CMS Bulletin No. 5: June 1996IntroductionThis is the first bulletin which the Secretariat has produced since the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP). The Secretariat intends to produce such bulletins on a more regular basis, giving information on general subjects and exploring particular themes, once a permanent Information Officer has been appointed. In the meantime, readers may be interested in some of the activities and progress which have taken place since the last CMS COP held in Nairobi in June 1994. This bulletin will concentrate on the intersessional activities of the Secretariat and an update on the Agreements and other international accords which have been reached, or are being negotiated, under the auspices of CMS.
For further information, readers are invited to contact the UNEP/CMS Secretariat: United Nations Premises in Bonn, Martin-Luther-King-Str. 8, D-53175 Bonn, Germany; Tel: (+49 228) 815 2401/2; Fax: (+49 228) 815 2449; E-mail: cms@unep.de Secretariat newsThere have been a number of changes in the Secretariat's staff since the last Bulletin, the most recent addition being the appointment in March 1996 of Mr. Pablo Canevari (Argentina) to the post of Technical Officer. Mr. Canevari, an ornithologist by training, is formerly president of Wetlands for the Americas, a non-governmental organization. His work will extend the activities of CMS in Latin America, some of which are described later in this Bulletin. Mr Eric Blencowe, the new Secretary of the European Bat Agreement - a half-time post - has joined the CMS Secretariat on secondment from the United Kingdom Department of the Environment. He will be dealing with special projects and assisting the Co-ordinator and the Deputy Co-ordinator in their activities. The Secretariat's support personnel has also changed over the past year. The Secretariat staff, which still has not reached its full complement, now comprises:
Two core posts have yet to be filled: that of Programme (Information) Officer, for which a second vacancy announcement was recently issued, and one more secretarial post. CMS MembershipThe Secretariat and members of the Standing Committee have continued to promote the Convention in all regions of the world as vigorously as possible. The following countries have become Parties to the Convention in the last year, bring the total to 49: Switzerland (1 July 1995), Guinea-Bissau (1 September 1996), Togo (1 February 1996) and Poland (1 May 1996). Liechtenstein has confirmed that it will join soon. This will mean that, potentially, fifty Parties will be able to attend the next meeting of Conference of the Parties, details of which are given elsewhere in this Bulletin. Of course there could be even more than this if the recruitment efforts of the Secretariat in the run-up to the next COP meeting bear fruit. To assist the Secretariat in these activities, the World Conservation Monitoring Centre has undertaken to prepare profiles of key non-Party states, which will be used to improve the targeting of approaches made to these countries to join the Convention. Attendance by the Secretariat at related international conferences, such as the "Environment for Europe" conference in Sofia in 1995, has increased the profile of CMS particularly within the Central and East European region. There has been some positive response from some of these countries in the meantime. Activities related to the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Siberian crane, and the development of an Agreement on cetaceans in the Mediterranean and Black Seas (ACCOBAMS) are expected to yield more results in this region. The Secretariat invested considerable energy in ensuring the conclusion of the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) in June 1995, since which time two African countries have acceded to the Convention. Consultations on the development of a conservation strategy for marine turtles in the Western Indian Ocean region may lead to more interest in the Convention coming from this region of the world. Some progress was achieved through a cetacean workshop held in the Philippines in June 1995, organised by the CMS Scientific Council expert on cetaceans, Dr. William Perrin. About a dozen southeast Asian countries were represented, and for many of the specialists attending this was a first introduction to CMS. The workshop led to the development of a research project, which is currently under way, to study the distribution and abundance of cetaceans in Philippine and Malaysian waters. Other avenues to increase contacts with officials from Asian and Oceanian countries need to be explored. Progress in obtaining support in North America remains slow, but activities in the neotropical region are expected to increase considerably now that a native Spanish-speaking officer has been appointed to the Secretariat. A CMS-financed project administered by CONAF (the Chilean governmental office responsible for the management of natural resources), in co-operation with the South American office of Wetlands International and other local NGOs, will start soon. The project is aimed at identifying key breeding and wintering sites of the Ruddy-headed goose - a species included in Appendix I of CMS - and to propose ways to afford them protection. It is hoped that an MoU, under the auspices of CMS, will be signed between the two countries that share the migratory population of the species. In addition, a meeting is being organised in late 1996 in Montevideo, Uruguay, which will serve to establish priority activities for the southern cone of South America. The meeting will identify the main problems which migratory animals in the region face and define priorities for conservation action. Proposals aimed at solving these problems will be developed. Researchers, policy-makers and land-managers will be invited, as well as national and international NGOs and funding agencies. The meeting will provide a boost for the conservation of migratory species in the region. A range of further initiatives is in the early planning stages, and an update will appear in the next edition of the Bulletin. Agreement UpdateSmall Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (ASCOBANS) The Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (ASCOBANS) entered into force on 29 March 1994 as the third regional agreement under the Convention. The first session of the Meeting of the Parties was held in Stockholm, Sweden, from 26-28 September 1994. The Advisory Committee established under the agreement met twice, in 1995, to facilitate implementation by the Parties of the ambitious work plan agreed by the Meeting of the Parties. The agreement has at present a membership of seven Parties, with the accession of Poland on 18 January 1996. A number of CMS Parties have yet to join the
agreement: France and the European Union, whose
representatives informed the Meeting of the Parties that
they would ratify and accede, respectively, in 1995; and
Finland, whose accession might serve to encourage other
Baltic States to join. The observation of an
ever-dwindling number of harbour porpoises in their
waters bears witness to the relevance and importance of
these countries to the agreement. c/o Sea Mammal Research Unit High Cross Cambridge CB3 0ET United Kingdom Tel/Fax: (+44 1223) 30 12 82 E-mail: ascobans@smru.ac.uk PROGRESS REPORT ON THE AGREEMENT ON CONSERVATION OF SMALL CETACEANS OF THE BALTIC AND NORTH SEAS, MAY 1995 - JULY 1996 prepared by Sara L. Heimlich-Boran Secretariat, ASCOBANS Progress on implementation and accession to ASCOBANS has been made during the past year. Poland submitted its instrument of accession on 18 January 1996, raising the current number of Parties to the Agreement to seven; joining Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. France submitted the text of the Agreement to further review and, although requiring further modification, has given notice of intention to accede to the Agreement before the end of 1996. The EC Commission has not yet initiated the EU's accession to ASCOBANS, but has promised to combine the EU's accession to ASCOBANS with the ratification of the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS) as soon as the latter Agreement has been adopted. The Range States of Estonia, Finland, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Russia, have not yet signed, but remain receptive. Norway has cooperated actively with ASCOBANS scientific endeavours and has participated in Advisory Committee meetings with intention to continue, independently of its signatory status in the Agreement. Finland provided a thorough report to the Secretariat of small cetacean distribution in its coastal waters. Ireland has postponed negotiation about joining ASCOBANS while further consideration is given to the extension of the area of Agreement to include Irish waters. The development of a mechanism for Ireland's acceding to the Agreement has not progressed. These topics await discussion at the next Meeting of Parties (scheduled for late 1997), when a Resolution and/or draft amendment to the text of the Agreement can be addressed. The interface between ASCOBANS and the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS) is emerging as an important issue, especially as the latter has potential impact on extension of the current ASCOBANS area. This item will be presented at the next Meeting of Parties for ASCOBANS. Assessment of Small cetacean abundance in the ASCOBANS area was continued in several surveys designed to complement the SCANS project of 1994. Sweden co-ordinated a Baltic aerial survey in the summer of 1995, which was closely followed by a similar survey conducted by Germany in October of 1995. Results will be available soon from both efforts and future collaborations between Poland and Sweden are intended. Surveys in waters adjacent to the ASCOBANS area were endorsed, as the results will provide information about the occurrence of Small cetaceans which undoubtedly cross between the current area of Agreement into contiguous waters: a ship-based study co-ordinated by the Netherlands covered waters from the Bay of Biscay north to Ireland and NASS which extended from Orkney and Shetlands, to the Barents Sea and operated under the umbrella of NAMMCO (the results of which have been submitted to the 1996 meeting of the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee). A major two-year programme of research, BY-CARE, part-funded by the European Commission DG XI to approximately ECU 800,000, addressing by-catches and fisheries interaction, will commence in December 1996, and is directly relevant to ASCOBANS. The participating nations are the UK (Sea Mammal Research Unit and Warwick University), Denmark (Danish Institute for Fisheries Research), Sweden (University of Stockholm) and Ireland (University of Cork). Among the target fisheries are the bottom-set gill nets in the North Sea and the surface drift nets for tuna off southwest Ireland and the salmon fisheries off Sweden. The major objectives of the project include independent observer schemes and investigation into fishery practice and gear modification. The Advisory Committee held its second meeting in Cambridge, 29 November - 01 December 1995. All Parties attended as did the Range States of Norway and Poland. The full report is available from the Secretariat. Considerable progress was made in defining the scientific and executive capacities of the Committee, and defining priority topics. Review of Action Plan topics has been on-going, including: reduction of pollution; reduction of direct interactions with fisheries, i.e. the bycatch of small cetaceans and specifically the harbour porpoise; reduction of indirect interactions with fisheries; reduction of disturbance, including seismic testing, military activities, and whale-watching; reduction of indirect disturbance through protected area designation; and studies on monitoring, status and population. Bycatch in fishing nets, considered to be the greatest threat facing small cetaceans in the ASCOBANS area, and the reduction of disturbance to cetaceans from human activities have been established as priority topics; and an Intercessional Working Group on the Effects of Pollutants was established. A major review of present bycatch observer schemes was commissioned from the UK, with a view to establishing a standard approach for assessing bycatch. This report has been highly effect in establishing an agreed standard for bycatch assessment schemes in the ASCOBANS area. The methods advocated in the commissioned review have since been adopted by an EC-funded project examining bycatch of porpoises in bottom-set gill-net fisheries and of dolphins in drift nets. The usefulness of net-marker and deterrents in reducing cetacean by-catch has also received review. Three sources of human disturbance have been under consideration: seismic surveys, whale-watching operations and recreation. Guidelines introduced by the JNCC of the UK, designed to minimise the worst forms of disturbance, are under review with the intention to adoption of these practices as a standard within the ASCOBANS area. While seismic guidelines can be imposed with licences, the other two types of guidelines need to be introduced by persuasion. National legislation addressing human disturbance is currently being collated, from Parties and non-Party Range States, with a view to establishing standards within the ASCOBANS area. Education and public information resources are being investigated by Parties and non-Party Range states, with a view towards establishing implementation of guidelines through an education programme. National reports on internal activities relevant to ASCOBANS have been prepared by the majority of Parties to the Agreement. They are currently being collated into a summary review, which should be available by August 1996. The Secretariat administration will remain under the auspices of the Sea Mammal Research Unit until the end of 1997 and will continue to operate from offices based at the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, although the Unit is relocating to St. Andrew's University in Scotland. The Secretariat no longer employs a part-time Secretary and part-time support staff member, but has consolidated these positions and currently employs one full-time Secretary. The ASCOBANS agenda of meetings includes the third Advisory Committee meeting from 13-15 November, 1996 in Copenhagen, and the second Meeting of Parties, in late 1997, provisionally hosted by Germany in Bonn. Sara L. Heimlich-BoranASCOBANS Secretariat c/o Sea Mammal Research Unit High Cross Cambridge CB3 0ET United Kingdom Tel/Fax: (+44 1223) 30 12 82 E-mail: ascobans@smru.ac.uk Mediterranean and Black Sea Cetaceans A negotiation meeting on a draft Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Mediterranean and Black Seas was held in Monaco from 26-30 September 1995. The following States were represented: Cyprus, Croatia, Egypt, France, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Monaco, Morocco, Portugal, Russian Federation, Spain, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Turkey, and Ukraine. Delegations from Bulgaria, Lebanon, and the Commission of the European Communities participated in the meeting as observers. Fifteen intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations also sent observers. The meeting made considerable progress towards the conclusion of the text of the Agreement, which includes a detailed Conservation Plan. It was agreed that the taxonomic coverage of the Agreement should extend also to large cetaceans frequenting the Mediterranean and Black Seas (including the fin whale and sperm whale) since their conservation requirements are similar. Questions still remain about the precise definition of the Agreement area, particularly with regard to the status of internal waters and the proposed extension of the Agreement to contiguous waters in the Atlantic Ocean. In addition to being open to membership by all of the coastal Range States, the Agreement should provide for accession by other States who have shipping interests in the Agreement area which may affect the conservation of cetaceans. The issue of voting rights for those States requires further discussion. The obligation to prohibit and take all necessary measures to eliminate the deliberate taking of cetaceans, as well as the need to co-operate to create and maintain a network of specially protected areas, is highlighted in the main text of the Agreement. A Conservation Plan, also intended to be of a legally-binding character, includes more detailed provisions which address the adoption and enforcement of legislation; assessment and management of human-cetacean interactions; habitat protection; collection and dissemination of information, capacity-building, training and education; responses to emergency situations; and implementation. The question of whether the Conservation Plan should be integrated into the main text of the Agreement or be included in a separate annex requires further discussion, but the issue is more of form rather than of substance. As presently drafted, the Agreement provides for secretariat functions to be fulfilled by the Secretariat of the Convention, with activities at a sub-regional level to be co-ordinated by existing institutions. The meeting emphasized the importance of making use of existing structures, particularly those within the framework of the Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution (Barcelona Convention) and its related protocols, as well as the Convention for the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution (Bucharest Convention). The Agreement provides for the creation of one or two Advisory Committees to give advice on scientific, technical and legal matters; there were differences of opinion still to be reconciled as to whether a single committee or separate committees for each sub-region should be established. The Government of the Principality of Monaco has offered to act as Depositary for the Agreement which, after adoption, will be made available in the Arabic, English, French, Russian and Spanish languages. In January 1996, the Secretariat wrote to the responsible authorities in Monaco, France, the European Commission, and Italy (which currently holds the presidency of the European Union), seeking advice on the timing of the final negotiation session. There are tentative plans to hold the meeting in Monaco in late November 1996. Confirmation of the date and venue will be announced in due course. The Agreement on the Conservation of Bats in Europe came into force on 16 January 1994. It aims to address threats to 30 bat species throughout Europe arising from habitat degradation, disturbance of roost sites and harmful pesticides. As of 1 February 1996, twelve countries are members: Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Poland and Slovakia have indicated they will accede soon. The first meeting of the Parties was held in Bristol, UK, from 18 - 20 July 1995. Among other things, it decided on the establishment of a permanent secretariat which is now co-located with the UNEP/CMS Secretariat in Bonn. It also decided to establish an Advisory Committee and agreed on a comprehensive work-programme for the implementation of the AGREEMENT during the first triennium. Since 1 January 1996 Mr. Eric Blencowe has been co-ordinating the activities of the secretariat. The first meeting of the Advisory Committee took place on 18-19 April 1996, on the island of Vilm, near Rügen in the Baltic Sea. The Parties agreed an ambitious programme of work including critical analyses of methodologies for population surveys of certain representative species, and analyses of the known migratory habits of other representative species. The studies are to be undertaken by individual Committee members, liaising with other experts both in and outside the Committee, and are to be edited and collated by the AGREEMENT secretariat. The secretariat was charged with preparing a synthesis of the country implementation reports, which are required under the AGREEMENT. Particular weight would be given in the synthesis to population status and distribution, and the known migratory habits. The EUROBATS Secretariat can be reached at the address below: Mr Eric BlencoweEUROBATS Secretariat Martin-Luther-King-Str. 8 D-53175 Bonn, Germany Tel: (+49 228) 815 2420 / 1 Fax: (+49 228) 815 2445. E-mail: info@eurobats.org African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) The AEWA is the largest AGREEMENT of its kind concluded so far under the Convention. It covers 172 bird species which are ecologically dependent on wetlands for at least part of their annual cycle, including many species of pelicans, storks, flamingoes, ducks and geese. The AGREEMENT concerns 116 countries ranging from Europe, parts of Asia and North America, the Middle East and Africa. A negotiation meeting to agree the text, held in The Hague,Netherlands, from 12-16 June 1995, was hosted and to a large extent sponsored by the Government of the Netherlands. Sixty-six countries and an impressive number of inter-governmental organisations, including the Bern Convention Secretariat, the Ramsar Bureau and the Secretariat of the Programme for the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) were represented. The representatives of fifty-four Range States signed the Final Act. The AGREEMENT provides for co-ordinated and concerted actions to be taken by the Range States throughout the migratory ranges of the waterbird species concerned. Parties to the AGREEMENT are called upon to engage in a wide range of conservation activities which are described in a comprehensive Action Plan. This detailed Plan - a product of extensive negotiations and discussions amongst governments, as well as interested conservation and sustainable-user groups - addresses such key issues as: species and habitat conservation, management of human activities, research and monitoring, education and information, and implementation. The negotiation meeting encouraged, inter alia, the secretariats of the Bonn, Ramsar and Bern Conventions to co-operate in the implementation of the AEWA. The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, acting in its capacity as the Depositary for the AGREEMENT, announced in the closing ceremony of the Negotiation Meeting that it would open the AGREEMENT for signature on the 16 October 1995. However this has not yet taken place owing mainly to a considerable delay in preparing the texts of the AGREEMENT in some of the official languages, namely Arabic and Russian. The first meeting of the Parties, which will be held within a year after the AGREEMENT enters into force, will formally establish an Agreement secretariat within the Secretariat of the parent Convention. In the meantime, the Government of the Netherlands has established an interim secretariat for three years (from 8 January 1996), in order to provide continuity and to ensure that a solid foundation is laid for work under the AGREEMENT in the years ahead. The AEWA Interim Secretariat can be reached at the following address: Mr. Bert LentenAEWA Interim Secretariat c/o Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries Directorate for Nature Conservation Division of International Affairs P.O. Box 20401 NL-2500 EK The Hague The Netherlands Tel: (+31 70) 379 2982/3591 Fax: (+31 70) 379 3751. Late news: The AEWA Interim Secretariat has advised that, in early June, the Depositary sent the text of the AGREEMENT (in the Arabic, English, French and Russian languages) through diplomatic channels to the Governments of all Range States. The Depositary intends to open the AGREEMENT for signature within a few weeks. Siberian Crane Memorandum of Understanding The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aims to ensure the survival of the west and central Asian populations of the Siberian crane, which are on the brink of extinction. At present, there are five signatory States, including three non-Parties to CMS: India (the most recent signatory), the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakstan, Pakistan and the Russian Federation, as well as the International Crane Foundation, the Wild Bird Society of Japan and the UNEP/CMS Secretariat. Further efforts will be made to encourage the remaining Range States (Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) to join. In May 1995, the Secretariat, the All-Russian Research Institute of Nature Conservation and the International Crane Foundation organized a successful meeting, in Moscow, of Siberian crane experts and representatives from eight of the nine Range States concerned. The Government of India has offered to host a follow-up meeting in November 1996. This will provide an opportunity to review implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding and to adopt a work plan for activities to be undertaken in 1997 with a view to co-ordinating efforts to rescue the central and western Asian populations of this endangered species. Meanwhile, the beginning of 1996 brought with it some excellent news. Nine Siberian cranes were located on their traditional wintering grounds at Fereidoonkanar in the Islamic Republic of Iran. In January the Secretariat facilitated a joint mission of Russian, Finnish and Iranian experts - part of a co-ordinated effort to obtain critical information on the cranes- hitherto unknown migration routes. The experts succeeded, for the very first time, in attaching a satellite transmitter to one of the wild birds at Fereidoonkanar, the movements of which are now being tracked. An update will be given in the next Bulletin. February brought even better news from India: four Siberian cranes from the dwindling central population arrived at the Keoladeo National Park, where they had not been seen for the past two winters. Among them was a young bird which had been banded by Russian scientists in Siberia the previous summer - concrete evidence of the crane's 5,500 km southerly migration. The arrival of the cranes attracted enormous attention from the local population. The birds have since migrated northward, hopefully to return again next year. Slender-billed Curlew Memorandum of Understanding The Memorandum is intended to safeguard the Slender-billed curlew, which is thought to have declined to fewer than 400 individuals. As of 1 January 1996, fifteen Range States (Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Georgia, Hungary, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakstan, Morocco, Oman, Romania, Spain, Ukraine and Uzbekistan) as well as BirdLife International, the International Council of Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) and the UNEP/CMS Secretariat had signed the MoU. Various efforts are being made to initiate projects to support this species in several of the Range States. Experts from the Belgian Royal Institute of Natural Science and the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation are developing a project concept for measures to be planned and implemented in several key Range States. With the funds allocated from the CMS Trust Fund and hopefully from other sources, the projects should now be developed and passed to the countries concerned for implementation. Range States were asked to send national status reports about the species to the UNEP/CMS Secretariat. Subsequently a synthesis was completed and submitted to the Range States, interested scientific institutions and NGOs for comment. The Secretariat is still seeking signatures from some important Range States. In the third quarter of 1997 a meeting of experts and government representatives from key Range States and specialist NGOs will be organised, subject to the availability of funds. Agreements under developmentAgreements and Memoranda of Understanding are being considered or developed for the conservation of, among others: Houbara Bustard (Chlamydotis undulata macqueenii) The first meeting of the Houbara Bustard Working Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission was held in Muscat, Oman, 13-14 January 1996. It was co-funded by CMS and was well attended by governmental and NGO representatives of all the key Range States of the subspecies. CMS was represented by the Standing Committee member for Asia (Saudi Arabia), the Scientific Councillors of India and Pakistan, and the Co-ordinator of the Secretariat. The meeting dealt with the conservation status and requirements of the subspecies, and adopted a recommendation that an Agreement should be developed and concluded under the auspices of CMS. The representative of Saudi Arabia distributed informally a first draft and said that, once the Saudi Arabian Council of Ministers had adopted the proposal, it would be distributed officially to the Range State governments. The National Avian Research Centre of the United Arab Emirates will provide secretariat services for the co-ordination of a Working Group to provide scientific advice for the future development of the Agreement. The Director General of IUCN also offered support, but requested the Saudi Arabian Government to clarify whether or not funds could be provided to incorporate legal and scientific amendments into the draft Agreement. Great Bustard (Otis tarda) in Central Europe Efforts are currently being made by experts to develop an Agreement or a Memorandum of Understanding for the conservation of the central European populations of the species, based on recommendations of the Conference of the Parties (Nairobi, 1994) and the Scientific Council. To conclude, there is evidence of a trend of increasing interest internationally in the Convention, either directly or through the Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding, and there is a strong potential for an increase in membership as work on these individual species' agreements continues. Conference of the PartiesInvitations have been sent out for the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, which will take place from 10-16 April 1997 at the United Nations Office at Geneva, Switzerland. During a week-end break, it is planned to hold a symposium on animal migration at the IUCN headquarters in Gland. Further details of the meeting and symposium will be announced by the CMS Secretariat in due course. The main conference will be preceded by meetings of the Scientific Council (7-8 April) and the Standing Committee (9 April). Notice of participation should be made, no later than 30 September 1996, on the pre-registration form already distributed by the Secretariat. The Secretariat takes this opportunity to remind Parties that any proposals for amendments to the Convention and its Appendices must reach the Secretariat by 11 November 1996. Reports from Parties on implementation of the Convention should reach the Secretariat by 10 October 1996, and should be accompanied by a short summary either in English, French or Spanish for translation into the other two languages. Standing CommitteeThe Standing Committee held its last meeting in Bonn from 29 February to 1 March 1996, under the chairmanship of Dr. Peter Bridgewater (Australia). The meeting, which was well-attended by representives and observers from all regions, deliberated on a number of intersessional activities of importance to the Convention and the Secretariat. The next meeting, which will consider a draft budget for the next triennium, is tentatively scheduled to take place in January 1997. The venue has yet to be decided. Scientific CouncilThe Scientific Council presently comprises 49 experts, including five specialists appointed by the Conference of the Parties. Only five member states have yet to nominate a representative to serve on the Council: Benin, Guinea-Bissau, Somalia, Togo, and Zaïre. The sixth meeting of the Council was held in Bonn from 1 to 3 November 1995, under the chairmanship of Dr. Pierre Devillers, with 35 Councillors in attendance. The meeting discussed matters concerning the further development of the Convention and the preparation of the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, including plans for the elaboration of new agreements, additions to the CMS Appendices, advice on proposed CMS conservation initiatives, and plans for a scientific symposium. The Council also discussed further Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding, including those underway or envisaged for small cetaceans, marine turtles, Sahelo-Saharan ungulates, and albatross. A number of working groups were established to carry this work forward by correspondence before the next meeting, which will be held just before the meeting of the Conference of the Parties in April 1997. The question of future conservation initiatives for bats was also discussed. The Council recommended that an expert on bats be appointed by the Conference of the Parties at its next meeting, should there be interest in extending the geographical scope of CMS initiatives for this species group. The Council considered that a systematic review of species listed in Appendix I should be carried out with the assistance of relevant IUCN specialist groups, the results of which would provide a basis for listing additional species in Appendix I. The Council decided to prioritize species considered for addition to Appendix II according to the urgency of preparing Agreements for them, and to agree on broad geographical areas and species groups likely to be in need of Agreements, seeking the views of the IUCN Species Survival Commission in relation to the status of the species involved. The Council also gave its advice as to the interpretation of two key terms under the Convention - "endangered" and "taking" - which will be submitted for the consideration of the Conference of the Parties. Ongoing projectsIn March 1995, the Standing Committee considered proposals from the Secretariat on how to allocate funds from the CMS Trust Fund in the 1995-97 triennium to finance additional activities in support of the Convention, including the development of Agreements, particularly in developing countries and areas where the coverage was inadequate, as had been agreed by the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties. The Committee agreed to the Secretariat's proposals that the funds be used to support work on four main species groups, in the following order of priority: marine turtles, small cetaceans, migratory birds and other mammals. It was understood that some of the funding would be used to support workshops that would be essential for advancing regional initiatives and that some of the funds would be used specifically for follow-up activities. With regard to marine turtles, for which USD 175,000 was earmarked, it was agreed that a consultancy should identify the priorities of CMS for this group, taking account of work already being done by other organizations. A number of fields of action requiring funding were identified. A total of USD 100,000 was proposed for initiatives on small cetaceans, beginning with a small consultancy to give guidance to further CMS work in this area. Specific areas of work on small cetaceans were more difficult to identify, although research on small cetaceans in Southeast Asia had already been identified as a priority. It was agreed, on the recommendation of the Chairman, that funds for migratory birds should include provision for work on albatrosses, as several of the countries concerned may require financial assistance. When the Scientific Council met in November 1995, it received an update on those activities which had already been initiated by the Secretariat before the meeting, and considered how specifically to apportion the limited funds available within the broad framework agreed by the Standing Committee. The following progress can be reported: At the time of writing, the Secretariat was working to conclude a broad agreement with IUCN - the World Conservation Union, whereby the IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG) would co-ordinate or implement directly a wide range of activities to promote the conservation of marine turtles. These will include:
Some activities have already been undertaken outside the framework of this agreement, including CMS sponsorship of a successful Western Indian Ocean Training Workshop and Strategic Planning Session, which was held in South Africa in November 1995. In addition to providing the major funding for delegate participation, CMS financed the participation of the Scientific Council expert on marine turtles. The Secretariat is collaborating on the production and translation of a Western Indian Ocean Sea Turtle Conservation Strategy that arose from the workshop. The Scientific Council endorsed a project concept prepared by two of its members for research, monitoring and management activities for marine turtles along the Atlantic coast of West Africa. In February, the Deputy Co-ordinator met representatives of WWF-France and the IUCN Comité Français to examine how such a project might be implemented - and perhaps extended to other West African Range States, many of which are CMS Parties. A project proposal for a first phase of activities will be developed and circulated to the countries concerned for their input. The Council also endorsed a proposal that a separate regional workshop be conducted to bring together representatives and experts from Range States of the Gulf of Oman-Arabian Gulf region. Small cetaceans / marine mammals At its November 1995 meeting, the Scientific Council also endorsed a proposal for distribution and abundance surveys of cetaceans, and a study of cetacean-fishery interactions in southwestern Sulu Sea and northeastern Malaysia. CMS is contributing USD 22,000, while two other co-sponsors (WWF-Philippine Programme and Ocean Park Conservation Foundation) will each contribute USD 5,000. The project will provide new information on the distribution and abundance of small cetaceans and other marine mammals in the study area and will determine the nature and level of incidental and directed takes of cetaceans. It should also serve to strengthen the capacity of Malaysian biologists in cetacean research, and encourage further exchanges and networking between Philippine and Malaysian scientists. Elsewhere, the Scientific Council expert on small cetaceans is taking the lead on an intersessional review of the potential for CMS Agreements and/or other conservation initiatives for marine mammals of western Africa and southern South America. Councillors from the regions concerned have agreed to serve as focal points for two working groups which were set up to prepare a summary of available information. The Scientific Council also considered the case of the Mediterranean monk seal, which is the focus of interest of numerous organizations in the region. Some Councillors considered that the activities lack co-ordination, and that CMS could play a beneficial role in this regard. A working group formed to consider the question proposed that a co-ordination unit be established and that conservation and research actions be undertaken in key Range-States. A number of activities in South America are in the early planning stages. The Scientific Council endorsed a request of the Uruguayan Councillor to fund a proposal for the conservation of albatrosses, as well as a separate proposal to elaborate conservation actions in favour of other migratory birds in the southern cone of South America. These might include a regional meeting to promote the application of CMS. The Scientific Council recommended that USD 50,000 should be allocated for the implementation and updating of a 1994 action plan for a number of ungulate species, and to hold an expert meeting (tentatively) in Mali in early 1997. The Secretariat is taking the matter forward with the Belgian Royal Institute of Natural Science. CMS linkages with other conventionsThe Secretariat has continued its efforts to establish closer ties with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and other related conventions. The Parties to the respective conventions have recognized the need for mutually supportive activities and to strengthen the inherent interrelationships among them. A memorandum of understanding emphasizing co-operation between the CMS and CBD secretariats was signed on 13 June 1996 on the occasion of the visit to Bonn of Mr. Calestous Juma, Executive Secretary of the CBD. The Co-ordinator has initiated steps to develop and conclude a similar arrangement with the Executive Secretary of the Ramsar Bureau. In the meantime, the new Ramsar strategy adopted by its COP includes several references to co-operation with CMS. As the Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding concluded under CMS so far apply in large measure to Europe, it is of special interest to explore common fields of co-operation between the Bern Convention (on European wildlife). A first meeting of the respective secretariats to discuss the future co-operation was held in April 1996. CMS has also benefitted from good working relations with the CITES Secretariat. The secretariats will explore the possibility of holding common regional seminars on the implementation of both Conventions. The scope for undertaking co-operative initiatives with the secretariats of other regional conventions has been limited, partly due to a general lack of resources. However, activities to conserve marine mammals, turtles, albatrosses, and ungulates in arid regions, will require CMS to intensify its contacts and co-operation with a number of global and regional conventions. Collaboration between the International Whaling Commission and CMS could, for example, lead to synergies in the area of research and conservation projects concerning small cetaceans. Similarly, the Secretariat has maintained contacts with the Programme on the Conservation of Arctic Fauna and Flora (CAFF) - in which a number of important non-Parties to CMS co-operate. In order to secure support for CMS, on a more permanent basis, of important specialized nongovernmental organizations, the Secretariat is currently developing a memorandum of understanding with the IUCN Environmental Law Centre concerning its provision of legal advice. Similar consultations with Wetlands International are envisaged for provision of scientific advice and more intensive assistance in waterbird conservation issues. UNEP has a mandate to try to co-ordinate activities of the global conventions it administers in the field of the environment. The aim is to strengthen the effectiveness of convention secretariats through better exchange of information, consultation and solution of problems of common concern. Four meetings have been held between March 1994 and January 1996, giving an opportunity for the discussion of items of mutual interest of all the related conventions. |