Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

The [http://www.acap.aq/ Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels] (ACAP) is a [http://www.acap.aq/en/images/Core_Documents/Final_agreement_Amended%20MoP2_2006_English.pdf legally binding international treaty] signed in 2001. It was created in order to halt the decline of seabird populations in the southern hemisphere, particularly albatrosses and procellariids, which are threatened by introduced species on their breeding islands, pollution and being taken as by-catch by long-line fisheries (which kills more than 300,000 seabirds a year). The Agreement requires measures be taken by signatory governments to reduce by-catch (by the use of mitigation measures), protection of breeding colonies and control and removal of introduced species from breeding islands.

Albatroses and petrels

Albatrosses and petrels are, probably, the most threatened group of birds in the world. Of the world's 22 species of albatrosses, 18 are considered Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable according to the 'RED-LIST' criteria of the World Conservation Union.Albatrosses and petrels are seabirds which nest on remote offshore islands and forage over the open sea. They can travel enormous distances across oceans during foraging flights and migratory journeys. The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels helps countries to implement action plans of habitat protection, control the expansion of non-native predators, who can harm albatrosses and petrels, introduce measures reducing bycatch of seabirds, and support research in the sphere of the effective conservation of petrels and albatrosses. Currently ACAP protects all albatross species in the Southern hemisphere and 7 petrel species in the Southern hemisphere. It is planned to incorporate Northern hemisphere species to the Agreement in the future. [ [http://www.acap.aq/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=44&Itemid=45 ACAP official web-site. About seabirds] ]

Threats

There are various threats to life of albatrosses and petrels, for example, they are being killed for eggs, meat and feathers. Habitats of birds are being modified, and various predators are introduced, which impacts the populations drastically. Longline fishing – method used to target finfish and shark species, when they are caught with a use of main line and lots of hooks attached to branchlines – poses great threats to seabirds. Every year thousands of seabirds get hooked, pulled under the water by the weight of the line and drown.All these threats, however, can be reduced by modification of fishing practices and adaptation of bycatch mitigation measures. Such measures include the use of bird-scaring lines and streamers, weighted lines to reduce the amount of time baits are available to birds, setting lines at night, setting lines beneath the waters' surface, and seasonal closures of fisheries to avoid fishing when birds are more susceptible to being caught, such as around nesting colonies during the breeding season. [ [http://www.acap.aq/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=40&Itemid=45 ACAP official web-site. What is a seabird? Threats] ]

pecies covered by the Agreement

List of albatrosses and petrels, to which the Agreement apllies [ [http://www.acap.aq/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=41&Itemid=46 Official ACAP web-site. ACAP Species] ]

List of albatrosses, covered by the Agreement:
*Northern Royal Albatross Diomedea sanfordi
*Southern Royal Albatross Diomedea epomophora
*Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans
*Antipodean Albatross Diomedea antipodensis
*Amsterdam Albatross Diomedea amsterdamensis
*Tristan Albatross Diomedea dabbenena
*Sooty Albatross Phoebetria fusca
*Light-mantled Albatross Phoebetria palpebrata
*Waved Albatross Phoebastria irrorata
*Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche chlororhyncos
*Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche carteri
*Grey-headed Albatross Thalassarche chrysostoma
*Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophrys
*Campbell Albatross Thalassarche impavida
*Buller's Albatross Thalassarche bulleri
*Shy Albatross Thalassarche cauta
*White-capped Albatross Thalassarche steadi
*Chatham Albatross Thalassarche eremita
*Salvin's Albatross Thalassarche salvini

List of petrels, covered by the Agreement:
*Southern Giant-Petrel Macronectes giganteus
*Northern Giant-Petrel Macronectes halli
*White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis
*Spectacled Petrel Procellaria conspicillata
*Black Petrel Procellaria parkinsoni
*Westland Petrel Procellaria westlandica
*Grey Petrel Procellaria cinerea

Organizational details

Executive Secretary of the ACAP is Warren Papworth. Secretariat is located in Tasmania, ] Australia.

The Agreement entered into force on 1 February 2004 and the first Meeting of the Parties (MOP1) was convened between 10-12 November 2004 in Hobart, Australia, The Second Meeting of the Parties was held in Christchurch, New Zealand between 13-17 November 2006. There is now strong international commitment to protect albatrosses and petrels, and ACAP marks a considerable step forward in the fight to protect these charismatic seabirds. Albatross and petrel populations continue to decline, as indicated in a recent assessment that indicates the black-browed albatross, once one of the world's abundant albatrosses, has declined by more than 40% in the last 30 years. [ [http://www.acap.aq/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=42&Itemid=45 ACAP official web-site. About ACAP] ]

Member states

Countries, taking part in the work of the Agreement, are the following [ [http://www.acap.aq/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=43&Itemid=47 ACAP official web-site. ACAP Parties] ] :
*ARG
*AUS
*BRA
*CHI
*ECU
*FRA
*NZL
*NOR
*PER
*RSA
*ESP
*GBR

In 2008, the USA began to show interest in acceding to the treaty.

References

ee also

*Albatross
*Petrel
*Convention on Migratory Species

External links

* [http://www.acap.aq/ Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels]