Boere& Lenten:The African-EurasianWaterbird Agreement: a technicalagreement under the BonnConvention The African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement: a technical agreementunder the Bonn Convention G.C. Boere & B. Lenten Boere,G.C. & Lenten,B. 1998.The African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement: a technicalagreement under the Bonn Conventionv International Wader Studies 10: 45-50. The historyof the developmentof theAfrican-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement of the Bonn Convention(Convention on the conservationof migratoryspecies) is outlined.The Dutch Governmentcommenced drafting the Agreement in 1988and the textwas concluded at a final negotiationmeeting at TheHague in June1996. The Agreement is now openfor signatureand it is expectedthat the firstConference of the ContractingParties will occurin 1999in SouthAfrica. The paperoutlines the principleobligations assumed by signatoriesto theAgreement and the legal implicationsof these.Various related activities are already underwa)5 such as the developmentof a numberof singlespecies international action or recoveryplans. G.C.Boere & B. Lenten,AEWA Interim Secretariat, c/o Departmentof Nature Management, P.O. Box 20401,2500 EK TheHague, The Netherlands. dependenton the specificsites they find, not only at Introduction and Perspective the end of theirjourney, but alsoalong the way. Throughouthistory, animal migration has been a Increasingly,these sites are threatenedby man-made universalphenomenon. Many animalsmigrate in disturbancesand habitatdegradation. Migratory responseto biologicalrequirements, such as the animalsmay alsofall victim to adversenatural needto find suitablelocations for breedingand phenomenasuch as unfavourable climatic raisingtheir young,and to be in favourableareas conditions.All theseinfluences are aggravatedby for feeding. In somecases, these specific the factthat, in legalterms, it haslong been held that requirementsare fulfilledin locationsthat are migratoryspecies are not the soleresponsibility of separatedby distancesof thousandof kilometres. any onecountry that couldbe held responsiblefor any harm occurringto theseanimals. During their migrationthese animals cross political boundaries between nations: boundaries that have In 1972 the United Nations Conference on the no inherentmeaning for animals,but which have a Human Environmentrecognized the need for dramaticinfluence on their annuallife-cycles and countriesto co-operatein the conservationof their individual survivalchances due to the great animalsthat migrateacross national boundaries or differences that exist between countries in betweenareas of nationaljurisdiction and the high conservationpolicy. Migratory speciesare seas. This recommendation resulted in the 45 International Wader Studies 10: 45-50 Conventionon the Conservationof Migratory Table1. Shorthistorical overview of treatiesinvolving Speciesof Wild Animals,commonly referred to as migratorybirds in Africa-Eurasia. the BonnConvention (after the Germancity where it was concluded in 1979), which came into force in 1902 - Convention for the Protectionof Birds 1983. usefulto agriculture(referred to as theParis Convention- this Convention did not mention The aim of the Conventionis to provide migratorybirds specifically). conservationmeasures for migratoryterrestrial, 19150- Convention for the Pro•ection of Birds, marineand avianspecies over the wholeof their substitutingthe 1902Convention of Paris; range. Thisis very important,because failure to 1970 - BeneluxConvention on Huntingand conservethese species at any particularstage of Protection of Birds; their life cyclecould adversely affect any 1979 - The Directive of the Council of the conservation efforts elsewhere. The fundamental EuropeanEconomic Community on the principlesof the BonnConvention, therefore, are: Conservation of WiId Birds• 1979 - Convention onthe ConservatiOnOf that the Parties of the Bonn Convention MigratorySpecies of Wild Animals(Bonn acknowledgethe importanceof migratory Convention) speciesbeing conserved; ............. that RangeStates of particularspecies After the first Conference of Parties of the Bonn agreeto takeaction to thisend whenever Conventionit was decidedto preparean Agreement possibleand appropriate,paying special for the Western Palearctic Anatidae. In 1988 the attentionto migratoryspecies of which DutchGovernment began developing a draft the conservation status is unfavourable; WesternPalearctic Waterfowl Agreement as part of and its WesternPalearctic Flyway conservation programme.In 1991a draft, includingan Action that RangeStates take individually,or in Plan for ducks,swans and geeseand a general co-operation,appropriate and necessary ManagementPlan for all waterfowl,was sentto the stepsto conservesuch species and their EuropeanCommission which