My appearance today stems directly from two events at the IUCN World Conservation Congress held last November in Bangkok. The first was a meeting of the IUCN Sustainable Use Specialist Group which I chaired, looking at the “Addis Ababa Principles and Guidelines for the Sustainable Use of Biodiversity”, a crucial document which I am sure Your President and Director General will join me in commending to all supporters of CIC. The second was a special presentation entitled ”Migratory Species: a passport to 2010” at which the CMS Secretariat, and several of our Partners, set out the challenges we face in conserving endangered migratory species and their habitats.

When I was Head of the Global Wildlife Division in the UK Government, I was responsible for our measures to conserve birds of prey through a policy which combined encouragement to captive breeders with regulation of trade, and strict protection of native birds of prey to enable them to recover from years of over-exploitation, and the damaging effects of pesticide use, especially DDT, in the 60s and 70s. One of the most satisfying experiences was actually being able to provide advice, which our Ministers accepted, that 3 British species (common buzzards, sparrowhawks and kestrels could actually be removed from the list of the most strictly protected species because they had recovered in the wild. This meant that my Division was able to save money on the unnecessary regulation of captive bred birds from those species (kept mainly for falconry); rely more on self-regulation by responsible falconers; and use the savings in public money to strengthen enforcement of wildlife law for the genuinely endangered species. This led in turn to the creation of the UK Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAW), which I jointly initiated with a senior Police Officer and which I am pleased to see has since gone from strength to strength and is seen as a model internationally.

Since coming to Bonn, Mr President, as the Chief Officer of the Convention on Migratory Species, I have been visiting some of the sites of outstanding interest in the area, both for the built and natural heritage. Two weeks ago, my wife and I visited a UNESCO World Heritage site called the Augustusburg which is basically a kind of small scale Palace of Versailles in the countryside south of Cologne, close to the Rhine.[ VIEW SLIDE ] Its creator was the Elector of Cologne who was the local ruler of the area in the first half of the 18th Century. Apart from building baroque palaces, the Elector’s main interest was hunting, and in particular falconry. [ VIEW SLIDE ] As you can see, he belongs to a long tradition of rulers favouring that king amongst birds of prey, the gyrfalcon. The main local prey species, rather interestingly, was the heron. [ VIEW SLIDE ] Here you see a tile – in classic blue Delft – from the hunting lodge at Augustusburg known as Falkenlust depicting one of the hawks in pursuit of a heron. The herons were attracted by the ancient fishing grounds on the nearby Rhine, and no doubt some “heron control” was regarded as beneficial for the fisheries. Yet another tile from the lodge [ VIEW SLIDE ] illustrates that the local aristocrats knew all about the links between hunting and conservation – and in particular the need to ensure a healthy supply of prey for the future. Sometimes we need to be humble and remember that the concept of sustainable use does actually predate the Rio Conference in 1992!

Moving fast forward from 18th to 21st Century falconry, I would like to engage your attention on a prey species which most certainly is not being sustainably used across its range – the Houbara Bustard. [ VIEW SLIDE ]

The African sub-species is already on Appendix I of the Convention which effectively prohibits any taking of the species until the populations recover. The Asian sub-species of Houbara is on Appendix II which signals the need for co-operation between the Range States in conservation management. Both populations are critically threatened by diverse factors among which hunting constitutes the real and present danger. Uncontrolled taking of birds and eggs by hunters and predation has now overtaken desertification and the destruction of habitat as the main negative impact on the species.

I would like to remind your Assembly that, in collaboration with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the CMS is elaborating an Agreement between Range States for the conservation of the Asian Houbara Bustard. The KSA took the lead after the Conference of the Parties to CMS had acknowledged the urgency of the problems. Unfortunately the process of negotiating an Agreement has been slow. CMS originally prepared an Action Plan for Houbara 14 years ago as a transboundary management tool. We know what needs to be done. All that is lacking is the whole-hearted commitment of the other 22 Range State Governments to join with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to give this effort the essential legal and political framework we need so that there will be an Asian houbara for future generations to use and enjoy. I would appeal to you all, out of both conservation interest and self-interest, to join forces in this cause. We hope that through the good officers of Professor Abuzinada that the Government of Saudi Arabia will shortly put a final draft of the Agreement before the Range States with an invitation to sign it within the next 6 months. CIC can play a major role in at last achieving this target for the houbara, which has been endorsed by many other bodies including the IUCN World Conservation Union.

As this General Assembly is taking place in Abu Dhabi, I would also ask the Host Government of the UAE in particular to consider how they can assist in this goal, in co-operation with the KSA. I also take this opportunity to invite the UAE and other Range States in the region to become a Party to CMS and AEWA alongside the KSA.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the final part of my talk is about a group of migratory species which are even more threatened than the houbara. I refer of course to the Saharan Antelopes and Gazelles. We are dealing with 6 species. [ VIEW SLIDE ] We are dealing with shattered population levels – one species, the Scimitar-horned Oryx is probably extinct in the wild, although thankfully there is a healthy group in captivity in Morocco and Tunisia which are available for reintroduction; another the Addax, is estimated to number less than 200 specimens, all in Niger or Chad; a third, the Dama Gazelle, is down to 300 individuals. The sum population total of the six species, which range across 14 states, is estimated to be no more than 3000-5000. The greater part of these populations are located in 50 sites of biological and ecological importance of which a few are Protected Areas.

CMS has spent several years assembling a consortium of governments, donors, and conservationists in a “Concerted Action Project” to halt the decline of the Saharan Antelopes. The Government of France is the largest funder, having already pledged $1,750,000, and there is also a significant engagement from Belgium through the Royal Belgium Institute for Natural Sciences (IRSNB) whose expert Roseline Beudels-Jamar de Bolsee works tirelessly on this issue for the Convention. We expect other stakeholders such as GEF, UNESCO, the World Bank, IUCN and the Sahara Conservation Fund to support specific subprojects in countries such as Tunisia, Niger, Mali and Morocco. In January 2005 we achieved a key milestone with the signature of the Tunisian Government to the MoU putting the sub project in place in that country. I would like to pay tribute to Tunisia today for setting the pace.

One of the most important immediate actions we need to take is to protect the “Termit Massif” in Niger, which is currently considered to be among the last habitats of wild Addax. The establishment of a protected area would help the implementation of the CMS Sahelo-Saharan Antelope Action Plan in the region. The creation of such an area as a Biosphere Reserve with UNESCO is the main goal of CMS together with the Range State, and would ensure the sustainable development of the “Toubou Community” and Sahelo-Saharan wildlife. These efforts cannot produce results however without widespread and committed international solidarity, e.g. from the Gulf Countries, International Conservation Foundations for Wildlife, the Zoo Community, which has conserved elements of Sahelo-Saharan biodiversity for several decades now, and of course the CIC.

However, the efforts of all these actions and the funds we have raised will be wasted if we do not deal with the problem which threatens to drive some or all of these species to extinction. The problem is poaching and unsustainable hunting in the African Range States. [ VIEW SLIDE ] Much of that poaching occurs as a direct consequence of hunting parties from the Western Asian region, who may have permission to catch other species, but whose members or supporters also kill the endangered antelope. The evidence for this is widespread and from many reputable and scientific sources. It cannot continue to be swept under the carpet. [ VIEW SLIDE ] There are many, many responsible conservationists within the governments of West Asia and I appeal to them on behalf of CMS, and of the antelopes, to assert themselves and ensure that international laws on protection status are respected. All hunting of these 6 species must be stopped and the populations given a chance to recover. I appeal also to all members of the General Assembly to send an urgent signal from your meeting on this threat to the survival of the Saharan antelopes. In fact, I would ask CIC to be a “champion” for these species. Otherwise, far from reversing the trend of biodiversity losses by 2010, as all the Governments of the world agreed at WSSD 3 years ago, we will be lamenting the loss of these irreplaceable animals within our lifetimes.

Mr President, I shall be working with the key scientists in IUCN, and with other stakeholders including the CIC, to place a report on these critically endangered species before the next Conference of the Parties to CMS in Nairobi, in November 2005. I hope by then, we will be able to report that the key authorities in Africa and West Asia have joined forces to halt the hunting of Saharan antelopes, in line with the declarations made by Governments at Djerba, Tunisia in 1998 and in Agadir, Morocco in 2003.

Thank you.