Criewen, 28 June - Nations from across Europe and Africa have come together this week in the Lower Oder Valley National Park near Berlin in Germany, under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), to discuss the future of mainland Europe’s rarest songbird, the Aquatic Warbler. Representatives from 13 Range States - where the bird either nests, migrates through or winters - discussed the bird’s future at the First Meeting of Signatory States to the Memorandum of Understanding concerning Conservation Measures for the Aquatic Warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola). The meeting was convened by CMS and hosted by the German State of Brandenburg and its Office for Environment. Financial support for the meeting had been provided by Brandenburg, the Flemish Community and CMS.

The current world breeding population of the Aquatic Warbler has plummeted, since the beginning of the last century, by 95 per cent to only 16,000 males in just seven countries. In the mid 1990s, it was believed the Aquatic Warbler could face extinction within the next decade. Therefore the European Union regards the Aquatic Warbler as highest priority species for its LIFE NATURE programme.

The Aquatic Warbler nests in the fen mires and wet meadows of eastern central Europe and migrates more than 5000 kilometres to West Africa for the winter. The exact location of its wintering grounds is unknown, but evidence points to Senegal and Mauritania, along the Senegal River, and perhaps Mali. Robert Hepworth, CMS Executive Secretary, said: “The Aquatic Warbler is the only songbird of mainland Europe which is facing global extinction. Bringing together scientists and government decision-makers from the species’ European and African Range States, and coordinating their work through the Memorandum of Understanding and its Action Plan, is essential to ensure its survival and the survival of the specialised wetland habitats upon which the bird depends.”

Faced with the bird’s imminent extinction, CMS partner BirdLife International championed this species’ cause since the mid-90s, when BirdLife expeditions to under-explored parts of Belarus discovered the three key breeding sites for the species, which together hold 60 per cent of the world population.

John O’Sullivan, CMS appointed councillor for birds and BirdLife International’s International Treaties Advisor, explained: “Alarmingly, all three sites were acutely threatened with deterioration and destruction. But a project to restore these sites, with funding from the United Kingdom government and the German Michael Otto Foundation, has now saved these sites and ensures good breeding success for this vulnerable bird.”

Delegates to the MoU meeting agreed that the main success of the joint efforts of governments, BirdLife International and CMS over the past years has been the stabilization of the species’ core breeding population in its largest breeding sites, while the loss of smaller breeding sites and especially the critical decline of the species’ distinct population in Pomerania along the German-Polish border is highly alarming.

Work now needs to intensify in key countries of West Africa, like Senegal, to find the elusive wintering sites of the species, as this would be critical for the effective protection of the Aquatic Warbler throughout its range. More efforts are also needed to identify key North African stopover sites along the Aquatic Warbler’s migratory route. In countries such as Morocco, researchers believe that these wetland areas could become important bottleneck sites for the Aquatic Warbler: If the wetlands are lost the bird may not be able to reach West Africa for the winter.

The MoU meeting was preceded by a one day Aquatic Warbler Scientific Symposium convened by the BirdLife International Aquatic Warbler Conservation Team. Researchers shared information on the latest developments in the field and refined a list of recommended priority project activities which was passed for endorsement to the governmental representatives attending the MoU meeting.

In addition to endorsing the priority projects list, and a new national reporting template, the MoU meeting endorsed a proposal for a BirdLife/CMS International Aquatic Warbler Conservation Officer (AWCO) to support the MoU's coordination. The AWCO would support conservation work across the range, assist Range States in securing funds for urgent conservation activities and provide technical advice to the CMS Secretariat. Funds are now urgently needed to establish the MoU coordinator's position and maintain its stability for several years. The first AWCO will be Mr. Viktar Fenchuk of Belarus.

Lyle Glowka, CMS Agreements Officer, concluded: “Through the Memorandum of Understanding we have for the first time brought governments, organisations such as BirdLife International, and scientists together to save the Aquatic Warbler and its unique habitats. The basis has now been established for this bird to have a bright future in Europe and Africa.”

Links:
Memorandum of Understanding concerning Conservation Measures for the Aquatic Warbler
BirdLife International Aquatic Warbler Conservation Team
Lower Oder Valley National Park

Map of the Aquatic Warbler breeding population by Martin Flade

Aquatic Warbler Meeting Poster

For more information please contact:

Mr. Lyle Glowka
Agreements Officer
Convention on Migratory Species
UNEP/CMS Secretariat
Hermann-Ehlers-Str. 10
53113 Bonn, Germany
Tel. +49-(0)228-815 2422
Fax +49-(0)228-815 2449
secretariat @cms.int