Waterbird monitoring issues at the AEWA MOP5
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The
5th Meeting of the Parties of the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement =
took
place between 14-18 May in la
Rochelle, France.
The meeting has adopted a number of resolutions in relation to waterbird
monitoring.
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Resolution 5.2 addresses gaps in knowledge and conservation actions
and its first six points identify tasks for the Contracting Parties and=
the
AEWA Technical Committee to increase the number of populations which st=
atus
assessment is based on monitoring.
Resolution 5.3 on the AEWA International Implementation Tasks
2012-2015 includes all the key elements of the waterbird monitoring
strategy identified in the forward plan of the Waterbird Monitoring
Partnership, i.e. regional coordination and support to January counts in
developing countries, special non-breeding counts for geese, swans, seaducks, tidal wetlands in Africa and Middle Eas=
t,
non-wetland waders, monitoring of colonial waterbirds and a pilot
demographic monitoring scheme. Furthermore, it identifies improving sur=
vey
and monitoring capacity as well as conducting gap filling surveys as
priorities.
Resolution 5.9 adopted the Plan of Action for Africa 2012-2017, wh=
ich
also includes waterbird monitoring and related capacity building
activities.
Resolution 22 urges Contracting Parties and invites non-Contracti=
ng
Parties, international organisations and ot=
her
stakeholders to consider making voluntary contributions to the collecti=
on
of data for the triennial Conservation Status Report. Furthermore, it i=
nvites
the AEWA Technical Committee to work with the Waterbird Monitoring
Partnership to make progress in relation to the waterbird monitoring
targets of the AEWA Strategic Plan and, if necessary, report back to MO=
P6.
The final text of =
these
resolutions will be soon available on the AEWA website: http=
://www.unep-aewa.org/meetings/en/mop/mop_overview.htm.
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New tool develo=
ped to
help national coordinators collecting data
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![](3D"AEWCNewsletterJuly2012_EN_files/image003.gif")
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As
part of the project on Strengthening the International Waterbird Ce=
nsus
in the Africa-Eurasian flyway supported by the MAVA Foundation and =
the
Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, Wetlands International has
embarked on developing two tools to improve data flow from observer=
s to
national coordinators and from national coordinators into the
international IWC database in order to improve the timeliness and
policy relevance of the waterbird status assessments. One element of
this will be the development of an on-line IWC database by SOVON, t=
he
Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology, to facilitate the collection of=
IWC
data for regional and international analyses. The other component is
the adaptation of existing on-line data collection tools to the nee=
ds
of the IWC in order to help national coordinators collect data from
their observers. The project now supports the adaptation of the
Observado.org system.
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An initial version is
already available for testing at: http:=
//iwc-nigeria.observado.org/area_lijst.php?werkgroep=3Dwerkgroep&type=
=3D0&partial_name=3D&iwclist=3D0&iwclist=3D1<=
/u>.
An instructional video can be found on YouTube (http:=
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DNreOC3qpdx0)
and a skeletal manual on the Waterbird Forum where also further det=
ails
about the technical developments can be found. National Coordinators
interested in the development of these new IT tools are invited to
register on the Waterbird Forum and participate in a focus group we
will consult during the development process.
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Upcoming Events
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11th Conference of the Contracting Parties to=
the
Ramsar Convention: Launch of Waterbird Population Estimates 5th
Edition <=
/o:p>
We are pleased to
announce the launch of the Waterbird Population Estimates interactive
online database (wpe.wetland=
s.org)
at the 11th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Par=
ties
to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP11) in July 2012 in Bucharest, Romania. This website inc=
ludes
the 5th edition of the Waterbird Population Estimates series,
consolidating the most up-to-date knowledge of waterbird population
estimates, trends and conservation status around the world. In total 2,=
304 biogeographical populations of 871 species of
waterbirds from 32 families are identified and assessed in this edition.
The website also includes all previous editions of the WPE series and t=
he
estimates and trends presented in the 4th and 5th
AEWA Conservation Status Review. We trust this website will prove a
valuable resource for the ongoing efforts for waterbird conservation in
this region. The project has been supported by the Ramsar
Convention on Wetlands and Environment & Environment Canada.=
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Monitoring West African coastal wetlands under the Wadden
Sea Flyway Initiative: workshop & training 19-21 June, Dakar, Senegal
The Wadden Sea Fly=
way
Initiative is expected to give a boost to waterbird monitoring in the so
called PRCM region of West Africa (t=
he
flyer is available in English and French here: http://www.waddensea-worldheritage.org/downl=
oads/683/wadden-sea-flyway-initiative-flyer).
It has joined forces with the Conserving Migratory Birds in West Africa
Project which includes Mauritania,
Cape Verde, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea
and Sierra Leone=
.
Some of the most important wetlands for long-distant migrant waders, ma=
ny
of which coming through the Wadden
Sea, can be fou=
nd in
this region. The Initiative supports the implementation and expansion of
the monitoring components of that project. In the meantime, it also
contributes to the implementation of the tidal wetland special counts of
the Waterbird Monitoring Strategy. There has been a monitoring strategy
development workshop on 19-21 June in Dakar
and it will be followed by training counts before implementing a
“full” census on West African coastal wetlands in January 2=
013.
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Waterbird monitoring at the Pan-African Ornithological
Congress =
The 13th Pan-African
Ornithological Congress will take place between 14-21 October
in Ar=
usha,
Tanzania.
The programme will include a symposium on Wetlands and waterbirds in a changing environment and two r=
ound
table discussions dealing with =
the
coordination of waterbird monit=
oring
in Africa and technical development of the International Waterbird Census.
Thanks to the generous support of the MAVA Foundation and the Swiss Fed=
eral
Office for the Environment, Wetlands International is able to support t=
he
participation of some national coordinators from Africa.
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=
<=
span
style=3D'font-size:18.0pt;color:#2BB54F'>
Important upcoming dates
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African Mid-Year Census Count Dates
The recommended date for the African Mid Year
Waterbird Census is the weekend of 14th – 15th<=
/sup>
July 2012. For the convenience of volunteer counters, the recommended
dates cover the traditional weekend nearest the middle of July. These
dates are for guidance only and counts from any date are very welcome=
.
Deadline for IWC data submission<=
/o:p>
The deadline for submitting data to be included in
this year’s Annual National Totals report is 15th
September. The report will be published in mid December. We are very
grateful to all the national coordinators that have already provided
their count information. Details of the data we have received since
January 2012 are listed in the monthly news updates on our website: <=
/span>http://www.wetlands.org/AfricanEurasianWater=
birdCensus/NewsOutputs/tabid/2790/Default.aspx
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Passing away of=
a
conservation leader, Professor Emmanuel Asuquo Obot
It is with great regret t=
hat we
inform you of the passing of Prof Emmanuel Asuqu=
o
Obot, a champion of conservation in his n=
ative Nigeria and a renowned expert throug=
hout Africa. Prof Obot’=
s
great passion was orchids but in his long and fruitful career he made
major and lasting contributions to many conservation initiatives, not
least in his role as the
Executive Director of Nigeria’s
premier and foremost conservation NGO, Nigerian Conservation Foundati=
on
(NCF). In this role, Prof Obot was active=
ly
involved in the IWC counts in Nigeria along with his
colleagues. Please visit the NCF website =
http://www.ncfnigeria.org=
/index.php?option=3Dcom_content&view=3Darticle&id=3D128:brief-citat=
ion-of-emmanuel-asuquo-obot&catid=3D12:news&Itemid=3D160 for a full tribute for Prof Obot.
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New national
coordinators for Cyprus and Nigeria
We are pleased to welcome Dr =
Alan
Tye from Birdlife =
Cyprus and Alade Adeleke from =
the Nigerian
Conservation Foundation (NCF) as national coordinators for their
countries. Dr Alan Tye takes over from Michael Miltiadou, who
for a number of years provided the waterbird counts for Cyprus. <=
/span>Alade Adeleke=
has been involved in the IWC in Nigeria for some years =
but
now formally assumes the position of national coordinator. Alade is supported by (amongst others) Mohammed=
Garba Boyi, who hel=
ps
coordinate counts in the field, and Dr. Shiiwua<=
/span>
Manu and Professor Augustine Ezealor who
provide expert guidance and assistance.
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A new publication for ornithology in North Africa=
Recently published and launch=
ed
on 10/05/2012 at the 5th session of the Meeting of Contracting Partie=
s to
AEWA, "The Atlas of wintering waterbirds in Libya ' fills a gap in our knowledge=
of
waterbirds in North Africa. This
bilingual (Arabic-English) publication of 312 pages describes 110 spe=
cies
of waterfowl observed in Libya
during the winters of 2005 to 2010, with distribution maps and graphs
that reflect the abundance and interannual
variation in species. Also included is a
detailed map of wetlands and their Libyan classification of their
international, national and regional importance. This Atlas, whose
publication was made possible through the assistance of the French
Conservatoire du Littoral, is the result of many years of effort from=
an
international team consisting of several organizations including the =
the Environment General Authority (EGA, Libya),=
the
Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (RAC / SPA), t=
he
Agreement on the Conservation of migratory Waterbirds waterbirds
(AEWA), ), the Institute for Environmental Protection and Research
(ISPRA, Italy), the National Office for Hunting and Wildlife (ONCFS,
France), the Association "Les Amis des Oise=
aux"
(AAO, BirdLife Partner, Tunisia) and many=
more
volunteers and experts.=
For more information contact:=
Hichem=
Azafzaf=
azaf=
zaf@gnet.tn
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3rd Pan-European Duck Symposium and
meeting of the Duck Specialist Group
In April 2012, 83 experts in =
duck
research and conservation from the Wetlands International/ IUCN-SSC D=
uck
Specialist Group, representing 21 countries, met in Jindřichův Hradec<=
/st1:City>,
Czech Republic<=
/st1:place>,
for the 3rd Pan- European Duck Symposium, a workshop on
European seaduck conservation and a meeting of the Nordic Waterbirds =
and
Climate Network. A statement outlining key conclusions by delegates w=
as
issued on 8 May 2012. The Jind=
richuv
Hradec statement=
was circulated to AEWA, ORNIS and Rams=
ar representatives, and highlig=
hts
the current key issues for duck conservation and management in Europe.
See the Duck Specialist group website for more information: http://www.wetlands.org/A=
boutus/Networkspartnersanddonors/Networkofspecialists/DuckSpecialistGroup/t=
abid/189/Default.aspx
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Outcomes of the 1st Workshop on Pelican Research and
Conservation in SE Europe
On May 1-2 =
2012,
16 experts in pelican research and conservation, coming from 9 countr=
ies
met in Pyli, Prespa National Park, Greece, for the 1st Workshop on Peli=
can
Research and Conservation in SE Europe.
The workshop goals were to assess the population status of pelicans in
this part of the world, identify the threats and suggest appropriate
conservation actions that effectively address the key threats to these
birds. The full statement and further information is available on the
Pelican Specialist Group website: =
http://www.wetlands.org/A=
boutus/Networkspartnersanddonors/Networkofspecialists/PelicanSpecialistGrou=
p/tabid/194/Default.aspx.
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14th Meeting of the Goose Specialist Group<=
o:p>
In March 2012,
the 14th meeting of the Goose Specialist Group was ho=
sted
by the University College in Nord-Tr&o=
slash;ndelag
(HiNT) at the Faculty of Agriculture and
Information Technology in Steinkjer, Norway.
Experts from 19 countries participated in the event. More information=
is
available on the website of the Goose Specialist Group:
http://www.geese.org/gsg/
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