The African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement International Conservation and Sustainable Use of Migratory Waterbirds

The African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) is an independent legally-binding multilateral regional Agreement negotiated under the provisions of Article IV of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). The foundation of the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement lies in the flyway approach, i.e. the need to implement conservation measures and sustainable use of migratory waterbirds along the entire length of their flyways. The legally binding Agreement consists of the general provisions laid out in the Agreement text itself as well as legally binding Annexes – including the Action Plan in Annex 3, where the core activities to be carried out under AEWA are specified in more detail. The provisions of the Action Plan as well as the »Status of the Populations of Migratory Waterbirds« appended to it in Table 1, form the centrepiece of the Agreement. Twenty-one years after its conclusion, AEWA remains the only legally-binding international flyway agreement its core purpose, to maintain in a favourable conservation status all of the migratory waterbird species to which it applies, is as relevant as ever. Yet despite countries and stakeholders best efforts and stakeholders the conservation status of many waterbird populations continues to deteriorate across the AEWA region. This article provides an introductory overview of the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement, including examples of its implementation in practice, specifically with regard to the sustainable use of migratory waterbirds and the AEWA Implementation Review Process established to support compliance amongst Contracting Parties.