THE AFRICAN INITIATIVE. Advancing the implementation of AEWA in Africa for migratory waterbirds and people

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1 THE AFRICAN INITIATIVE Advancing the implementation of AEWA in Africa for migratory waterbirds and people

2 Introduction The idea to advance the implementation of AEWA in Africa was conceived during the 4 th Meeting of the Parties (MOP4) to AEWA in Madagascar in 2008 and resulted in the birth of the AEWA African Initiative, adopted by Resolution 4.9. The initiative was expected to contribute to reversing the negative trends in migratory waterbird populations and overcoming gaps in the implementation of the Agreement in Africa, particularly in these areas: training and capacity building; research and monitoring and increasing membership of the Agreement. This initiative, though young and emergent, has already demonstrated great success and is yielding a number of positive results, thanks to a combination of factors such as: Voluntary contributions from France, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland to support the implementation of some of the activities foreseen under the African Initiative; Substantial voluntary contributions from the Government of France which permitted the recruitment of a Coordinator for the African Initiative and part-time Programme Assistant, based within the AEWA Secretariat, for the period of ; Substantial voluntary contributions from the European Union (EU) under the Thematic Programme for Environment and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources including Energy (ENRTP) Strategic Cooperation Agreement (SCA) between the European Commission - Directorate General (DG) for the Environment and UNEP, to support capacity building particularly in Africa from ; A stronger and fruitful collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), particularly in the area of capacity building, which is signifi cantly enhancing efforts to improve implementation of both CMS and AEWA in Africa. The investments in the African Initiative since its launch in August 2009 are already paying off! This is clearly demonstrated in some major successes achieved over the period Capacity Building The need for improved capacity to put into effect both AEWA and CMS in Africa is indispensable given the relatively lower level of implementation compared to other regions. Accordingly, the CMS and AEWA Secretariats have been jointly pursuing the establishment and implementation of capacity building activities, particularly in the African region.

3 One outcome of this collaboration was the CMS and AEWA COP10 and MOP5 preparatory meeting and negotiations training which took place in Entebbe, Uganda, in October 2011 and was made possible thanks to fi nancial contributions from the Governments of Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and the United Republic of Tanzania, and support from the UNEP Division of Environmental Law and Conventions (DELC), Wetlands International and BirdLife International. Another major achievement was the successful application for the joint CMS and AEWA project on the Effective Implementation of CMS, AEWA and other CMS-Family Instruments across Various Regions and Languages through Capacity Building, which focuses on the African region and is being funded by under the ENRTP SCA between the EC-DG for Environment and UNEP. The CMS and AEWA Secretariats have established a working group on capacity building to facilitate the implementation of the joint activities foreseen in the ENRTP project, which will run over the period of and further strengthen cooperation between the different CMS Instruments. The following activities linked to the ENRTP project have already been launched and are of direct benefi t for the African region: The AEWA African pre-mop5 workshop from May 2012 in La Rochelle, France; The development of a handbook and accompanying e-learning tool in 2012, on the roles and responsibilities of National Focal Points (NFP) for CMS, AEWA and other CMS Instruments, aimed at strengthening the institutional capacity for their effi cient involvement in the coordinated conservation of migratory species; The delivery of three training courses in 2013 for NFPs of CMS, AEWA and other CMS Instruments in Africa using the learning tools developed; The delivery of two Training of Trainers courses in 2012 for Eastern, Southern, and Portuguese-speaking African countries, using the Wings Over Wetlands Flyway Training Kit; An African preparatory workshop in 2014, aimed at improving the participation of the region at the CMS COP11 and AEWA MOP6. Joining efforts of CMS and AEWA will ultimately lead to more effi cient and effective implementation of the instruments!

4 Promoting the Conservation of AEWA Species and their Habitats in Africa Thanks to voluntary contributions from the Governments of Germany, France, Switzerland and the support of the Government of Botswana, an International SSAP for the Slaty Egret (Egretta vinaceigula) has been drafted and will be presented to the AEWA MOP5. This will contribute to improving the conservation status of the species over its entire range, covering Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Funds have also been secured from the Government of Switzerland to develop International SSAPs for the Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) and Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum). A workshop for stakeholders to plan actions for the development of the SSAP for the Shoebill is scheduled to take place in Entebbe, Uganda, from 9-12 October All three species are of high priority for the development of SSAPs under AEWA. Supporting Conservation Action on the Ground The AEWA Small Grants Funds (SGF) aims to facilitate the implementation of the Agreement in developing countries and countries with economies in transition. It became operational in 2010 thanks to the allocation of 20,000 per year in the AEWA core budget for the period of , and additional voluntary contributions from the Governments of France and Switzerland. It has been implemented so far in Africa only, in the framework of the African Initiative. In 2010, fi ve projects from Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Kenya and Madagascar were funded for a total of 93,071 and in 2011, two projects from Ghana and Tanzania were funded for a total of 43,400. The AEWA SGF has so far assisted both governmental and non-governmental organizations with projects which range from species and habitat conservation to training and awareness-raising for different target groups. It has also strengthened the network of organisations concerned with the implementation of AEWA at the national level. The 2012 cycle of the AEWA SGF runs in parallel with the Small Grants Funds Programme (SGP) of the CMS, which facilitates the implementation of CMS at the grass-roots level, particularly in developing countries. Thanks to a voluntary contribution from UNEP, the CMS SGP foresees to disburse at least 75,000 annually for the period of , part of which may be used to support projects in Africa. Both Secretariats are working toward a stronger collaboration between the AEWA SGF and CMS SGP in the coming years.

