CMS Bulletin no. 7: December 1997EDITORIAL The year in review: This has been an especially busy year for CMS, with activities taking place on many fronts. The Conference of the Parties, the Scientific Council and Standing Committee all met in April in Geneva. The decisions taken there lay the groundwork for the Convention's work programme for the next three years. A number of the Agreements concluded under CMS in recent years have begun to make visible progress in their respective fields. Equally important, more and more concerted conservation activities are being carried out under CMS auspices for particular species or whole groups of migratory animals. This issue of the CMS Bulletin reports on all of these activities, and includes a special report on the endangered Siberian crane. For further information on any of the topics covered in this issue, readers are invited to contact the CMS Secretariat at the address given below. Those with access to the INTERNET may also examine the CMS World Wide Web site: http://www.unep-wcmc.org/cms which makes available a wide range of information in English, French and Spanish (completely revised as of August 1997). The Secretariat thanks all those who have helped to make 1997 one of the most fulfilling years so far. All of the staff take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy holiday season, and a prosperous and productive 1998. Late News: The South African Government has formally confirmed its invitation to the CMS Conference of the Parties to meet in South Africa in 1999. The meeting has been tentatively scheduled for the first half of October 1999. Details of the precise date and venue will be announced in the forthcoming months. Contents: ASCOBANS EUROBATS AEWA Wadden Sea Seals Agreement Slender-billed Curlew (MoU) Houbara Bustard Great Cormorant Mediterranean Monk Seals Cetaceans Marine Turtles Sahelo-Saharan ungulates Ungulates of the Arabian Peninsula Africa Americas and the Caribbean Asia-Oceania Europe CMS Agreement UpdateBased in part on information received from the Agreement secretariats For more information on any of the Agreements described below, readers are invited to contact the responsible secretariat at the address given on the last page of this issue. The membership of ASCOBANS remains static, at seven Parties: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. A further eight Range States are eligible to accede to the Agreement: Estonia, Finland, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Russia, as well as the European Union. Officials of France and the European Union have recently reiterated their intention to join the Agreement. Norway participates actively in ASCOBANS' scientific work but, owing to its desire to maintain a consistent national policy, has indicated that it will not sign the agreement itself. Discussions are continuing with Ireland on a possible extension of the ASCOBANS area into their waters to coincide with Ireland's designated whale and dolphin sanctuary. Advisory Committee The ASCOBANS Advisory Committee meets periodically to monitor and facilitate progress on implementing the Conservation and Management Plan, as well as to identify key areas of concern and research. Its fourth meeting was held 30 June-2 July 1997, on the island of Texel in the Netherlands. The Committee reviewed preparations for the second Meeting of Parties, the achievements of ASCOBANS in the first triennium, as well as the functioning of the Advisory Committee. The meeting further addressed issues such as: by-catches of small cetaceans, especially harbour porpoises; effects of pollutants; disturbance-reduction; stranding schemes; protected areas; population-structure studies of harbour porpoise in the North Atlantic; design of a monitoring system for harbour porpoises in the Baltic Sea; research options for the Baltic Sea; promotional campaigns; and the future location of the Secretariat. The Rules of Procedures were amended so that NGOs can apply for observer status at future meetings of the Advisory Committee. The Netherlands presented a report that summarised the matters relevant to ASCOBANS deriving from the IWC workshop on chemical pollution held in Bergen, Norway, in 1995. A resolution was drafted on facilitating a comprehensive research-programme on cause-effect relationships between harbour porpoise health and chemical pollutants, for presentation to the Meeting of Parties. A By-catch Working Group presented a report, subsequently modified to take into account comments made at the meeting, on by-catch issues in relation to small cetaceans as well as resolutions on reduction and monitoring of by-catch in fishing gear for presentation to the Meeting of Parties. Belgium presented a review of stranding schemes in the ASCOBANS area and considered the possibility of establishing an inventory-type database of national stranding databases at the ASCOBANS Secretariat. Meeting of Parties The Second Meeting of Parties to ASCOBANS was held in Bonn on 17-19 November 1997, hosted by the German Government. Representatives of North and Baltic Sea countries, together with numerous representatives from national and international organisations discussed a wide range of issues. One of the most important of these was the need to bring about a reduction in the numbers of small cetaceans caught incidentally by fishery practices. The Meeting decided that the level of by-catch should be reduced to less than 2% of stocks. The Meeting also focussed attention on the influence of pollutants on small cetaceans. It was decided that further research should be undertaken beyond that which had already been carried out to analyse, for example, the effects of organic pollutants on cetaceans and, where appropriate, to ascertain where there is a need for action. The Meeting also adopted recommendations on the establishment of protected areas, the avoidance of disturbance to the animals, and on further research projects, particularly regarding the status of stocks and the causes of threats to small cetaceans. The Meeting considered the role, functions and powers of the Advisory Committee, concluding that the existing arrangements were sufficient, subject to there being ample clarification of the text of the Agreement in this regard. The Parties adopted a budget for the next three years, and decided to relocate the ASCOBANS Secretariat from Cambridge to Bonn, as from 1998. The move is intended to enhance the already close co-operation with the UNEP/CMS Secretariat. ASCOBANS Secretariat Ms. Jette Jensen, the Secretary to ASCOBANS, is undertaking a promotional campaign and has presented the work of ASCOBANS at various intergovernmental and non-governmental meetings including the Conference of the European Cetacean Society, the Conference of the Parties to CMS, and EC NATURE. The Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) granted observer status to ASCOBANS in March 1997, and the Secretary presented the work of ASCOBANS at a HELCOM working group meeting (EC NATURE). As a result of this, cooperation was established with them on the newly adopted HELCOM recommendation on harbour porpoise in the Baltic Sea. Progress made at the first Advisory Committee meeting (Vilm, Germany, April 1996) was followed up at its next session held in January 1997 in Kraków, Poland. The Executive Secretary, Mr. Eric Blencowe, and members of the Committee prepared analyses for consideration on this occasion. The central European venue allowed a greater number and diversity of Range States to attend, including Belarus, Latvia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. The meeting laid much of the groundwork for the second session of the Meeting of the Parties, scheduled for 1-3 July 1998 in Bonn, Germany. The date and venue are subject to confirmation once budgetary approval for financial support to the meeting has been obtained by the German Government, which will happen at the end of this year. A meeting of seven of the Agreement's Range States was held in September in Budapest, Hungary. The meeting considered the monitoring data that has been collected so far, and agreed practical steps to assess the population status of Central European populations of Schreiber's bat (Miniopterus schreibersii). It is hoped that the involvement of non-Parties in the meeting (Hungary was the only Party present) will encourage them to participate more actively in the Agreement, and to accede to the Agreement itself. The Bat Agreement's secretariat co-ordinated the first "European Bat Night" across five countries on the weekend of 20 September this year. Britain, France, Germany, Poland and Ukraine co-operated on a series of public events. The Secretariat designed and financed the production of five posters dedicated to the event, one for each participating country in each language. The occasion was a great success in all countries participating, with over 10,000 people attending the event in Berlin, together with numerous representatives of the national and international media. An even larger event is envisaged for next year, with the active involvement of as many of the Parties and non-Parties in the Agreement area as possible. European Bat Night #2 will take place on Saturday, 29 August 1998. Further details will appear in subsequent issues of the CMS Bulletin. Advisory Committee The next Advisory Committee meeting will probably take place in Prague in March 1998. In order to prepare for that meeting, likely to be the last before the full meeting of Parties in Bonn, a small working group will meet early in the new year to consider draft recommendations on monitoring certain species, as well as the draft transboundary programme. The Secretariat is working closely with Parties, non-Parties and expert national non-governmental organisations to develop these proposals. The AEWA has now been signed by 11 Range States, five of which (Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, European Union, and Mali) endorsed the Agreement this year. The signature or ratification process has been now completed in four of the 11 signatory countries (Guinea, Nether-lands, Switzerland and Sudan). The Interim Agreement Secretariat and the European representative on the CMS Standing Committee visited the CMS Secretariat in September to consult about the further work needed to attract more countries to the Agreement. They also discussed preliminary plans for the next meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CMS and the first session of the Meeting of Parties to the Agreement, provisionally scheduled to take place back-to-back in October 1999. Discussions also focussed on possible pilot projects and the preparation of various reports for both meetings. This agreement between Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands has now been in force for five years. In 1996, the Parties adopted a revised Management Plan, detailing the activities which will be undertaken between 1996 and 2000. It takes account of the results of scientific research in the past period and translates political decisions and targets into management