the funding of, one or more of the activities. This appeal elicited a positive response from the UK and Switzerland. In addition the Netherlands was willing to provide financial support for further activities. The financial input of the two countries enabled us to contract Wetlands International to develop various conservation guidelines.

The Interim Secretariat took responsibility for writing the draft proposals for the Financial/ Institutional Arrangements. Thus on the occasion of the COP5 CMS, an initial draft concerning the establishment of a Technical Committee was raised and discussed.

At the end of 1996/start of 1997 it became clear that the Bonn Convention was keen to organise the sixth Conference of the Parties in 1999 instead of 2000, to celebrate its 20th anniversary. South Africa was considered as a possible host country. The period of time in which the COP6 was planned largely overlapped with the planned first Meeting of the Parties to the AEWA so the decision was made to organise the two meetings to run back-to-back.

Activities relating to the Action Plan

A Workshop on the International Flyway Management Plan for the Dark-bellied Brent Goose was held on the Dutch island of Texel from 23-27 January 1997. At the 7th Trilateral Governmental Wadden Sea Conference (1994), the Secretariat of the Bonn Convention was asked to develop an international conservation plan for this species within the framework of AEWA. The Netherlands was willing to assist the Bonn Convention in its preparations. The Interim Secretariat attended this workshop and is indirectly involved in the development of the Plan.

Promotion of the Agreement

Following the first simple-format issue, the layout of the newsletter was adapted to tie in with the AEWA house style. In April the second issue was published in its new form with many contributions from third parties. The new look net with a broad positive response. The third issue appeared later in the same year, with still more input from third parties. The response to both these newsletters indicates that as a means of providing information on current projects in the field of habitat and species protection, research and monitoring, education etc., the newsletter satisfies a demand and is valued for that reason.

In addition to the newsletter, work was started at the end of 1997 on the development of an AEWA website, and WCMC (Cambridge) was contracted to develop the site.

During the fifth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (April, 1997) a special reception was organised to inform the delegates about the progress made and about the work programme for 1997-1999. The draft proposal for the establishment of the Technical Committee was also discussed.

Mr. Bert Lenten (BL) and/or Dr. Gerard C. Boere (GB) attended the following meeting to promote the AEWA:

  • Workshop on the International Flyway Management Plan for the Dark-bellied Brent Goose, January 1997, The Netherlands (BL)
  • COP 5 Bonn Convention, April 1997, Switzerland (GB and BL)
  • Ramsar West Africa Sub Regional Meeting, May 1997, Senegal (BL)
  • Wader Study Group, September 1997, Denmark (GB)
  • Great Cormorant Workshop, September 1997, Denmark (GB)
  • Artic Biodiversity Workshop, September 1997, Denmark (GB)
  • Seminar of the Academy of Nature Conservation and Landscape Management, September 1997, Bulgaria (BL)
  • Seminar “Birds Know No Boundaries”, September 1997, Israel (BL)
  • Working Group on the Conservation of Artic Flora and Fauna (CAFF), November 1997, Greenland (GB)

Other Activities

  • The secretary took part in a meeting organised by the Ramsar Bureau, for African Desk Officers in Convention Secretariats & Ramsar Partner Organisations, in March 1997, in Switzerland (BL). The object of the meeting was to exchange information in order to improve harmonisation between organisations in the future.

Range States

/ Date of signature / Date of ratification
The Netherlands / 15-08-1996 / 15-08-1999
Germany / 15-08-1996
Ireland / 17-08-1996
United kingdom / 27-09-1996
Switzerland / 15-10-1996 / 15-10-1996
Sudan / 31-12-1996 / 31-12-1996
Jordan / 12-03-1997 / 12-03-1997
Egypt / 20-08-1997
European Community / 01-09-1997 / 15-08-1999
Mali / 25-09-1997
Luxembourg / 20-10-1997
Morocco / 19-11-1997

Table 2

Overview of the Parties to AEWA

By 31 December, the following Range States (see table 2) had signed, with or without reservation in respect of ratification, acceptance or approval:

  1. 1998… START OF PREPARATIONS FOR MOP1

General

In addition to preparing the content of the various documents for MOP1, which had already been set in train in previous years, it was now time to start preparing the logistics. Looking back it is fair to say that 1998 was largely characterised by these preparations.

Administrative matters

The French authorities requested the Interim Secretariat to mediate with the Depositary in respect of some amendments to the French version of the Agreement and Annex 3. Nothing that these amendments were purely cosmetic, and unlikely to change the meaning of the text, the Interim Secretariat urged the Depositary to reconsider the amendments. The Depositary wrote to all Range States stating its intention to incorporate the proposed amendments, provided that none of them objected to the proposals. Since no objections were received, the amendments were incorporated.

Preparations for MOP1

From 14-17 January 1997 Mr. Douglas Hykle (Deputy Secretary, Bonn Convention), Mr. Gerard C. Boere (Vice Chair of the Standing Committee of the Bonn Convention) and Mr. Bert Lenten (AEWA Interim Secretariat) went on a working visit to South Africa. The purpose of the visit was to evaluate potential venues, to select a conference organiser and to set dates for the Meetings. We discussed all these matters with our South African counterparts and took the decision to organise the Meeting the Lord Charles Hotel in Cape town. The details were further elaborated during the year by the Secretariat of the Bonn Convention and the Interim Secretariat.

The official invitation from South Africa to hold MOP1 in Cape Town was received on 12 February.

In August Gerard C. Boere and Douglas Hykle again went to Cape Town to see over the venue again to evaluate the suitability of the location for Meetings such as COP6 and MOP1. This second inspection was needed since the hotel had undergone extensive renovations since January, with radical and positive changes to the venues.

The initial drafts of the conservation guidelines to be drawn up by Wetlands International for MOP1 appeared during the course of the year. These related to the following guidelines:

  • Single Species Action Plan;
  • Identifying and tracking emergency situations;
  • Preparation of site inventories;
  • Management of critical sites for waterbirds;
  • Reducing crop damage and other form of conflict between waterbirds and human activities;
  • Waterbird monitoring protocol.

The supervision of this process demanded considerable input from the Interim Secretariat. During the second Conference on Wetlands & Development, in November 1998 in Dakar, a number of these documents, particularly the guidelines, were raised and discussed in the special AEWA workshop.

Promotion of the Agreement

Due to the increasing pressure of work, particularly in connection with the preparations for MOP1 we only managed to publish one issue of the newsletter.

In April the first phase of the AEWA website was launched and it will be improved over the coming years. It will largely be tailored to the needs of the users. The websites is intended to supplement other means of communication, such as the newsletter, and therefore the newsletters will not be an integral part of the site.

During the second Conference on Wetlands & Development in November 1998 in Senegal the Interim Secretariat convened a meeting for delegations from the various Range States to report on its activities and the current situation with regard to the accession of the countries.

Once again the secretary, Mr. Bert Lenten (BL) and Dr. Gerard C. Boere (GB) attended a number of international meetings to draw the attention of the Range States to the AEWA and to promote its implementation: