Amendment of Annexes 2 and 3 and Table 1 to the Agreement On The Conservation Of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds
Source: https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/trb-2009-47.html, downloaded 20121216
Recalling Article X of the Agreement concerning the procedures for amendments to the Agreement and its annexes,
Further recalling Resolution 2.1, which, inter alia, requested the Technical Committee to review further development of the Agreement by including additional species of wetland birds traditionally considered to be seabirds,
Noting Resolution 3.8, which, inter alia, requested the Technical Committee to further consider the potential role of the Agreement in the conservation of seabirds, taking into account the action being undertaken by other multilateral environmental agreements and international organizations,
Recognising the work of the Technical Committee over the past triennium to address these requests and Having reviewed the Technical Committee's conclusions (document AEWA/MOP Inf. 4.2),
Further recognising the work of the Technical Committee to review the Agreement's Action Plan and Table 1 in the light of the findings of the international reviews,
Taking into account the findings of the fourth edition of the Report on the Conservation Status of Migratory Waterbirds in the Agreement area (document AEWA/MOP 4.8); the Review on pertinent hunting and trade legislation relating to the species listed in Annex of the Agreement (document AEWA/MOP 4.9); and the Review on the progress in phasing out the use of lead shot for hunting in wetlands (document AEWA/MOP 4.7), and
Acknowledging the following proposals for amendments to the annexes to the Agreement:
a) Proposals for amendments to Annexes 2 (Waterbird species to which the Agreement applies) and 3 (Table 1) submitted by Mauritius, which concern the addition of 20 species of waterbirds traditionally considered as seabirds and the conservation status of their populations;
b) Proposals for amendments to Annex 3 (Table 1) submitted by Italy, which concern the conservation status and definition of several populations, associated conservation status revision derived from the most recent IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and revised definition of geographical terms used in range descriptions;
c) Proposals for amendments to paragraphs 2.1.2(d) and 7.5 of the Agreement's Action Plan (Annex 3) submitted by Croatia, which concern possession, utilization and trade in parts and derivatives of birds and eggs of Column B populations and the frequency of update of the international reviews;
d) Proposals for amendments to paragraph 4.1.4 and section 4.3 of the Agreement's Action Plan (Annex 3) submitted by Libya, which concern the deadline for phasing out the use of lead shot for hunting in wetlands and measures dealing with management of human activities,
and comments received from Contracting Parties concerning these proposals, all of which are presented in document AEWA/MOP 4.24.
The Meeting of the Parties:
1. Agrees to include additional 20 species in Annex 2 of the Agreement (AEWA Annex 2: Waterbird Species to which the Agreement Applies) as described in document AEWA/MOP 4.24 and Adopts the revised version of Annex 2 to the Agreement appended to the present Resolution as Appendix 1;
2. Adopts the revised version of Table 1 of the Action Plan appended to the present Resolution as Appendix 2, to replace the current Table 1 of the Action Plan;
3. Adopts the revised text of paragraph 2.1.2(d) of the AEWA Action Plan (AEWA Annex 3), which shall read as follows:
"Prohibit the possession or utilization of, and trade in, birds and eggs of the populations which have been taken in contravention of any prohibition laid down pursuant to the provisions of this paragraph, as well as the possession or utilization of, and trade in, any readily recognisable parts or derivatives of such birds and their eggs.";
4. Adopts the revised text of paragraph 4.1.4 of the AEWA Action Plan (AEWA Annex 3), which shall read as follows:
"Parties shall endeavour to phase out the use of lead shot for hunting in wetlands as soon as possible in accordance with self-imposed and published timetables.";
5. Adopts the addition of the following paragraphs to section 4.3 of the AEWA Action Plan (AEWA Annex 3):
"4.3.7. Parties are urged to take appropriate actions nationally or through the framework of Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) and relevant international organisations to minimise the impact of fisheries 1) on migratory waterbirds, and where possible cooperate within these forums, in order to decrease the mortality in areas within and beyond national jurisdiction; appropriate measures shall especially address incidental killing and bycatch in fishing gear including the use of gill nets, longlines and trawling.
4.3.8. Parties are also urged to take appropriate actions nationally or through the framework of Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) and relevant international organisations to minimise the impact of fisheries on migratory waterbirds resulting in particular from unsustainable fishing that causes depletion of food resources for migratory waterbirds.
4.3.9. Parties shall establish and effectively enforce adequate statutory pollution controls in accordance with international norms and legal agreements, particularly as related to oil spills, discharge and dumping of solid wastes, for the purpose of minimizing their impacts on the populations listed in Table 1.
4.3.10. Parties shall establish appropriate measures, ideally to eliminate or otherwise to mitigate the threat from non-native terrestrial predators to breeding migratory waterbirds on islands and islets. Measures should refer to contingency planning to prevent invasion, emergency responses to remove introduced predators, and restoration programmes for islands where predator populations are already established.
4.3.11. Parties are urged to establish appropriate measures to tackle threats to migratory waterbirds from aquaculture, including environmental assessment for developments that threaten wetlands of importance for waterbirds, especially when dealing with new or enlargement of existing installations, and involving issues such as pollution (e.g. from residues of pharmaceutical treatments used in aquaculture or eutrophication), habitat loss, entanglement risks, and introduction of non-native and potentially invasive species.";
6. Adopts the revised text of paragraph 7.5 of the AEWA Action Plan (AEWA Annex 3), which shall read as follows:
"The Agreement Secretariat shall endeavour to ensure that the reviews mentioned in paragraph 7.4 are updated at the following intervals:
(a) - every session of the Meeting of the Parties; (b) - every second session of the Meeting of the Parties; (c) - every second session of the Meeting of the Parties; (d) - every third session of the Meeting of the Parties; (e) - every second session of the Meeting of the Parties; (f) - every third session of the Meeting of the Parties; (g) - every second session of the Meeting of the Parties.";
7. Requests the Secretariat to monitor the implementation of the amendments; and
8. Requests the Technical Committee:
a) to review ornithological data on the Little Tern Sterna albifrons for a better delineation of the Mediterranean populations taking into account the relevant information concerning the Italian breeding population and to draft a consequent proposal for amendments to Table 1, as appropriate, to be presented to the 5th Session of the Meeting of the Parties;
b) to review the definitions of geographical terms used in range descriptions of populations in Table 1 and to draft a consequent proposal for amendments to Table 1, as appropriate, to be presented to the 5th Session of the Meeting of the Parties;
c) in the light of the development of terminology used by IUCN for Red Data Lists, to review, as a matter of priority, the applicability of the threat criteria, especially the Near Threatened IUCN Category, to the listing of populations in Table 1 and to present options for the amendment of Table 1 to be considered at the 5th Session of the Meeting of the Parties;
d) to review taxonomic classifications of birds and suggest the most appropriate classification for the purposes of the Agreement, including application to Annex 2, and to draft a consequent proposal for amendments to Annex 2 and Table 1, as appropriate, to be presented to the 5th Session of the Meeting of the Parties;
e) to draft a proposal for amendments to the AEWA Action Plan to deal with tackling the effects of aquatic invasive non-native species on watebird habitats to be presented to the 5th Session of the Meeting of the Parties.
[Text of revised Annexes and Tables are available via the Source website noted above.]
