13 December 2018
AEWA Adopts Strategic Plan and Species Action Plans
© Aydin Bahramlouian
story highlights

In a resolution on the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the SDGs, the MOP urges Parties to highlight to their development agencies the relevance of AEWA implementation in the context of SDG delivery and to stress the need to better integrate actions for waterbird and wetland conservation to achieve benefits for both waterbirds and human communities.

MOP 7 adopted new International Single Species Action and Management Plans for two species, extended plans for eight species, and retired plans for two species.

8 December 2018: The seventh session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP 7) to the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) adopted the Strategic Plan and the Plan of Action for Africa for 2019-2027. The MOP also agreed on key species action plans on African-Eurasian waterbirds, and adopted a resolution on AEWA’s contribution to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the Agreement’s relevance to the SDGs.

MOP 7 took place under the theme, ‘Beyond 2020: Shaping Flyway Conservation for the Future.’ The meeting convened from 4-8 December in Durban, South Africa.

On the Aichi Targets and the SDGs, the MOP determines that the greatest benefits to the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 are AEWA implementation actions that, inter alia: ensure the conservation and wise use of national networks of protected areas; ensure that land uses are fully compatible with sustaining migratory waterbird populations; reduce, mitigate and compensate for habitat loss and degradation as appropriate, restore degraded habitats to reverse past losses and create new multifunctional wetlands; implement climate change adaptation measures related to waterbird habitats; remove unnecessary causes of waterbird mortality and ensure that harvests, where made, are sustainable; and develop strong engagement with local communities on the management and wise use of waterbirds and their wetland habitats. The MOP urges Parties to ensure that national authorities responsible for AEWA implementation are fully involved in updating national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) to further promote synergies between biodiversity-related treaties; and urges Parties to highlight to their development agencies the relevance of AEWA implementation in the context of SDG delivery and to stress the need to better integrate actions for waterbird and wetland conservation within relevant development projects to achieve benefits for both waterbirds and human communities. The MOP requests the Technical Committee to bring an assessment of AEWA’s contributions to the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and a reflection on AEWA’s contribution to the post-2020 development agenda to MOP 8.

Climate change is a key driver of species decline.

Delegates adopted resolutions on, inter alia: guidance on the implementation of the AEWA Action Plan; climate-resilient flyways; strengthening the monitoring of migratory waterbirds; and financial and institutional arrangements. The AEWA Plan of Action for Africa for 2019-2027 responds to contemporary waterbirds conservation issues in Africa and across the flyway. MOP 7 also considered a report on the effects of plastic on waterbirds and on the conservation status of species listed under the Agreement.

On key species action plans, MOP 7 adopted new International Single Species Action and Management Plans (ISSAPs and ISSMPs) for the Barnacle Goose and Greylag Goose. The MOP extended the ISSAPs and ISSMPs for Black-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Spoonbill, Ferruginous Duck, Great Snipe, Lesser Flamingo, Maccoa Duck, Madagascar Pond Heron and White-winged Flufftail for an additional ten years. In addition, MOP 7 retired the plans for the Light-bellied Brent Goose and Black-winged Pratincole.

AEWA Executive Secretary, Jacques Trouvilliez, welcomed the MOP’s adoption of a new Strategic Plan and a Plan of Action for Africa. He said this mandate will enable all countries to collaborate to “ensure a future for waterbirds across a flyway that stretches from the very tip of Africa, across the Middle East to the High Arctic.” Trouvilliez also underscored the Agreement’s work to make the flyway more resilient to climate change, noting that climate change is a key driver of species decline.

AEWA is an intergovernmental treaty focused on the conservation of migratory waterbirds that migrate along the African-Eurasian Flyway. The Agreement covers 254 species of birds that are ecologically dependent on wetlands for at least part of their annual cycle. [UNEP Press Release] [FAO Press Release] [MOP 7 Newsroom]


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