offeredto sponsorthe habitat. Agreement.However little progresscould be made within the EuropeanCommission. Partiesacknowledge the needto take actionto avoid any migratoryspecies becoming endangered. In In early 1993the BonnConvention secretariat, in particular,the Partiesto the Convention: closeco-operation with the DutchGovernment, againtook the initiative. The textof theAgreement shallendeavour to provideimmediate and relateddocuments was updated,a stronger protectionfor migratoryspecies included Africancomponent was incorparatedand the name in AppendixI; was changedinto the African-EurasianWaterbird Agreement(AEWA). shallendeavour to concludeAgreements coveringthe conservationand The first consultativemeeting of RangeStates of the managementof migratoryspecies AEWA was held in Nairobi in June 1994. The includedin AppendixII. meetingstrongly supported the completionof AEWA, and agreedthat consensuscould be The primarytools for the implementationof the achieved on almost all matters of substance. In June main aim of the Bonn Convention are called 1995the final negotiationmeeting was held in The Agreements.They aremore specific than the Hague. At this meeting64 RangeStates and the Conventionitself, involve more deliberatelythe EuropeanUnion were represented.Several inter- RangeStates of the speciesto be conservedand are governmentaland non-governmentalorganizations easierto put into practicethan the wholeBonn attendedthe negotiationmeeting as observers.The Convention. meetingadopted the Agreement by consensus,and accepted,with appreciation,the offerof the A brief historical review Governmentof the Kingdomof the Netherlandsto actas Depositary and to provide,at its own expense TheAfrican-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement under until 1 January1999, an Interim Secretariatand to the BonnConvention is not the first nor the only hostthe first sessionof the Meetingof the Parties. internationalagreement aimed at the conservation of migratorybirds. A reviewof historicaland The Dutch Government,Ministry of Agriculture, existinginstruments has been published by Lyster Nature Managementand Fisheriesestablished the (1985). Interim Secretariaton 1 January1996. Besides the above mentioned Conventions, a The procedurefor signingand ratifyingthe numberof bilateralconventions for example Agreementhas been delayed because of problems betweenJapan and U.S.A.,the formerUSSR, Japan with the Russian and Arabic translation of the and Australia, etc. were concluded. Agreementtext. In March 1996these problems 46 Boere& Lenten: The African-EurasianWaterbird Agreement: a technicalagreement under the BonnConvention Algeria Greece Romania Andorra Guinea Russian Federation Angola Guinea -Bissau Rwanda Armenia Hungary Sao Tome and Principe.. •Austria Iceland SaniMago Azerbaijan Iran Saudi Arabia Bahrain Iraq Senegal Belarus Ireland Seychelles Belgium Israel Sierra Leone 'Benin Italy Slovakia '•Bosnia'Herzegovina Jordan Slovenia Botswana Kazakhstan Somalia Bulgaria Kenya South Africa Burkina Faso Kuwait Spain Burundi, Latvia :Sudan 'Cameroon •banon Swaziland Canada Lesotho Sweden Cape Verde Liberia Switzerland CentralAfrican Republic LibyanArab.Jamahiriya Syrian Arab Republic .Chad Liechtenstein :Theformer Yugoslav Republic ComO'it0s Littm•a. of:Maced0•a Congo Luxembourg Tanzania C6te d•Ivore Madagascar Tunisia 'Croatia Malawi Turkey :'Cyprus Mali:: Turkmenistan :i-C.zech.Republic Malta Uganda Denmark Mauritani a •ine Djibouti Mauritius United Arab Emirates Egypt Monaco United Kingdom of Great EquatorialGUinea Morocco Britain and Northern Ireland Mozambique Uzbekistan Eritrea Namibia Yemen Estoni• Netherlands Yugoslavi• Ethiopia Niger Zaire Finland Nigeria Zambia France Norway z'rmbabwe Gabon. Oman EuropeanCommission 'Gambia poland Georgia PortUgal Germany Qatar .Ghana Republic of:Moldavia Table 2. List of RangeStates. were solved,including some minor linguistic ß Firstlythe Agreementtext, which problemswith the Englishand Frenchversions. describesthe philosophy,legal frameworkand provisions; TheAgreement has been open for signatureat the Ministry of ForeignAffairs of the Netherlandsfrom Secondlyan Action Plan, which describes 15 August 1996. the conservation actions that are to be taken.The Action Plan is at present The Netherlands, Guinea, Switzerland, Sudan, restrictedto geese,swans, ducks, Jordanand EquatorialGuinea have signedwithout spoonbills,ibises and storks. the needfor furtherratification. German• Ireland, UnitedKingdom, Mali, Luxembourg, Morocco, TheAfrican-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement is the Togo,Spain, Greece, and the EuropeanCommunity firstregional Agreement of a vastarea of 60 million haveall signedwith reservationswith respectto squarekilometres. It coversthe entirecontinent of ratification.a further30 or socountries are currently Africa and Europe,as