In Focus: AEWA Conservation Guidelines No. 2 – Guidelines on Identifying and Tackling Emergency Situations for Migratory Waterbirds

Bonn, 19 February 2015 - In paragraph 2(f) under Article III of the Agreement text, special attention is given to emergency situations and the required international concerted action by Parties for migratory waterbird species.

An emergency situation for migratory waterbirds is defined as “(…) a situation where a sudden, unusual change takes place (or is likely to take place) in the occurrence or mortality rate of waterbirds, or in the extent or condition of the habitats on which they depend”.

Conservation Guideline No. 2 is a manual to assist individual Parties in identifying species of migratory waterbirds, which are the most vulnerable to these situations and to help them to cooperate in developing appropriate emergency procedures to provide increased protection to these species in such situations. Although it is the effect on populations that really matters, it is important to be able to recognise the conditions as soon as they occur, because by the time population changes are apparent, it is often too late to take effective action.

This guideline provides seven steps, which each country should follow to identify and tackle emergency situations affecting migratory waterbirds. For example, these steps include the identification of leading agencies, and the division of tasks both nationally and internationally, the production of a list of possible emergency situations involving migratory waterbirds or the ranking of waterbird sites according to their susceptibility to emergency situations.

So far, a series of twelve different Conservation Guidelines have been developed to assist Parties in the implementation of the AEWA Action Plan. These guidelines deal with, inter alia, the following: Species and Habitat Conservation, Management of Human Activities and others.

For more information please visit: http://www.unep-aewa.org/en/publications/technical-publications