SIXTH MEETING OF CONTRACTING PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION ON MIGRATORY SPECIES OF WILD FAUNA AND FLORA ENDS

18 November 1999

The Sixth Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (the Bonn Convention) ended in Cape Town Tuesday 16 November 1999.

The meeting (the 20th anniversary of the Convention) set in motion a number of programmes that for the next three years that will contribute towards the better conservation of migratory species across the globe. Those of direct relevance to South Africa are related to the improved conservation of:

• albatrosses in the southern oceans, which are under threat from a range of actions by fishing fleets (an initiative led by Australia);
• South-East Asian and Indian ocean marine turtles, for which South Africa is the custodian of the southern-most breeding beaches in Africa (in northern KwaZulu-Natal) (an initiative to be led by the Phillippines);
• And the Blue Swallow, an endangered intra-African migrant which nests in the mist belt grasslands of KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumulanga, and has a migratory route which include some 10 African states (an initiative to be led by South Africa).

South Africa, who hosted the conference, was elected to the Standing Committee to represent the region. There are 65 Contracting Parties (member states) to the Convention, of which 21 are in Africa. More than 250 delegates attended the meeting in Cape Town, representing Contracting Parties, observer states, scientific advisors and both local and international non-government organizations (NGOs).

Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
Inquiries: Geoff Cowan (Deputy Director :Conservation Management) 012-310 3701