Coordination Meeting on Bird Netting in Egypt and Libya

Bonn, 2 December 2013 - A one day coordination meeting focusing on the issue of bird netting in Egypt and Libya took place at the UN Campus in Bonn, Germany on 29 November 2013.

It brought together participants from both government and non-governmental sectors from Egypt, Libya and Germany as well as from BirdLife International and the Chairs of the scientific bodies and relevant working groups of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA).

The aim of the meeting was to take stock of the latest available information on the issue of bird netting in both countries and to agree on a Plan of Action on bird trapping for the Mediterranean coast of Egypt and Libya.

The widespread hunting and trapping of migratory birds in both countries, especially through the use of mist nets along vast stretches of the Mediterranean coast, has repeatedly been raised by leading conservation organizations and the media as an issue of international concern affecting millions of migratory birds which cross the Mediterranean Sea from Europe to Africa.

The coordination meeting was organized by the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat and made possible through funding from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).

Further information and a summary of the meeting outcomes as well as selected video interviews with meeting participants will be made available on the AEWA website on 3 December 2013.