actions. Among other things, the geographical scope of the agreement has been extended to encompass the adjacent off-shore area within the 3-nautical mile zone. The exemptions for taking have been limited and common criteria to release seals into the wild have been drawn up. Also, the coordinated monitoring of seals has been harmonized and improved to enable a better estimation of population size and trends. The Governments of Yemen and Greece signed the MoU on 7 September 1997 and 29 October 1997, respectively, bringing the number of Parties to 17. The Secretariat has encouraged the initiation of conservation projects for the Slender-billed Curlew in several Range States, and is maintaining close contact with various organisations, scientific institutions and national authorities that are already involved in such action. The key partners include BirdLife International, the Royal Belgian Institute for Natural History, the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) and Euronatur. BirdLife has recently produced a first draft of a comprehensive longer-term action plan for the species, as called for under the terms of the MoU. Concrete activities are already under way in Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Russia and Ukraine. Under its "LIFE" Programme, the European Commission is financing a protection and monitoring project in southern Europe, with particular emphasis on Greece. CIC is expected to carry out a multinational campaign aimed at raising awareness among hunters. In addition, the Secretariat is seeking financial assistance from external sources with a view to helping to put immediate measures into effect along the birds' migration routes in central Asia and at its wintering sites. CIC donated DM 10,000 towards the financing of expeditions to the peat areas in southwestern Siberia in search of the breeding locations of the Slender-billed curlew. From 20 May to 20 July, two groups of ornithologists, under the leadership of Dr. Bojko (Ekaterinburg) and Dr. Chernov (Plost) led the searches. A further search in the southwest Siberian steppe region was carried out from 20 May to 18 June by Dr. Yurlov (Novosibirsk) and Dr Boere (Netherlands) on behalf of the Russian Bird Conservation Union (RBCU). In 1996 two similar expeditions took place under the RBCU and LIFE-Programme. Although the breeding areas still have not been found, good news was received from Iran, where the Persian Gulf wintering areas of the bird (50 individuals) were discovered. Because the discovery of the breeding locations of the Slender-billed curlew is paramount to the conservation of the species, the CMS Secretariat, together with the RBCU, organized a seminar in Moscow in November 1997. Present were scientists including the expedition leaders and representatives of the Russian nature conservation and hunting authorities. A central theme of the seminar was the reports of the expeditions carried out in the last few years. The experts were able to reduce the potential breeding area from an estimated 3 million square kilometres by 40%. In 1998 two further expeditions are to take place to the remaining areas: a "northern" survey to the peat areas of the forest-steppe and the southern edge of the taiga, and a "southern" one to the steppe area. In its closing session, the seminar agreed recommendations on the future measures necessary for the conservation of the Slender-billed curlew. This paper is available upon request from the Secretariat, as is a status report on the species prepared in early 1996. Within the framework of the MoU and the Action Plan, the Secretariat is planning to hold, in Autumn 1998, a symposium of country representatives and experts. Its aim will be to facilitate the coordination of monitoring efforts and to intensify protection measures. The Secretariat and the IUCN Environmental Law Centre are presently reviewing a draft Agreement text and preliminary draft Action Plan that will be attached and integrated in the Agreement. The final draft Action Plan is expected to be prepared by the lead country (Saudi Arabia), with the assistance of the IUCN Species Survival Commission's working group on the Houbara bustard. At the meeting of the CMS Conference of the Parties in April 1997, the Conference agreed a recommendation (No. 5.3) on the development of an Action Plan for this species in the African-Eurasian region. It recommends that Denmark and the Netherlands finalise their work on the Action Plan before the end of this year, focussing initially on the sub-species Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis. The Action Plan should include guidelines for dealing with the possible serious damage caused by birds in the fisheries sector, while maintaining a favourable conservation status for the species. Once completed, the Action Plan should be submitted to the CMS Scientific Council and distributed to the Range States. Denmark and the Netherlands were invited to bring together an international group of experts from nature conservation and fisheries sectors to complete the Action Plan, having regard for the activities of the European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission and the Wetlands International working groups. The expert group met from 25-26 September 1997 in Copenhagen. It endorsed by majority an Action Plan submitted by Denmark and the Netherlands to send the Action Plan to the organs of the Convention and to the Range States involved, requesting the latter immediately to implement the recommendations outlined in the Action Plan.
The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) is listed in Appendix I of CMS. As a consequence, Range States which are Parties to CMS are committed to provide strict protection measures for these highly endangered animals and their habitat. Morocco, Portugal, Spain and the European Union are CMS Parties and Range States of the Monk seal. Mauritania will hopefully accede to CMS very soon. In its Resolution 4.2 the CMS COP4 (Nairobi, June 1994) endorsed the recommendation of the CMS Scientific Council that inter alia Monachus monachus be the subject of concerted action. This was further resolved by the CMS COP5 in Resolution 5.1 (Geneva, April 1997). Owing to an epidemic which broke out in early 1997, the remaining viable population of the Mediterranean monk seal on the Atlantic coast of Western Africa (Cap Blanc) has been reduced by about one-third. All adults and several of the younger animals have died. In June 1997 the Secretariat sent two letters to a large number of governmental agencies and non-governmental organisations requesting assistance for rescue measures intended to be undertaken by an expert team coordinated by Dr. P. J. Reijnders. Dr. Reijnders has received a very positive response from a number of the institutions/organisations to which the letters were addressed with the appeal for financial and technical assistance. There is ho pe that the population will recover in the medium term if their living conditions are favourable and no further catastrophe arises. Dr. Reijnders is now taking matters forward. The conservation plan which has been developed will be reviewed by the experts and the Range States' authorities and donor organisations over the next few months. Conservation measures should then begin in early Spring 1998 at the latest. The Secretariat should like to take this opportunity to thank all those who responded so positively to the campaign and who contributed so generously to enable conservation measures to be taken forward. CMS is sponsoring a cetacean project in West Africa (focussing on Guinea-Bissau, Senegal and Gambia), aimed at gathering much needed information on cetacean distribution and cetacean-fisheries interactions in coastal waters. The field work, which is being led by Dr. Koen van Waerebeek, began in October 1997 and a final report is expected in mid-1998. Discussions are currently under way with the IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group to inject new life into a co-operative agreement on various marine turtle activities. Progress will be reported in the next CMS Bulletin. The Secretariat has also had preliminary dicussions on the organization of further regional strategic planning and training workshops, using a model that has proved successful in the western and northern Indian Ocean. Workshops in South-East Asia (possibly in Malaysia) and West Africa are tentatively planned for mid- and late-1998, respectively. The Secretariat is participating in a small marine turtle workshop in Gabon in December 1997, which will serve as a precursor for a larger meeting covering the countries of the Atlantic coast of Africa. The Belgian Royal Institute of Natural Science (IRSNB) has developed a draft status report on various endangered ungulates of the Sahelo-Saharan region, has updated a draft action plan and is preparing, under the authority of UNEP/CMS, a meeting of representatives of the Range States and experts. The Meeting has been rescheduled to be held from 19 to 23 February 1998 in Djerba, Tunisia. The invitations have recently been circulated. The authorities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have recently agreed a draft "Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Concerning the Conservation of Wild Ungulates in the Arabian Peninsula". The MoU aims at providing the legal basis for the coordinated strict protection of a number of desert mammals and their habitat. The species covered are: the Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx), reem gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa marica), idmi gazelle (Gazella gazella), Nubian ibex (Capra ibex nubiana) and Arabian tahr (Hemitragus jaykari). The Range States for the MoU are Bahrein, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, the Republic of Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates. The Secretariat will provide legal advice through the IUCN Environmental Law Centre (ELC) and will endeavour to assist the lead country with the organisation of a Range State meeting. Focus: the endangered Siberian craneThis issue of the CMS Bulletin introduces a new feature that should be of interest to many of our readers. A portion of each issue will be devoted to an exposé of one of the endangered species listed in the CMS Appendices. In addition to giving background information on the species, up-to-date progress reports from the field will be included. The present issue focuses on the highly endangered Siberian crane (Grus leucogeranus), one of CMS' flagship species. Dr. George Archibald, one of the world's foremost experts on cranes, and Dr. Yutaka Kanai, a specialist in satellite tracking, shed some light on the migration of these elusive birds in "The Mystery of the Missing Siberians". Regular followers of the Convention will know that efforts to bring the western and central Asian populations of this magnificent bird from the brink of extinction are being carried out within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Conservation Measures for the Siberian Crane (1993). There are now seven signatory countries to the MoU, including five that are not yet Parties to the parent Convention: India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakstan, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The International Crane Foundation (ICF), the Wild Bird Society of Japan, and the UNEP/CMS Secretariat are formally co-operating in the initiative. The Secretariat has organized two meetings of Siberian crane experts and governmental administrators the first in Moscow in May 1995, and the second in Bharatpur, India, in November 1996. The Secretariat has entered into discussions with the Iranian authorities to explore the possibility of having that important Range State host the next meeting, perhaps in the first trimester of 1998. A detailed Conservation Plan for the years 1997-1999, currently being implemented, is one of the useful outputs of the Indian meeting. An action plan tailored to each Range State aims to achieve three basic objectives:
Updates from the field
The momentum that began with a number of successes in 1996 has carried over into this year, with progress in several areas. As reported below, dedicated Russian researchers have made important break-throughs in their releases of captive-reared birds, egg substitution techniques and satellite monitoring. As many as 10 Siberian cranes have returned to their traditional wintering grounds in the Islamic Republic of Iran and another three to their winter home in India - proof that the small flocks are continuing to reproduce and sustain themselves at a very low rate.
The work in Russia has progressed very well this year. Russian colleagues have worked diligently to implement a recovery strategy that involves releasing captive-reared, juvenile Siberian cranes into the wild; substituting Siberian crane eggs into the nests of Eurasian cranes; and monitoring the birds' migration by satellite tracking.
However, several of the local people had observed the Siberian crane juveniles with Eurasian cranes, and they seemed to be wild and in excellent condition. It is hoped that, the Siberian cranes' integration into the Eurasian flock was successful, thereby allowing them to learn a new migration route.
The breeding area of the small population of Siberian cranes that migrates each year to Iran (via Kazakstan and Azerbaijan) can be found in the wetlands near Uvat, a few hundred kilometres northeast of Tyumen. In May 1997, Russian researchers substituted Siberian crane eggs into the nests of three pairs of Eurasian cranes that also frequent these wetlands. In August, they returned to the area and conducted aerial surveys, hoping to find pairs of Eurasian cranes with sub-adult Siberians. Although many Eurasian crane families were spotted, no mixed families were observed. It is speculated that the juvenile Siberian cranes fledged in early August (in the wild this normally happens after about 65 days) and moved with their foster parents from the immediate nesting area. It is known from satellite tracking data that some of these Eurasian cranes migrate from the Tyumen staging area to winter at a location on the Afghanistan-Iran border. It is possible therefore that the four Siberian cranes may have ended up there as well. Intensive surveys will need to be conducted to prove this theory. Although these particular birds were not found, the search effort near Uvat was handsomely rewarded: two pairs of Siberian cranes, each with a juvenile, were located! The male of one pair was the same bird that had been fitted with a satellite transmitter (PTT) in Iran in February 1996, and whose northward migration had been followed for about three months that spring (see following article). Since much was known already about the migratory behaviour of this family, it was decided only to capture and colour-band the female of the pair to permit future identification. The juvenile of the second pair was fitted with a Russian-made PTT, which has since provided information on its movements on a daily basis. The cranes left the breeding area at the end of August, and the PTT data showed that the juvenile arrived at the Narzum wetlands in northwestern Kazakstan just four days later. It remained there for about one month, before moving rapidly to the Astrakhan Nature Reserve on the delta of theVolga river at the northwest corner of the Caspian Sea. Researchers there observed three groups of Siberian cranes: two pairs, each with a chick (most certainly the birds which migrated from Uvat) as well as four individuals, for a total of 10 birds. They remained at this site for almost a month before continuing their southward migration through Azerbaijan to Iran. The PTT data gathered by the Russian researchers highlights the vital importance of both the Narzum and Astrakhan sites, and the need to put in place long-term protection and monitoring programmes there.
