6th Session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Agreement on the
Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA MOP6)

The sixth Meeting of the Parties (MOP6) to the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) opened today in Bonn, Germany, under the theme “Making flyway conservation happen.”

In the morning, delegates heard opening statements. Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), addressed the meeting via video. He linked AEWA to the Sustainable Development Goals, noting that biodiversity conservation is a prerequisite for sustainable development. Jacques Trouvilliez, AEWA Executive Secretary, stated that AEWA has much to be proud of but that “the path ahead remains long.” Subsequently, delegates addressed organizational matters.

The 2015 Waterbird Conservation Awards were presented to: Abdoulaye Ndiaye, for his work on wetland management and bird conservation across Africa; and the Association Inter-Villageoise du Ndiaël (the Inter-village Association of the Ndiaël), for floodplain restoration efforts by villagers near the special wildlife reserve of the Ndiaël, a Ramsar site in Senegal.

In the afternoon, delegates heard reports from AEWA bodies and UNEP, and discussed, inter alia, CMS developments relevant to AEWA and the common CMS/AEWA information management, communication and awareness-raising unit.

They also attended an AEWA 20th Anniversary Celebration Ceremony, with presentations from: Gerard Boere, Honorary Patron of AEWA; Melissa Lewis, Tilburg University; Jesper Madsen, University of Denmark; Abdoulaye Ndiaye, AEWA African Initiative; and Nicola Crockford, BirdLife International. Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, German State Secretary for Environment, addressed challenges in migratory species conservation, highlighting successful past and ongoing AEWA initiatives. She stressed the need to increase the number of AEWA contracting parties.