International news

To mark the anniversary of the signing of the Ramsar Convention – an intergovernmental agreement seeking to protect wetlands of international importance – the 2nd of February each year is celebrated as “World Wetlands Day” which is a significant event in the calendar of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) too. Jacques Trouvilliez, Executive Secretary of AEWA, explains why.

To mark World Wetlands Day today, Jacques Trouvilliez, the Executive Secretary of AEWA has written an opinion article (“Op-Ed”) emphasizing the importance of wetlands for the conservation of many migratory species and especially the waterbirds of the African-Eurasian Flyway.

The Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) in its capacity as Depositary of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migrator

The 44^th meeting of the CMS Standing Committee will take place from Wednesday, 14 to Thursday, 15 October 2015 at the UNEP/CMS Secretariat premises, Platz der Vereinten Nationen 1, 53113

Dear colleagues and friends of migratory waterbirds across the African-Eurasian region and beyond,

It is my sincere pleasure to announce the start of the 20th anniversary year of AEWA – the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement. For the past two decades, AEWA has provided the framework for international cooperation on the conservation and management of migratory waterbird populations in the region - also serving as an example for flyway cooperation around the globe.

Bonn, 16 January 2015 – This year marks the 20th anniversary of the successful conclusion of the negotiation of the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) in The Hag

As is customary at this time of the year, the IOSEA Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Secretariat presents a compilation of marine turtle-related news of the past 12 months, from around the Indian Ocean – South-East Asia region.

Umweltverbände werben für besseren Schutz des Ostseeschweinswals

Stralsund – Ab dem 15. Januar zeigen NABU, WDC, OceanCare und das Kleinwalschutzabkommen ASCOBANS die künstlerischen Beiträge zum Kreativwettbewerb „Die letzten 300“ im Deutschen Meeresmuseum Stralsund. Mit der Ausstellung machen die Organisatoren auf die kritische Lage des Ostseeschweinswals aufmerksam. Nur noch wenige Hundert Tiere des einzigen in Deutschland heimischen Wals leben in der zentralen Ostsee. Bundesumweltministerin Barbara Hendricks ist Schirmherrin der Ausstellung.

The third session of the Plenary of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) opened today in the World Conference Center (WCCB) in Bonn, Germany. The agenda for the week-long deliberations includes consideration of the implementation of the 2014-2018 work programme; the Platform’s initial programme of work, financial and budgetary arrangements, and operational rules and procedures.

As part of a collaboration with nature protection organizations Whale and Dolphin Conservation, NABU and OceanCare, ASCOBANS is co-organizing an exhibition on the Baltic harbour porpoise in the German Oceanographic Museum in Stralsund, Germany.