Added to the success of this experiment, they discovered that the last remaining pair of Siberian cranes on the Kunovat Basin had fledged a juvenile, in August 1997. The nesting of this pair and rearing of the young was captured on videotape by Edward Nazarov. It is hoped that these successes in the Russian Federation will translate into increased numbers of Siberian cranes in the wild in the coming years.
The first of the Siberian cranes which migrated from Uvat, by way of Narzum and Astrakhan, were reported to have arrived in Fereidoonkenar and Esbaran, Iran on 23 October 1997. The remaining birds arrived at these sites a few days later, giving a total of as many as eight birds, comparable to numbers in previous years.
Keoladeo National Park, 200 km south of Delhi, is home to a small flock of Siberian cranes that has dwindled from about 200 birds in the 1960s to just a few birds today. The birds spend the winter in the park after a journey of several thousand kilometres which takes them from the Kunovat Basin in Russia (see map) through Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. After not coming at all in 1994 and 1995, their reappearance in February 1996 gave new hope for the survival of this most endangered flock. On 17 November 1997, three Siberian cranes a pair with a chick arrived at Keoladeo, much to the relief of conservationists who eagerly await their annual arrival. For the past two years now, the birds have reached Keoladeo much earlier than in previous years, when January or February was the norm. (Last year, three adult birds arrived on 16 November 1996, breaking that trend.) In January 1997, an unsuccessful attempt was made to capture one of the wild cranes at Keoladeo, in order to attach a satellite transmitter. The plan had been agreed, after considerable discussion, by the expert meeting held in India the previous November. Despite the best efforts of Mini Nagendran and a veteran bird trapper, Ali Hussain (pictured here, above), the wary cranes proved themselves to be as elusive as ever to the traditional trapping techniques that were attempted.
The long-awaited Siberian crane video, produced by the International Crane Foundation with support from CMS, has recently been completed. Distribution of the English and Russian language versions is under way. "Blank" versions that allow for translation into local languages have also been prepared. Master copies were sent to Pakistan and are being translated into Urdu, Pashtu, and Dari for airing in Pakistan and Afghanistan. ICF is contacting the other Range States to obtain clear information on the broadcast format needed. Click here for the Special Supplement:"The Mystery of the Missing Siberians"CMS membershipThe number of Parties to CMS has now reached 51, with the accession of Peru in June this year and the ratifcation of Chad, which took effect in September 1997. Formal confirmation of Mauretania's accession is eagerly awaited, since the necessary internal procedures in that country have apparently been completed. Contacts with government officials suggest that a number of other countries are giving serious consideration to joining the Convention. It is hoped that ongoing discussions with the authorities of a number of Eastern and Southern African countries Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe in particular will bear fruit and will be followed up by early parliamentary consideration of this matter. Several South and Central American countries notably Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay have also expressed interest in the Convention recently, and the Secretariat is taking the necessary steps to capitalise on this interest. A strategy for promoting CMS in the Asia-Pacific region has been drawn up and will be pursued actively next year. Various contacts with senior government officials in Malaysia and Yemen have been well-received, and give rise to optimism that these countries will take the necessary internal procedures leading to their eventual accession to CMS. In the mean time, officials attending a meeting of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) were briefed on CMS last June by the CMS Scientific Councillor of the Phillipines, Mr Carlo Custodio. In Europe, the Secretariat has had positive contacts with Austria, Greece and Liechtenstein, some of which look quite promising. There is as yet no further progress to report with respect to Central and Eastern Europe. More targeted recruitment efforts, facilitated by a series of profiles of key non-Party States prepared by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, will begin in earnest in 1998. From the regions
On the initiative of South Africa, a memorandum of understanding for the conservation and sustainable use of the Sandgrouse (family: Pteroclidae) is being developed by the three Range States of the species: Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. These nomadic birds are at risk due to land degradation and hunting pressure. In mid-September 1997, experts of the Range States met in Botswana and reached broad consensus on the text of a draft MoU aimed at co-ordinating conservation activities. National species action plans are now being developed. A further meeting is scheduled for April 1998 in order to discuss and finalise the MoU and the complementary plans.
Through the initiative of Parties and non-Parties present during COP5, a Working Group for the Conservation of Migratory Species in Latin-America and the Caribbean was created. The group aims to provide a regional forum for discussion and elaboration of future projects and agreements for the conservation of migratory fauna; to contribute to the increase in membership and strengthening of CMS in the region, to help put into effect the recommendations of the first South American Technical Workshop; and to evaluate progress periodically in subsequent meetings. The inclusion at COP5 of many species of South American birds and mammals in the CMS Appendices is an encouraging illustration of the closer links which the Convention is establishing in this region. Further visible progress is beginning to materialise with the execution of a number of projects supported by CMS: A small project on the Ruddy-headed goose, involving Argentina and Chile is collecting valuable information about this endangered species. A media campaign is being developed in the region and searches in both breeding and wintering areas have been conducted. The number of birds continues to be low, but hopefully the factors that impede the recovery of the species will be identified, allowing corrective measures to be taken. Around the world, albatrosses experience significant mortality as a result of getting hooked in fishing lines. A one-year study to address this problem, to be conducted by Uruguayan scientists, will begin as soon as the government authorities give their approval. The project will collect data about the magnitude of the problem and will investigate solutions for avoiding the incidental capture of albatrosses. The La Plata Dolphin, recently included in Appendix I of CMS, is also at risk due to incidental capture in coastal areas of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. A workshop being organized in November 1997 with CMS support will bring together regional specialists and some international experts, to discuss a strategy aimed at safeguarding the species.
Following a proposal presented during the sixth meeting of the Scientific Council, a document reviewing the conservation status of small cetaceans in southern South America was presented during the 7th meeting of the Scientific Council. This background paper is a first important step towards the development of a regional agreement for the conservation of small cetaceans in the region.
The Workshop produced a final declaration which, among other things, called for the development and strengthening of partnerships for co-operation in the area of management techniques, information exchange, and training and research. Governments were invited to explore the possible development of a regional agreement on the conservation of migratory waterbirds, and enhanced involvement in CMS. One of the highlights was the formal launching of a North-East Asian crane reserve network, including the designation of 16 sites from 5 countries (China, Japan, Mongolia, Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation). The Migratory Waterbird Conservation Committee considered progress reports on implementation of the Asia-Pacific Strategy (in particular through the corresponding action plans for cranes, shorebirds and anatidae) and on the establishment of various working groups. The next meeting of the Committee, which will by then include representation from a CMS Party, is provisionally scheduled to take place in Kazakstan in April 1998, in conjunction with a proposed Central Asia-Indian flyway workshop.
The Secretariat of the European Bats Agreement organised a workshop in Hungary in September, attended by seven Central European countries. The meeting discussed progress in the conservation programme for Schreiber's bat, populations of which are declining at an alarming rate in that sub-region. The importance of joining both the Bats Agreement and CMS, and the benefits which could be gained from such membership, were emphasized. The Secretariat will be following up with correspondence to the responsible ministries and agencies in these countries with a view to reinforcing this message. The Program for the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) has been operational for several years. A number of Action Plans, including one for the conservation of Arctic birds, have been developed under its auspices. Whereas the CAFF programme concerns several European countries that are already Parties to CMS, the governments of the largest countries (Canada, Russian, United States) are still reluctant to joint CMS and AEWA. On the occasion of the CAFF International Working Group (September 1997), the Netherlands presented a Global Overview of the Conservation of Migratory Arctic Breeding Birds Outside the Arctic. The report, prepared by Wetlands International with funding from the Netherlands Government, was endorsed by the meeting. It emphasizes the importance of CMS, AEWA and other activities under CMS for the conservation of all migratory birds breeding in the Arctic. A final version of the report will soon be published and widely distributed. The European representative on the CMS Standing Committee, Dr. Gerard Boere, also submitted to the meeting the text of a letter sent to the responsible Russian State authority, presenting detailed arguments for that country (and other Arctic nations) to join AEWA as well as CMS. Conference of the PartiesThe fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties took place from 10-16 April 1997 at the United Nations Office at Geneva, Switzerland. Attendance was excellent, with representation from 43 of the then 49 Parties, 38 observer States, and 25 intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations. The main conference was preceded by meetings of the Scientific Council and the Standing Committee. The meeting decided on the following main items:
The Conference also agreed new strategic objectives for the implementation and further development of CMS in the forthcoming triennium. These will include activities to gain synergies between related global conventions. The Conference adopted a model for the administrative integration of Europe-based Agreement secretariats under the auspices of UNEP, and agreed a budget which, in addition to financing core activities in the 1998-2000 triennium, provides over $600,000 for project activities. The Conference also issued an appeal to all Parties and interested IGOs/NGOs to prepare actions for the celebration of CMS's 20th anniversary in 1999. During a week-end break in the conference, an interesting symposium on animal migration was held at the IUCN headquarters in Gland. The Secretariat is presently preparing for publication a record of the proceedings, including a selection of photographs of the species covered in the symposium. Copies should be available in early 1998. The proceedings of the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (in English, French and Spanish) were circulated in August 1997, together with a second volume of Party reports. Both documents are available from the Secretariat upon request. Standing CommitteeThe 17th meeting of the Standing Committee was held at the close of the meeting of the Conference of the Parties in April. Saudi Arabia (the representative of Asia on the Committee) was elected as the new Chair, and the Netherlands (representative of Europe) was elected Vice-Chair. The new regional representatives are: Guinea (Africa); Uruguay (America and the Caribbean) and the Philippines (Oceania). Invitations have been circulated for the next Standing Committee meeting, scheduled to take place in Bonn on 3-4 February 1998. Among other things, the Committee will review its work programme arising from the COP5, and it will evaluate and decide on offers from Parties to host the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties. Scientific CouncilThe Scientific Council, having assembled just before the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, will probably meet next in early June 1998. A heavy agenda can be expected, as a result of several tasks assigned by COP5. The precise date and venue of the meeting will be announced shortly. Secretariat newsWith the April 1997 meeting of the Conference of the Parties well out of the way, the CMS Secretariat has begun to take on a more permanent shape. In mid-December, Ms. Linette Eitz-Lamare (India) will join the staff of the Secretariat as a full-time clerk, replacing Ms. Eve Kolasa who had served in that position on a part-time basis. Readers familiar with CMS will recall the long-standing efforts to finance and recruit an administrative officer based in Bonn. The Secretariat has recently submitted a proposal to UNEP for the recruitment of a person experienced in fund management and programme matters. A number of staff who were recruited to assist in preparations for the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties have now moved on, upon completion of their contracts. The Secretariat wishes Ms. Hilda Lunscken (United States) and Mr. Hubert-Marie Cuvelier (France) every success in their future careers. Just two essential posts remain to be filled that of Information Officer and Information Assistant. The recruitment exercise for the former is well advanced, and the successful candidate should be able to join the Secretariat in early 1998. The Information Assistant, who will be recruited locally, is expected to be in place around the same time. Together their efforts should help to improve the character and frequency of information about CMS provided to the Parties and the public at large. Finally, a bit of housekeeping: in keeping with the decision of the Conference of the Parties to harmonize the titles of the head (Mr. Arnulf Müller-Helmbrecht) and deputy head (Mr. Douglas Hykle) of the CMS Secretariat with those of other comparable convention secretariats, their posts have been renamed Executive Secretary and Deputy Executive Secretary, respectively. Other newsEuropean Union and Indian CMS Focal Points retire After long careers in species conservation and more general environment matters, Mr. Richard Geiser and Mr. Subash Chandra Dey have retired from service in the European Commission and the Government of India, respectively. Both were actively involved in CMS issues, and were familiar figures at most of the major CMS meetings held in recent years. The Secretariat extends its appreciation to both gentlemen for their contribution to the development of the Convention, and wishes them a long and happy retirement. Australia has nominated Dr. David Kay as the new CMS Focal Point, following a change in post for Dr. Peter Bridgewater. Dr. Bridgewater was Chair of the CMS Standing Committee between 1994 and 1997, and was actively involved in the Convention's work during that period. Linkages
The Executive Secretary attended part of the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES in Harare in June, and made a statement about the relationship between the two Conventions.
The Scientific Councillor for Belgium, Dr. Roseline Beudels-Jamare, attended a meeting of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific, Technical and Techno-logical Advice (SBSTTA) in Montreal in early September. At this meeting the Secretariat presented a progress report on collaboration between the two Conventions.
Convention secretariats have recently been invited to submit proposals as to how their respective activities can be incorporated into the UNEP's own work programme. The CMS Secretariat responded to this request in September, and further developments are awaited. Appeal!
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