aewa contributing to the sustainable use of migratory...

33rd IUGB Congress

23 August 2017, Montpellier, France

AEWA – Contributing to the sustainable

use of migratory waterbirds in the

African-Eurasian Flyway

Dr. Jacques TROUVILLIEZ

Executive Secretary

UNEP/AEWA Secretariat

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Presentation overview

• What is AEWA?

• Sustainable use under AEWA

• AEWA European Goose Management Platform

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What is AEWA?

• AEWA = African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement

• Concluded in 1995 – entered into force in 1999

• The foundation of AEWA lies in the flyway approach:

ensuring the conservation and sustainable use of

migratory waterbirds along the entire length of their

flyways through an international legal framework.

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The African-Eurasian Flyway

AEWA range covers 119 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa + Greenland and the NE tips of Canada

75 countries and the European Union have ratified AEWA so far

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AEWA species coverage

AEWA applies to migratory waterbirdsecologically dependent on wetlands for at least part of their annual cycle.

254 species from 28 families divided into 554 populations

The Agreement now covers virtually all migratory waterbirds within the AEWArange – regardless of their conservation status.

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The Treaty : three components

• Fundamental principles

• General conservation measures for all

species (provisions regarding legal

measures, sustainable use, habitat

management, alien species, research and

monitoring etc.)

• Legally-binding Action Plan, Table 1 of

which is revised every 3 years based on

the review of species/populations’

conservation status

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Article II - Fundamental principals

“1. Parties shall take co-ordinated measures to maintain

migratory waterbird species in a favourable

conservation status or to restore them to such a status.

[…]”

„2. In implementing the measures prescribed in

paragraph 1 above, Parties should take into account the

precautionary principle.“

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Structure of the Agreement

And is serviced by a small Secretariat located in Bonn, Germany

Meeting of the Parties (MOP) Governing body of AEWA

Standing Committee (StC)Steers operations between

sessions of the MOP

Technical Committee (TC)Provides scientific advice

The Agreement has three main governing bodies:

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AEWA strengths

• Defines conservation status on population level, which allows for

more targeted approach;

• Covers both threatened species/populations as well as those in

favourable conservation status;

• Covers the full life cycle of species populations (i.e. flyway

approach) and specifically provides for both their conservation

and sustainable use;

• Regional treaty with specialized scope – has allowed for progress

to be made on various challenging issues despite discrepancies

amongst range states;

• Provides the framework under which inclusive inter-governmental

processes for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory

waterbirds can be run, bringing together range states as well as

international and national stateholders.

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Hunting and sustainable use : a long

story 1

• Since 1902, regulations have increased

• But deal mainly with the species level

rather than the population level (no

management units)

• General regulations (hunting seasons,

prohibition of some mode of taking, trade)

• Some attempts to coordinate and

harmonize the regulations for migratory

species

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Hunting and sustainable use : a long

story 2

• For sedentary game (big game, small

game including galliformes) : adaptive

management has been a response to

various situations.

• Great success but agriculture

pressure…

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• Some issues :

– No flyway dimension for migratory species

(until AEWA)

– Lack of a harmonized system for the

collection of harvest data

– No coordination for setting quotas, if any

Hunting and sustainable

use : a long story 3

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Sustainable use under AEWA

Sustainable use : ensure that any use of

migratory waterbird is based on an

assessment of the best available

knowledge of their ecology and is

sustainable for the species as well as the

ecological system that support them

(AEWA Art. III 2. (b))

Providing for the sustainable use of migratory waterbirds along the entirety of their flyways is an AEWA-specific niche within the Agreement area

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• Target 2.5 : Adaptive harvest is

management of quarry species is

ensured at international level

• Indicator : International harvest

management plans for 2 quarry

populations are developed and

implemented

AEWA Strategic Plan 2009-2018

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AEWA Strategic Plan 2009-2018

• Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus),

Svalbard population: plan approved in May

2012, full implementation including adaptive

management since 2013. Objective : to

maintain the population within set target

levels

• Taiga Bean Goose (Anser f. fabalis ) plan

approved in November 2015,

implementation since 2017. Objective : to

restore the population

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European Goose Management Platform

Mandate MOP6 - 2015

• Resolution 6.4: “Requests the Secretariat to facilitate, funding permitting, the establishment of an European multispecies goose management platform and process to address sustainable use of goose populations and to provide for the resolution of human-goose conflicts, targeting as a matter of priority Barnacle and Greylag Geese populations for which management plans are yet to be developed as well as the Svalbard population of the Pink-footed Goose and the Taiga Bean Goose for which plans are already in place, and invites interested Parties, Range States and other stakeholders to take pro-active role in this initiative, including to ensure necessary resources for the maintenance and the functioning of the platform.”

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EGMP goal

Provide the mechanism for a structured, coordinated

and inclusive decision-making and implementation

process for the sustainable management of goose

populations in Europe, with the objective of maintaining

them in a favourable conservation status, while taking

into account concerns of relevant stakeholders and the

pertinent legislative frameworks and regulations.

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Barnacle Goose

populations(population size data from

AEWA CSR6, 2015)

80,700 ind38,100 ind

1,000,000 ind

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AEWA International Working Group(Range state reps, EU, stakeholders)

Management framework, Prioritisation, Recommendation, Knowledge exchange

Data centre and assesment

Country

A

Country

B

Country

C

Country

D

Country

E

Country

F

Country

G

data recommendationassessment

p1 p2 p3 p4

a

p4

b

p4

c

p5 p6Specific concerted actions

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EGMP

An annual iterative process

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EGMP

Coordination and data management

Coordination Unit (AEWA Secretariat)

> General coordinator

> Assistant

Data Unit (Aarhus University)

> Coordinator for goose monitoring - pops & harvest

> Population modeling expert (50%)

> Lead author of annual review (15%)

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European Goose Management Platform

Paris negotiation meeting (May 2016) – confirmation of

commitment and agreement on modalities (Paris Declaration)

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1st meeting of the AEWA EGM IWG

14-16 December 2016,

Kristianstad, Sweden

Inaugural meeting, off the regular

schedule

Administrative and procedural

matters: Modus operandi, election

of Chair, budget

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New Plans in development

• AEWA International Single Species

Management Plan for the Barnacle Goose;

• AEWA International Single Species

Management Plan for the Greylag Goose

(North-West/South-West European

population) Photo: Magnus Elander

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EGMP European-wide migratory

bird management and sustainable use

Photo: Sergey Dereliev

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