15th anniversary book written by Gerard C. Boere

152 Pages·2010·16.88 MB·English

The History of the Agreement on
the Conservation of African-Eurasian
Migratory Waterbirds
Its development and implementation in the
period 1985-2000, within the broader context of
waterbird and wetlands conservation
by
Dr. Gerard C. Boere
The History of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds
Its development and implementation in the period 1985-2000, within the broader context of waterbird and wetlands
conservation.
by Dr. Gerard C. Boere
UNEP / AEWA Secretariat, Bonn, Germany. 148 pages.
Author: Dr. Gerard C. Boere; Honorary Patron of AEWA.
Produced by: UNEP/AEWA Secretariat
Editing & Proof Reading: Robert Vagg
Scans of reports, books, documents, and photos: Dr. Gerard C. Boere
Design: Florian Keil, Nikolas Pankau, Dunia Sforzin
Printing: in puncto druck+medien GmbH
© 2010 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)/Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory
Waterbirds (AEWA).
ISBN 978-3-9813731-2-7
This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit purposes without special
permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. UNEP would appreciate receiving a
copy of any publication that uses this publication as a source. No use of this publication may be made for resale or for any other
commercial purpose whatsoever without prior permission in writing from the United Nations Environment Programme.
DISCLAIMER
The contents of this volume do not necessarily reflect the views of UNEP, the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat or contributory
organizations. The designations employed and the presentations do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the
part of UNEP or contributory organizations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area in its authority, or
concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
Copies of this publication are available from the
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Image front page: Participants of the First Consultative Meeting on the development of AEWA, 12-14 June 1994 at the UNEP
premises in Nairobi, Kenya (Photo: UNEP).
2
The History of the Agreement on the
Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory
Waterbirds
Its development and implementation in the period 1985-2000,
within the broader context of waterbird and wetlands conservation
by
Dr. Gerard C. Boere
Published by the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat on the occasion of the 15th Anniversary of the
Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA)
in June 2010
3
Great White Pelicans, Pelecanus onocrotalus (Photo: Sergey Dereliev (UNEP/AEWA)).
Contents
Forewords ............................................................................................................................................................... 7
Introduction, rationale and acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... 10
1. Historical background and the broader perspective of waterbird and wetland
conservation in Eurasia - Africa .............................................................................................................................. 13
2. Steps towards the development of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory
Waterbirds (AEWA); the development process over time ...................................................................................... 27
2.1. The First Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CMS (COP1) in 1985 ..................................... 28
2.2. The AEWA development process and other activities between CMS COP1 (October 1985)
and CMS COP2 (October 1988) ............................................................................................................... 30
2.3. Further progress in the period 1989 to 1993; developing the WPWA and its Annexes
into a more definitive format ...................................................................................................................... 33
2.3.1. Meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Western Palearctic Waterfowl
Agreement, 6 and 7 February 1990, The Hague, the Netherlands .............................................. 39
2.3.2. The period after the Ad Hoc Working Group meeting of February 1990
until the end of 1993 ..................................................................................................................... 45
2.3.3. Other countries and regions stimulating the development of AEWA
in the period 1990-1994 ............................................................................................................... 52
2.4. Informal Negotiation Meeting on the draft Agreement text of AEWA,
12-14 June 1994, Nairobi, Kenya .............................................................................................................. 53
2.5. The formal Negotiation Meeting, June 1995, The Hague, the Netherlands ....................................... 57
2.6. Interim Secretariat period 1 January 1996 – 1 January 2000 and the First Session of
the Meeting of the Parties (MOP1) in November 1999 ............................................................................. 64
2.6.1. Development, since 1989, of special contacts with the USSR/Russian Federation/Arctic
region as one of the main breeding areas for migratory waterbirds and its involvement
during the development process of the Agreement ..................................................................... 64

2.6.2. Development and activities of the Interim Secretariat from 1 January 1996 onwards ....... 69
2.6.3. Organization of AEWA MOP1 ............................................................................................. 73
2.7. After AEWA MOP1, November 1999, Cape Town, South Africa ........................................................ 78
3. Final remarks ...................................................................................................................................................... 81
Annex 1. Notes added to the text ........................................................................................................................... 82
Annex 2. List of Acronyms ...................................................................................................................................... 115
Annex 3. Selected original documents .................................................................................................................. 117
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African Spoonbills, Platalea alba (Photo: Sergey Dereliev (UNEP/AEWA)).
Foreword by Bert Lenten, Executive Nature and Food Quality (LNV) and
Secretary of AEWA author of this book, Dr. Gerard C.
Boere for all their tireless efforts to
In Dutch we have a saying something negotiate AEWA. Furthermore, I
like this: ‘he who does not know his would also like to take this opportunity
past does not have a future’. This to thank the Government of the
expression makes clear that lessons Netherlands and in particular LNV for
learned in the past will prevent you their substantial support to the whole
from making the same mistakes in the process of developing an Agreement
future. for the African-Eurasian Flyways. This
Ministry made it possible for Dr. Boere
The book before you is meant to give to spend a great part of his time on
an overview of the history of AEWA. this subject.
While reading the initial text I came
to the conclusion that drafting an At the beginning of January 1996
Agreement like AEWA is something I was appointed by the LNV as
that does not happen overnight. Executive Secretary of the Interim
Particularly consulting all major Secretariat of AEWA, which was
stakeholders is very time consuming. based at the Ministry in The Hague.
Sometimes little progress could be Since then I have had the pleasure
made at a certain time due to reasons to work on the implementation
unknown. The author assumes that and further development of the
some stakeholders were not interested Agreement. Looking back a great deal
at all in finalizing this Agreement. I has been achieved due to support
believe that the ten years or so that it received from many Contracting
took to draft and conclude AEWA was and Non-Contracting Parties and
not a waste of time. On the contrary Partner Organizations, for which the
this time has made it possible for all Secretariat is very grateful. Hopefully
major stakeholders to be ready to we can count on all of you to support
‘embark on AEWA’ and to conclude the implementation of the Agreement
the Agreement during the final in the years to come because much
Negotiation Meeting which took place more has to be done to reverse
from 14 to 16 June 1995, at the Ministry the decline of many populations of
of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. migratory waterbird species. We are
still not there.
Not having been involved in the
drafting and consultation process
myself, I would like to thank Bert Lenten
particularly the former Executive
Secretary of the Convention on
Migratory Species, Mr Arnulf Müller-
Helmbrecht and former Senior Policy
Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture,
7
A view on AEWA by one of its UN Stockholm Conference on
founding fathers: Dr. Eugeniusz the Human Environment. The
Nowak German Government took the
lead in developing such an
My involvement in the development instrument which was concluded
of an international instrument for the in 1979. During the same years the
conservation of migratory waterbirds development of the Birds Directive of
goes back to the late seventies of the European Union also took place.
the last century or even earlier as I The Birds Directive provides a strict
had already been involved in IWRB international legal framework for the
activities while still in Poland. In EU Member States to protect their By the end it took another 10 years
1973 I organized an IWRB meeting breeding birds and take measures before AEWA could be concluded;
in Warsaw where the international to protect them during migration partly due to the fact that there
aspects of waterbird conservation as well, both in and outside the was in the beginning almost no
were already being discussed with European Union. CMS Secretariat to facilitate and
my Russian colleagues who were coordinate the development
very interested and most supportive. In June 1979 I published my ideas process. Judith Johnson, who
Nobody was really thinking about a on migratory bird conservation in became the first Coordinator, had
legal instrument on the flyway level an article in the German journal many other tasks including setting
then, but there was strong support ‘Natur und Landschaft’ (Nature and up activities of CMS in general. Also
to increase international cooperation Landscape) with a plea for much the issue of hunting influenced the
in the whole Palearctic. more research and international time schedule.
cooperation on migratory birds (see
The activities of the Ramsar also fig. 17 and 18 and note 46). Now, more than 30 years later, I am
Convention had just started. Its very pleased and impressed to see
Article 5 on the need for international It was encouraging to see that the that AEWA has proven to be that
cooperation was mainly seen as first CMS COP supported these practical international conservation
applying to cross border activities ideas and adopted the resolution instrument that I had in mind when
and river catchment areas involving to start with the development of a I started. It remains a pity that the
more than one country. Very few few CMS Agreements including one Russian Federation, so important
people thought about applying that on Anatidae. What I really wanted for millions of migratory waterbirds,
article on a migration route level; was that a sound international has not yet joined AEWA.
even the word “flyway” was not instrument that in a practical way
frequently used. facilitated conservation, sustainable My sincere congratulations to Bert
management and research on Lenten and his team for the good
This was the period when I migratory birds (just waterbirds as work conducted since 1996 with
was also closely involved in the a first step) could become true. I the Interim Secretariat in The Hague
discussions on the development of prepared some first ideas for the and from 2000 onwards with the
the Bonn Convention. Developing Agreement and what should be Secretariat in Bonn.
an international instrument for addressed. From the very beginning
the worldwide conservation of there was a good cooperation with Continue the good work!
all migratory species stemmed the Netherlands and with Dr. Gerard
from a decision of the 1972 C. Boere in particular. Eugeniusz Nowak
8
Inspired people make the world What are the main elements of
go round AEWA for me?
The foundation stone for AEWA was The first to come to mind is the
laid during the first Meeting of the shared passion for migratory birds.
Parties of the Bonn Convention in A passion that sometimes has
1985. A working group, which I its origin in a fascination with the
had the pleasure of chairing, made mystery of animals which know
a recommendation to the plenary exactly where they want to travel
meeting on a coherent approach to to. This passion can also derive
and commitment to the organization
policy on management, including from studying migratory birds and
ensured that many joined the club.
hunting, of waterbirds along the their routes or can even have its
People like Gerard make the world
Western Palearctic migration roots in the economic relevance of
a better place.
route. This recommendation was migration. But this shared passion
unanimously acclaimed by the always results in the will and
I am very grateful for the opportunity
Meeting of the Parties. determination to be active in the
to have been involved in the
management and protection of
instigation of the AEWA. It has meant
My memories of that meeting migratory birds; with the ultimate
many wonderful moments for me,
are crystal clear. It was my first aim of contributing to a sustainable
but more importantly: AEWA has
international meeting and I had future for the migration routes.
played a substantial role in the
been cajoled into leading the
protection of migratory birds.
delegation which also comprised Secondly, AEWA means inspiring
Magnificent and important birds
my colleagues Nico Visser and Ton meetings with people who share
which are, above all, the symbol
Boon van Ochssee (Foreign Affairs). this passion. People who, at every
of the connection of nature and
It was also the first time that I met level, are involved in the protection
people in the continents of Africa
Herbie Kalchreuter, Yves Lecoq, Tim of migratory birds; those in the long
and Europe.
Jones and many others with whom drawn out meetings in government
I would continue to be in contact buildings discussing document
There is still much work to be done.
during the years to come as AEWA details, those in research institutes
May our migratory birds form the
was further developed. I also have a processing field data in order to
source of inspiration to continue
very clear memory of the meeting in gain insight into the migration routes
doing this work with relentless
The Hague (1990), where a working and, above all, those involved, on a
energy.
group sketched out the contours day to day basis, in the practical
of AEWA; contours that remained aspects of protecting the many
intact in the years that followed. migratory birds in our natural areas.
Chris Kalden
AEWA supports and underpins this
Both these memories formed the teamwork.
starting point for countless other
memories and meetings with And finally, working together with
countless numbers of people in Gerard Boere, for whom I have
countless locations throughout huge admiration. Without him AEWA
Europe and Africa. simply would not have come into
existence. His boundless energy
9
Introduction, rationale and acknowledgements
The development of the Agreement on the Conservation complex negotiations sometimes are and how external
of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) took a political factors can influence the process and delay
period of 10 years for the formal conclusion and another the conclusion. In the case of the Ramsar Convention,
four years before the Agreement came into force. The it was the 1968 crisis in Czechoslovakia which led to
idea of a structured instrument for the flyway was first the planned wetlands and waterbird conference in
suggested in an IUCN document of 1983; we have now Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) in the USSR losing its
moved on almost 30 years. Clearly it takes time to reach diplomatic status. It had been hoped that a text for the
a consensus on international instruments requiring from wetlands convention could have been concluded or at
Parties a commitment to undertake, in this case, active least very nearly finalized.
conservation measures for migratory waterbirds and
their habitats in the African-Eurasian region. It was not that problematic for the development of
AEWA. But still the EC Birds Directive required that
Few conventions and treaties have documented their an international instrument like AEWA had to be first
history of development. One of the best known is the discussed and agreed within the Member States. This
book by Geoffrey Matthews (former Director of the delayed the conclusion of AEWA by 2-3 years as did
Wildfowl Trust in Slimbridge and IWRB) about the the issue of hunting. However, you cannot ignore the
development of the Ramsar Convention. It shows how political and policy realities even if sometimes it was a
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