Budapest, 18-23 May 2003

Resolution 3

RECALLING that the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals 1979 (CMS) encourages international cooperative action to conserve migratory species;

CONSIDERING that migratory raptors constitute an important part of the global biological diversity which, in keeping with the spirit of the Convention on Biological Diversity 1992 and Agenda 21, should be conserved for the benefit of present and future generations;

AWARE of the environmental, ecological, genetic, scientific, aesthetic, recreational, cultural, educational, social and economic values of raptors in general;

CONSCIOUS that migratory raptors are particularly vulnerable because they migrate over long distances, with many species being reliant upon land-bridges and/or networks of fragile habitats that are declining in extent and becoming degraded through unsustainable human activities;

RECOGNISING the need to take immediate action to halt the decline of migratory raptor populations and their habitats in the geographic area of the African-Eurasian raptor migration systems;

CONVINCED that a multilateral agreement and its implementation through coordinated and concerted action would contribute significantly to the conservation of migratory raptors and their habitats in the most effective manner, and would deliver ancillary benefits for many other species of animal and plant;

URGES the CMS Secretariat and other bodies of CMS, notably the Scientific Council, urgently to consider establishing a multilateral agreement on the conservation of African-Eurasian migratory raptors;

ACKNOWLEDGES that effective implementation of such an agreement would require assistance to be provided to some range states for research, training and monitoring of migratory raptor species and their habitats, for the management of those habitats as well as for the establishment or improvement of scientific and administrative institutions for the implementation of such an agreement; and

FURTHER URGES all range states within the African-Eurasian geographic area actively to embrace this proposal and to work together to establish, ratify and implement such an agreement as a matter of urgency.