| |
Context | nature conservation |
---|---|
Effective | 1 July 1993 (revised version 1 january 1999) |
Signatories | |
Languages | English |
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Concerning Conservation Measures for the Siberian Crane is a Multilateral Environmental Memorandum of Understanding and came into effect on 1 July 1993 and was amended in January 1999. It was the first MoU to be concluded under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention, and focuses on conserving the Siberian crane as one of the three rarest crane species. The MoU covers twelve range states (Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan (vagrant), Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan). As of August 2012, eleven range states have signed the MoU.
Taking into consideration the unfavorable conservation status of the Siberian crane (Leucogeranus leucogeranus) [1] and the fact that the species has the longest migration route of all crane species ranging from breeding areas in the Arctic regions of Asia to wintering grounds in southern Asia, the range states acknowledged that the species would benefit from international cooperation between the countries. Therefore, as the first one to be conducted under the CMS, an Article IV agreement was concluded and entered into effect on 1 July 1993 and was later revised in January 1999.
Signatories to the Siberian Crane MoU:
In addition, the following organizations have signed the MoU:
The Siberian crane is facing serious threats with hunting along the migration routes of the western/central population being the most immediate. Although shooting Siberian cranes is prohibited in most of the range states, illegal hunting persists. Another major problem is the habitat deterioration in their staging and wintering areas, especially along the eastern flyway. The MoU aims protecting the species through concerted, coordinated actions in order to prevent disappearance of the remaining populations.
Originally the MoU concentrated on the western and central populations of Siberian cranes, which migrate between breeding grounds in western Siberia and wintering sites in Iran and India. The scope of the MoU was extended in 1998 to cover the larger eastern Asian population which winters around Poyang Lake, China, and accounts for over 95 percent of the birds.
All signatories, being aware that the western and central populations of the Siberian crane have been reduced to the brink of extinction, and that the status of the eastern population is threatened, agree to work closely together to improve the conservation status of the species throughout its breeding, migrating and wintering range. To that end, they shall: [2]
The revised MoU took effect on 1 January 1999 and shall remain in effect indefinitely subject to the right of any signatory to terminate its participation by providing one year's written notice to all of the other signatories.
Meetings of signatories are organized regularly to review the conservation status and the implementation of the MoU and Conservation Plan. National reports by individual signatories as well as an overview report prepared by the secretariat are also submitted. As of August 2012, seven meetings have been held:
The most recent meeting to date was the Seventh meeting held in Germany, June 2010. This meeting reviewed a conservation status report, discussed progress in the designation of new sites for the Western/Central Asian Critical Network (WCACN), considered the scope for synergies with the Agreement on the conservation of African Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), agreed action priorities for each country, and adopted revised action plans for the three Siberian Crane Flyways. The Eighth meeting is scheduled to take place in 2013.
The CMS Secretariat – located in Bonn, Germany – acts as the secretariat to the MoU. One of the tasks of the secretariat is to organize the regular meetings of signatories and prepare an overview report compiled on the basis of information at its disposal.
A Conservation Plan is annexed to the MoU and provides a road map to guide the implementation of conservation action for the Siberian crane in the range states. In May 2001, conservation plans for the western, central and eastern populations have been drawn up and included several programmes and specific activities required to restore the populations. The overall aim of the three plans were to reduce mortality in the remaining populations, to protect and manage their habitats and enhance cooperation among the range states and other concerned agencies. As from 2007 one conservation plan for the three populations was agreed upon. The latest plan was adopted for the period 2010–2012. [3] The main objectives of the plans are:
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) approved a US$10 million, six-year project called “Development of a Wetland Site and Flyway Network for Conservation of the Siberian Crane and Other Migratory Waterbirds in Asia”, also commonly known as the Siberian Crane Wetland Project. [4] The project aims to protect a network of globally important wetlands in Asia for migratory waterbirds and uses the Siberian crane as a flagship species, linking activities at 16 key wetlands along the species’ western and eastern flyways in Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran and China. The main concentration of the project is strengthening national legislation, policy planning and enforcement, cooperation and training. The project started in April 2003 and finished in December 2009. Project outcomes include: [5]
The final report “Safe Flyways for the Siberian Crane” was launched at the UNEP General Council Meeting on February 24, 2010. [6] Overall, the SCWP strengthened the network of wetlands along the Siberian crane's flyways through improving site protection and management, e.g. GIS training for project consultants and reserve staff in Kazakhstan, international recognition through site designations under CMS, Ramsar and World Heritage Conventions, securing water supplies to water-stressed wetlands, integrating stakeholders concern and decision making into reserve management and undertaking education and awareness programs at local, national and flyway levels, e.g. crane celebrations.
The WCASN was formally launched on 18 March 2007 in Kazakhstan, in a special signing ceremony held during the Sixth Meeting of Signatories to the MoU. It is the first step towards developing a more comprehensive site network for migratory waterbirds under a wider framework proposed within the Central Asian Flyway (CAF) Initiative under CMS. [7] WCASN focuses on conservation efforts on sites of international importance for the Siberian crane along its west and central Asian flyways and its goal is to ensure the conservation of the species through recognition an appropriate management of a network of internationally important sites.
The China–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA) is a bilateral treaty between Australia and China that aims to protect migratory birds and their environment between the two countries. Throughout all six Articles, the treaty defines what a migratory bird is, outlines key prohibitions for both contracting parties and determines the responsibilities of both nations to protect migratory birds and their habitats. The CAMBA was first developed on 20 October, 1986, and came into force on 1 September, 1988. Eighty-one bird species are listed in the agreement, as shown in the CAMBA Annex listed below.
The Siberian crane, also known as the Siberian white crane or the snow crane, is a bird of the family Gruidae, the cranes. They are distinctive among the cranes: adults are nearly all snowy white, except for their black primary feathers that are visible in flight, and with two breeding populations in the Arctic tundra of western and eastern Russia. The eastern populations migrate during winter to China, while the western population winters in Iran and (formerly) in Bharatpur, India.
A flyway is a flight path used by large numbers of birds while migrating between their breeding grounds and their overwintering quarters. Flyways generally span continents and often pass over oceans. Although applying to any species of migrating bird, the concept was first conceived and applied to waterfowl and shore birds. The flyways can be thought of as wide arterial highways to which the migratory routes of different species are tributaries. An alternative definition is that a flyway is the entire range of a migratory bird, encompassing both its breeding and non-breeding grounds, and the resting and feeding locations it uses while migrating. There are four major north–south flyways in North America and six covering Eurasia, Africa and Australasia.
The East Asian–Australasian Flyway is one of the world's great flyways. At its northernmost it stretches eastwards from the Taimyr Peninsula in Russia to Alaska. Its southern end encompasses Australia and New Zealand. Between these extremes the Flyway covers much of eastern Asia, including China, Japan, Korea, South-East Asia and the western Pacific. The EAAF is home to over 50 million migratory water birds from over 250 different populations, including 32 globally threatened species and 19 near threatened species. It is especially important for the millions of migratory waders or shorebirds that breed in northern Asia and Alaska and spend the non-breeding season in South-East Asia and Australasia.
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, also known as the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) or the Bonn Convention, is an international agreement that aims to conserve migratory species throughout their ranges. The Agreement was signed under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme and is concerned with conservation of wildlife and habitats on a global scale.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning Conservation Measures for Marine Turtles of the Atlantic Coast of Africa is a 1998 multilateral environmental memorandum of understanding that entered into effect on 1 July 1999 under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention. The MoU focuses on the protection of six marine turtle species that are estimated to have rapidly declined in numbers along the Atlantic Coast of Africa. The MoU covers 26 range States. As of May 2013, 23 range States have signed the MoU.
The Central Asian Flyway (CAF), Central Asian-Indian Flyway, or Central Asian-South Asian Flyway is a flyway covering a large continental area of Eurasia between the Arctic Ocean and the Indian Ocean and the associated island chains. The CAF comprises several important migration routes of waterbirds, most of which extend from the northernmost breeding grounds in Siberia to the southernmost non-breeding wintering grounds in West Asia, India, the Maldives and the British Indian Ocean Territory.
The Asian – East African Flyway is a group of well-established routes by which many species of birds migrate annually between mid-Palearctic breeding grounds in Asia and non-breeding sites in eastern and southern Africa.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Concerning Conservation, Restoration and Sustainable Use of the Saiga Antelope is a Multilateral Environmental Memorandum of Understanding and came into effect on 24 September 2006 under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention. The MoU covers five range States, all of which have signed. A number of cooperating organizations have also signed the MoU.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning Conservation and Restoration of the Bukhara Deer is a Multilateral Environmental Memorandum of Understanding and was concluded in 2002 under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention, in collaboration with the Central Asia Programme of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The MoU covers five range States. As of August 2012, four of them have signed the MoU, as well as a number of cooperating organizations. The MoU came into effect on 16 May 2002.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Conservation of Cetaceans and their Habitats in the Pacific Island Region is a Multilateral Environmental Memorandum of Understanding concluded under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention, and in collaboration with the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). The MoU provides an international framework for coordinated conservation efforts to improve the conservation status of the Pacific Islands Cetaceans and came into effect on 15 September 2006.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning Conservation Measures for the West African Populations of the African Elephant is a Multilateral Environmental Memorandum of Understanding and was launched under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention, on 22 November 2005, in close cooperation with the African Elephant Specialist Group (AfESG) of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (IUCN/SSC). The MoU covers thirteen range States, all of which have signed the MoU.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Concerning the Conservation of the Manatee and Small Cetaceans of Western Africa and Macaronesia is a Multilateral Environmental Memorandum of Understanding and entered into effect on 3 October 2008 under the auspices of the Bonn Convention. The MoU covers 29 range States. As of August 2012, 17 range States have signed the MoU, as well as a number of cooperating organizations.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Conservation and Management of Middle-European Populations of the Great Bustard is a multilateral environmental memorandum of understanding and was concluded in 2000 under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention, and came into effect on 1 June 2001. It aims to protect the Middle-European populations of the great bustard and to manage modern agriculture throughout its range in Central Europe in order to save the remaining individuals. The MoU covers 17 range states. As of August 2012, 13 range states have signed the MoU as well as a number of cooperating organizations.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Conservation of High Andean Flamingos and their Habitats is a multilateral environmental memorandum of understanding that was concluded under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention. The MoU came into effect on 4 December 2008 and provides protection for the populations of high Andean flamingos, which have been subject to drastic reduction and fragmentation of their habitats and have a delicate state of conservation. The MoU covers four range states. As of August 2012, three range states have signed the MoU.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning Conservation Measures for the Aquatic Warbler is a multilateral environmental memorandum of understanding concluded in 2003 under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention. This MoU provides the basis for governments, NGO's and scientists to work together to save the aquatic warbler, Europe's rarest songbird. The MoU covers 22 range states. By August 2012, 16 range states and two cooperating organizations had signed the MoU.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Conservation of Southern South American Migratory Grassland Bird Species and Their Habitats is a Multilateral Environmental Memorandum of Understanding concluded under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention and became effective on 26 August 2007. Under the “umbrella” of the CMS, the governments of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay agreed to work together towards better conservation of migratory species of grassland birds of Southern South America. The MoU covers five range States, all of which have signed.
The Memorandum of Understanding concerning Conservation Measures for the Eastern Atlantic Populations of the Mediterranean Monk Seal is a multilateral environmental memorandum of understanding (MoU) and entered into effect on 18 October 2007, under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention. It focuses on the protection of the eastern Atlantic populations of the Mediterranean monk seal. The MoU covers four range states, all of which have signed.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning Conservation Measures for the Ruddy-headed Goose is a Bilateral Environmental Memorandum of Understanding between Argentina and Chile and was concluded under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention. The MoU was concluded as part of the Special Protocol on the Conservation of Wild Fauna and Flora, signed by Argentina and Chile in 2002, and entered into effect on 21 November 2006. It focuses on the protection of the mainland population of the ruddy-headed goose. The MoU is exclusively South American and covers two range States, both of which have signed.
The Central Asian-Indian Flyway(CAIF), or Central Asian-South Asian Flyway is a flyway covering a large continental area of Eurasia between the Arctic Ocean and the Indian Ocean and the associated island chains. The CAIF comprises several important migration routes of waterbirds, most of which extend from the northernmost breeding grounds in Siberia to the southernmost non-breeding wintering grounds in West Asia, India, the Maldives and the British Indian Ocean Territory.