The Aquatic Warbler Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was concluded in Minsk, Belarus, under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and became effective on 30 April 2003. It aims to safeguard the Aquatic Warbler, a small migratory waterbird that is estimated to have declined sharply at a rate equivalent to 40 per cent in the last 10 years.

Almost the complete world population of this species is breeding and spending part of the year in the marshes and fen mires of Belarus, Poland and the Ukraine. Its dependence on a specialised and vulnerable breeding habitat (for example marshes, fen mires) means it has become globally threatened, as its habitats have been suffering from constant decline. This decline is especially due to human induced changes in the hydrological regime in key sites (both drainage and flooding), changes in land use and habitat fragmentation due to infrastructure building. The effects of pollution pose a further threat.
The Aquatic Warbler migrates up to 12,000 km from Eastern Europe to sub-Saharan Africa. The migration strategy of the Aquatic Warbler requires the availability of many suitable stop-over sites, the loss of which can be a potential bottleneck for the species.
This MoU reflects the common concern over the dramatic decline of this bird species and reflects the Signatory States’ determination to reverse the current trend. The MoU area includes all countries where the Aquatic Warbler breeds, rests on migration or winters. The MoU area includes Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, the Russian Federation, Senegal, Spain, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. CMS and BirdLife International, which also was involved in the MoU’s development, have also signed the MoU as collaborating organisations. The First Meeting of the Signatory States (Criewen, 2006) endorsed working further with competent authorities of three countries originally identified as Aquatic Warbler Range States - France, the Netherlands, Russian Federation and inviting Mauritania and Morocco to join the MoU. An up to date list of the MoU’s Signatories is found in the Agreement Summary Sheet.
The MoU calls for cooperation among national authorities to promote the conservation of the species. It requires the strict protection of the species and the maintenance and restoration of its habitat.

The Action Plan

A detailed Action Plan is annexed to the MoU. It summarises the distribution, biology and conservation status of the Aquatic Warbler, and describes precise actions to be taken by relevant countries.
The main objective of the Action Plan is to maintain the Aquatic Warbler throughout its range and, in the medium to long term, promote the expansion of the breeding population to other suitable areas. Actions to be taken by the Signatories can be summarized in four different categories: legislative measures to ensure the species’ conservation, species and habitat protection, monitoring and research and the establishment of a public awareness strategy.

Activities

The MoU provides an intergovernmental framework for governments, scientists and other groups to monitor and coordinate ongoing conservation efforts. Progress in MoU and Action Plan implementation is described in the Secretariat’s Overview Report provided at regular MoU Signatory meetings.

Governments and conservation groups throughout the species’ range are working actively to conserve the Aquatic Warbler and its breeding and migratory habitats. Several large-scale projects have been successfully implemented or are underway in key Aquatic Warbler flyway countries in order to secure breeding and stop-over sites. Additionally, CMS has worked with BirdLife International to establish a jointly-funded MoU coordinator. Working out of Belarus, the MoU coordinator oversees the publication of the Aquatic Warbler Flyway Newsletter, identifies additional funding sources and maintains links with conservation organizations.

In January of 2007, the BirdLife International Aquatic Warbler Conservation Team discovered a key site within the Aquatic Warbler’s wintering grounds in West Africa, which were completely unknown until then. According to first estimates, the Djoudj National Park in Northwest Senegal and its surroundings are believed to hold up to a third of the world population. Much of the Aquatic Warbler’s presumed historic wintering habitat has been converted into farmland and sugarcane plantations. Drought conditions caused by climate change could put increasing pressure on the Aquatic Warbler’s remaining habitat.

The discovery of the wintering site contributes to implementing the MoU and Action Plan. Signatory countries had agreed in 2006 to invite Mauritania, with similar habitat on the opposite side of the Senegal River, to join the MoU. This would allow Senegal and Mauritania to coordinate their conservation efforts. Additionally, the discovery will create an extra incentive for European conservation efforts to be extended into Africa to truly encompass the bird’s full migratory range.