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
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
Presentation overview
• What is AEWA?
• Sustainable use under AEWA
• AEWA European Goose Management Platform
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
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.
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
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
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
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.
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
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
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
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.“
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
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:
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
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.
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
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
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
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…
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
• 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
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
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
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
• 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
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
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
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
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.”
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
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.
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
Barnacle Goose
populations(population size data from
AEWA CSR6, 2015)
80,700 ind38,100 ind
1,000,000 ind
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
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
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
EGMP
An annual iterative process
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
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%)
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
European Goose Management Platform
Paris negotiation meeting (May 2016) – confirmation of
commitment and agreement on modalities (Paris Declaration)
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
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
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
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
33rd IUGB Congress
23 August 2017, Montpellier, France
EGMP European-wide migratory
bird management and sustainable use
Photo: Sergey Dereliev
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