5 Recruitment of New Parties from Africa Effective implementation of AEWA requires that all Range States legally commit themselves towards international cooperation for the conservation of migratory waterbirds and their habitats, by becoming Parties to the Agreement. Although up to 41 per cent of the AEWA Parties are currently from Africa, over half of the African countries (52 per cent) are yet to accede to AEWA. In Afr ica, the biggest gaps in membership to CMS and AEWA are in Central and Southern Africa. As a result, both Secretariats have joined efforts to recruit new Parties from Africa, through joint accession missions and workshops. Table 1: African countries that acceded to AEWA and CMS over the period Country Entry into force of AEWA and CMS Mozambique CMS Ethiopia AEWA: CMS: Equatorial Guinea CMS Burundi CMS: Chad AEWA: AEWA: Zimbabwe CMS: In addition to the African Parties that acceded to CMS and AEWA over the period (see Table 1), Swaziland is at an advanced stage of accession to both, and Burkina Faso, Cote d Ivoire, Gabon and Mauritania are equally close to completing their accession to AEWA. Representatives from these countries are expected to deliver statements on this at the AEWA MOP5. The Future of the African Initiative The African Initiative has so far provided a much needed boost to the implementation of AEWA in the African region, yet, a great deal still needs to be done. This is clearly seen in the analyses from the 5 th edition of the AEWA Conservation Status Report (CRS5), whereby the state of migratory waterbirds continues to be particularly bad in the Afrotropical region, which shows particularly poor or worse population trend estimates compared to the assessments in the CRS4, and continues to hold the largest number and proportion of AEWA populations belonging to species on the IUCN Red List. The achievements under this initiative have only been possible thanks to having dedicated staff in place, in the persons of the Coordinator for the African Initiative and the Programme Assistant. As requested in Resolution 4.9, a draft Plan of Action for the conservation of migratory waterbirds and their habitats in Africa has been developed by

6 the Secretariat and will be presented to the AEWA MOP5 for fi nalization and adoption. The Plan of Action is expected to provide a coherent framework for the future implementation of the African initiative. An important aspect associated with the adoption of the Plan of Action by MOP5 will be the decision of a mechanism to support its implementation. Comforted by the positive results achieved in the implementation of the African Initiative since MOP4, the Secretariat would be ready to continue providing a central coordinating role. This will of course only be possible if the Coordination Unit is retained. However, it is envisaged that the actual implementation of some activities under the initiative will be done by partner organizations based in Africa, where the Secretariat continues to expand its network of partners. Furthermore, it is the intention of the Secretariat that the Coordination Unit for the African Initiative will be led by a citizen of an African country. Further improving collaboration with the CMS Secretariat is a key component of the AEWA Secretariat s strategy to support the future implementation of the African initiative. The CMS Secretariat has successfully applied for a Junior Professional Offi cer (JPO), as Associate Capacity Building Offi cer for Africa, funded by Finland. She is also involved in supporting the coordination some of the CMS Memoranda of Understanding in the African region. Close access to resources and expertise within the AEWA and CMS Secretariats has provided ample opportunities for collaboration between the Coordinator for the African Initiative, the CMS Associate Capacity Building Offi cer, other colleagues in the CMS Information and Capacity Building Unit and the CMS Associate Fundraising Offi cer, particularly for activities in Africa. This underlines the effective use of the limited resources available in both Secretariats, to achieve a win-win situation, with the unique example of the support received from the EU for a common capacity building programme for AEWA, CMS and its Instruments in Africa. The CMS and AEWA Secretariats are ready to continue collaborating for the benefi t of the implementation of our treaties in Africa with the aim to halt further loss of biodiversity. Contact UNEP/CMS Secretariat UN Campus Hermann-Ehlers-Str Bonn, Germany Tel. ( ) Fax. ( ) secretariat@cms.int UNEP/AEWA Secretariat UN Campus Hermann-Ehlers-Str Bonn, Germany Tel: (+49) Fax: (+49) aewa@unep.de For any questions regarding CMS and AEWA activities in Africa, please contact: Ms. Evelyn Moloko: emoloko@unep.de / Ms. Sofi a Chaichee: schaichee@cms.int For photo credits please see: