28 countries sign MoU on conservation of migratory birds of prey in Abu Dhabi

The signing ceremony took place in Abu Dhabi on the last day of a meeting organized by the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD), along with the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and UK's Department of Food and Agriculture.

The MoU, which was finalized during the three-day meeting attended by delegates from 50 countries, include measures to conserve migratory birds of prey in Africa and Eurasia

HE Dr. Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahad, UAE Minister of Environment & Water, signed this agreement on behalf of the UAE Government.

The signing ceremony was attended by the Yemeni Minister of Water and Environment as well as HE Dr. Abdul-Rahman Al-Eryani who signed on behalf of Republic of Yemen, HE Alain Azouaou, the Ambassador of France to UAE.

Countries signed on the MoU include Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Gambia, Angola, Mali, Madagascar, Djibouti, D R Congo, Republic of Congo, Burundi, Togo, Sudan, Senegal, Chad, Armenia, Norway, Netherlands, Portugal, Finland, UK, Mongolia, Hungary, Pakistan, France Yemen and UAE.

The Signatories to this MoU have agreed to take coordinated measures to achieve and maintain the favorable conservation status of birds of prey throughout their range and to reverse their decline when and where appropriate.

They will strive to adopt, implement and enforce such legal, regulatory and administrative measures as may be appropriate to conserve birds of prey and their habitat.

They also agreed to endeavor to identify important habitats, significant routes and congregatory sites for birds of prey occurring within their territory and encourage their protection, and appropriate management, assessment, rehabilitation and restoration; and coordinate their efforts to ensure that a network of suitable habitats is maintained or, where appropriate, established inter alia where such habitats extend over the territory of more than one Signatory.

The Signatories also agreed to investigate problems that are posed or are likely to be posed by human activities or from other causes and will endeavor to implement remedial and preventative measures; cooperate in emergency situations requiring concerted international action and ensure that any utilization of birds of prey is based on an assessment using the best available knowledge of their ecology and is sustainable for the species as well as for the ecological systems that support them.

They also agreed to take appropriate measures for the recovery of bird populations and re-introduction of birds of prey native to their territory and take appropriate measures to prevent the introduction into their territory of non-native birds of prey.

In addition they will also encourage research into the biology and ecology of birds of prey, assess training requirements to implement conservation actions and develop and maintain programmes to raise awareness and understanding of conservation issues relating to birds of prey and exchange information and the results from research, monitoring, conservation and education programmes.

Signatories had decided to establish an Interim Coordinating Unit in collaboration with the authorities of the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, immediately after the conclusion of this MoU.

The Interim Unit will operate until the establishment of a permanent Coordinating Unit.

This Memorandum of Understanding will become effective on the first day of the month following the date on which there are at least eight Range State Signatories including at least two each from Europe, Asia and Africa.

Delegated who attended the three-day meeting also approved the MoU Action Plan which comes into effect on the same date as the MoU for a period of seven years.

For the effective period of the Action Plan, three objectives were set which include halting and reversing the population declines of globally threatened and Near Threatened birds of prey and alleviate threats to them; halting and reversing the population declines of other birds of prey with an Unfavourable Conservation Status within Africa and Eurasia and alleviate threats to them in order to return their populations to Favourable Conservation Status; and to anticipate, reduce and avoid potential and new threats to all bird of prey species, especially to prevent the populations of any species undergoing long-term decline.