In the event of a request by the Advisory Committee
for a meeting of Parties under the emergency provisions
of Article IX (7), the Parties affected, in co-operation
as appropriate with each other and with any others,
shall develop and implement emergency measures.
The Parties shall take a precautionary approach when
re-establishing albatrosses and petrels into parts
of their traditional breeding range. In such cases,
they shall develop and follow a detailed re-establishment
scheme. Such schemes shall be based on best scientific
evidence and should be publicly available. The Parties
shall inform the Secretariat where possible in advance
of all re-establishment schemes.
1.4 Non-native Taxa
1.4.1 The Parties shall take all feasible action
to prevent the introduction to habitats, deliberately
or otherwise, of non-native taxa of animals, plants
or hybrids or disease-causing organisms that may
be detrimental to populations of albatrosses and
petrels.
1.4.2 The Parties shall take measures to the extent
feasible to control and, where possible, eradicate
non-native taxa of animals or plants, or hybrids
thereof, that are, or may be, detrimental to populations
of albatrosses or petrels. Such measures should
satisfy to the extent feasible, humane and environmental
considerations.
2. Habitat Conservation and Restoration
2.1 General Principles
So far as is appropriate and necessary, the Parties
shall take such management action, and introduce
such legislative and other controls, as will maintain
populations of albatrosses and petrels at, or restore
them to, favourable conservation status, and prevent
the degradation of habitats.
2.2 Land-based conservation
2.2.1 Where feasible, the Parties shall give protection
to the breeding sites of albatrosses and petrels,
using existing mechanisms where available. For all
such protected areas, the Parties shall endeavour
to develop and implement management plans and take
other actions which maintain and enhance the conservation
status of the species, including inter alia the
prevention of habitat degradation, the reduction
of disturbance to habitats and the minimisation
or elimination of damage by introduced non-native
animals, plants, hybrids or disease-causing organisms.
2.2.2 The Parties shall, wherever possible and
relevant, co-operate on habitat protection initiatives,
especially to ensure the protection and restoration
of as many as possible of the breeding sites of
albatrosses and petrels that have unfavourable conservation
status.
2.2.3 The Parties shall individually or collectively
ensure that all breeding sites of international
importance for albatrosses and petrels are given
priority attention.
2.3 Conservation of marine habitats
2.3.1 The Parties shall endeavour individually
and collectively to manage marine habitats so as
to:
a) ensure the sustainability of marine living
resources that provide food for albatrosses and
petrels; and
b) avoid pollution that may harm albatrosses
and petrels.
2.3.2 The Parties shall individually or collectively
seek to develop management plans for the most important
foraging and migratory habitats of albatrosses and
petrels. Such plans shall seek to minimise risks
in accordance with paragraph 2.3.1.
2.3.3 The Parties shall take special measures individually
and collectively to conserve marine areas which
they consider critical to the survival and/or restoration
of species of albatrosses and petrels which have
unfavourable conservation status.
3. Management of human activities
3.1 Impact Assessment
The Parties shall assess the potential impact on
albatrosses and petrels of policies, plans, programmes
and projects which they consider likely to affect
the conservation of albatrosses and petrels before
any decision on whether to adopt such policies, plans,
programmes or projects, and shall make the results
of these assessments publicly available.
3.2 Incidental mortality in fisheries
3.2.1 The Parties shall take appropriate operational,
management and other measures to reduce or eliminate
the mortality of albatrosses and petrels resulting
incidentally from fishing activities. Where possible,
the measures applied should follow best current
practice.
3.2.2 In relation to fishing activities under the
auspices of a regional fisheries organisation, or
other organisations managing marine living resources
more generally, such as the Commission of CCAMLR, the Parties shall consider information
and evaluations from that organisation, and shall
adopt, in its area of competence, the measures agreed
by that organisation for reducing the incidental
taking of albatrosses and petrels. Notwithstanding
this, and in conformity with the provisions of Article
XIII (3), the Parties may implement measures, that
are more strict than those measures, when such measures
are within their competency, taking account of the
provisions of Article I (3).
3.2.3 The Parties which are also parties to other
relevant treaties (such as CCAMLR),
or members of relevant international organisations
(such as FAO), shall encourage the institutions
of, and other parties to, or members of, such treaties
or organisations, to give effect to the objective
of this Agreement.
3.2.4 The Parties shall endeavour, within the context
of this Agreement, to adopt additional measures
to combat illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing
activities that may have an adverse effect on albatrosses
and petrels.
3.3 Pollutants and marine debris
3.3.1 The Parties shall take appropriate measures,
within environmental conventions and by other means,
to minimise the discharge from land-based sources
and from vessels, of pollutants which may have an
adverse effect on albatrosses and petrels either
on land or at sea.
3.3.2 The Parties shall seek to manage, in ways
that are consistent with the aims of this Agreement,
mineral exploration and exploitation in waters under
their jurisdiction which are frequented by albatrosses
and petrels.
3.4 Disturbance
3.4.1 In both marine and terrestrial habitats,
the Parties shall seek to minimise disturbance of
albatrosses and petrels, and to establish and maintain
some areas that are kept free from disturbance.
3.4.2 The Parties shall seek to avoid or minimise
disturbance caused by, inter alia, tourism, and
in particular by controlling the proximity of approach
to breeding birds.
3.4.3 In permitting access to breeding sites of
albatrosses and petrels for purposes of scientific
research, particularly where species are of unfavourable
conservation status, the Parties shall require that
such research is designed and carried out so as
to avoid unnecessary disturbance to birds, or impact
on their habitats.
4. Research and monitoring
4.1 Parties shall seek to undertake research and
monitoring in order to fulfil the requirements of
Article III, both at sea and on land. Where appropriate,
they shall do so co-operatively, and shall seek
to facilitate the development of improved research
and monitoring techniques.
4.2 The Parties shall, through the use of at-sea
observers on fishing vessels or through other appropriate
methods, collect reliable and, where possible, verifiable
data to enable the accurate estimation of the nature
and extent of albatross and petrel interactions
with fisheries.
5. Collation of information by the Advisory
Committee
5.1 The reports of the Advisory Committee under
Article IX (6) c), should as appropriate include:
a) assessments and reviews of the status of populations
of albatrosses and petrels, including an assessment
of population trends of the species, especially
those in poorly known areas and of species for
which few data are available;
b) identification of internationally important
breeding sites;
c) reviews to characterise, on the basis of the
best available evidence, the foraging range (and
principal feeding areas within this) and migration
routes and patterns, of populations of albatrosses
and petrels;
d) identification and assessment of known and
suspected threats affecting albatrosses and petrels;
e) identification of existing and new methods
by which these threats may be avoided or mitigated;
f) reviews, and updating on a regular basis,
of data on the mortality of albatrosses and petrels
in, inter alia, commercial, and other relevant
fisheries;
g) reviews of data on the distribution and seasonality
of effort in fisheries which affect albatrosses
and petrels;
h) reviews of the status at breeding sites of
introduced animals, plants and disease-causing
organisms known or believed to be detrimental
to albatrosses and petrels;
i) reviews of the nature of, coverage by, and
effectiveness of, protection arrangements for
albatrosses and petrels;
j) reviews of recent and current research on
albatrosses and petrels with relevance to their
conservation status;
k) lists of authorities, research centres, scientists
and non-governmental organisations concerned with
albatrosses and petrels;
l) a directory of legislation concerning albatrosses
and petrels;
m) reviews of education and information programmes
aimed at conserving albatrosses and petrels; and
n) reviews of current taxonomy in relation to
albatrosses and petrels.
5.2 The Advisory Committee should identify gaps
in information as part of the above reviews, with
a view to addressing these in future priorities.
6. Education and Public Awareness
6.1 The Parties shall seek to make information
on the conservation status of albatrosses and petrels,
the threats facing them, and the activities taken
under the Agreement, available to the scientific,
fishing and conservation communities, as well as
to relevant local authorities and other decision-makers,
and to neighbouring states.
6.2 The Parties shall seek to make local communities
and the public in general more aware of the status
of albatrosses and petrels and the threats facing
them.
6.3 The Parties shall cooperate with each other,
the Secretariat and others with a view to developing
training programmes and exchanging resource materials.
6.4 The Parties shall, where necessary, arrange
for training programmes to ensure that personnel
responsible for the implementation of this Action
Plan have adequate knowledge to implement it effectively.
7. Implementation
7.1 The Advisory Committee shall develop conservation
guidelines to assist the Parties in the implementation
of this Action Plan. Where possible, these guidelines
should be consistent with those developed under
other international instruments.
7.2 The Parties shall collaborate with other countries
and organisations involved with albatross and petrel
research, monitoring and management for the purpose
of exchanging knowledge, skills and techniques to
ensure more effective implementation of this Action
Plan.
7.3 The Parties shall urge parties of other relevant
international instruments, in particular CCAMLR,
to recognise as appropriate the objectives of this
Action Plan.
7.4 The Secretariat shall regularly undertake a
review of potential means for providing necessary
resources (viz both funds and technical assistance)
for the implementation of this Action Plan, and
shall report on this to each ordinary session of
the Meeting of the Parties.
7.5 The Parties shall, either individually or through
the Secretariat, draw the attention of any state
which is not a Party to this Agreement to any activity
undertaken by its nationals or vessels which affects
the implementation of the Action Plan.
