Albatrosses have the highest proportion of threatened species of any bird family, making them the most imperilled of all the world's seabirds. Scientists fear that up to 26 species of albatross and petrel may soon become extinct unless firm steps are taken to reverse the destructive effects of uncontrolled and partly illegal long-line fishing, pollution, habitat degradation, human disturbance of breeding sites, and introduced diseases and predators.

Negotiations were successfully concluded on 2 February on the text of a new international treaty the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), concluded under the auspices of the Bonn Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). The Agreement was finalised following a week-long meeting at the University of Cape Town hosted by the South African Government and sponsored by the governments of Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. It was attended by representatives from governments of twelve albatross and petrel range states, the NGO community, IGOs and fisheries interests.

Dr Colin Galbraith, the Chairman of the CMS Scientific Council co-ordinated the drafting of the Action Plan. Dr.Galbraith chaired the working group which finalised the text of the Action Plan on the first two days of the meeting. The CMS Secretariat has worked closely with the Australian and South African governments regarding the negotiations and the meetings.

Negotiations over this Agreement have been completed in record speed. The species were listed on the CMS Appendices in April 1997. The project to conclude an Agreement was developed in 1998. There then followed two Resolutions highlighting the need to better conserve albatrosses and petrels as well as reducing by-catches passed at the CMS COP in Cape Town in November 1999 and the initial negotiations in Hobart, Australia in July 2000. It is hoped that the final scrutiny of the text will be completed soon, enabling Range States to sign the Agreement.

CMS would like to express its thanks to Minister Valli Moosa whose Department hosted the meeting and to Environment Australia who took the role lead country and brought the negotiations to a successful conclusion so quickly.