Agreement for the Conservation of European Bat Populations

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The Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats (UNEP / EUROBATS) is an international treaty which obliges the contracting states to protect bats . The agreement was established in 1991 and today includes 36 of 63 range states. It is under the patronage of the Convention for the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals , also known as the " Bonn Convention " (English: Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals / CMS).

history

The text of the agreement was drawn up in September 1991 during the 3rd Conference of the Parties to the Bonn Convention in Geneva. On December 4th of the same year it was presented for signature under the name “Agreement for the Conservation of Bats in Europe”. On that day, six states signed the agreement. The agreement finally came into force on January 16, 1994 after five countries (Germany, Great Britain, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden) had taken the necessary measures for ratification .

In 2000, the name of the agreement was changed to “Agreement for the Conservation of European Bat Populations”. EUROBATS has been part of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) since 2001 and has been known as UNEP / EUROBATS since then.

Objectives of the agreement

The main objective of the agreement is to provide both the member states and the countries that have not yet acceded to guidelines for cooperation in bat conservation in Europe. According to the text of the agreement, the deliberate trapping, holding and killing of bats is prohibited by law in the contracting states (except with special official permission). The States parties undertake to take appropriate measures to promote the conservation of bats and to raise public awareness of the importance of their conservation. They identify the important roosts for rearing boys, places of refuge and protection as well as feeding areas for the bats in their area of ​​jurisdiction and protect them from damage or other disturbances.

Further goals are the monitoring of the status and the development of bat populations (" biomonitoring ") as well as the development of studies on their migration behavior. The knowledge gained is processed into recommendations and guidelines, which in turn are to be implemented by the contracting states at national level.

Organs of the agreement

Conference of the Parties

The Conference of the Parties (“Meeting of the Parties”) is the highest decision-making body of the agreement and adopts resolutions. Each contracting state has one vote. Eligible as observers are also representatives from the range states and organizations that are professionally qualified in the field of bat protection.

The conference takes place every four years in different locations, most recently in September 2014 in Brussels, Belgium. (As of August 2016)

Advisory Committee

The Advisory Committee is the scientific advisory board of the agreement. He evaluates data and discusses scientific questions about bat research and protection in order to set priorities for the future work of the agreement. It deals with topics such as the connection between bat mortality and wind turbines , the effects of light pollution on bat colonies or sustainable forestry for bats. The committee also drafts the resolutions to be adopted at the conferences of the parties.

It meets once a year, most recently in April 2016 in Zandvoort an Zee, the Netherlands. (As of August 2016)

Standing Committee

The Standing Committee is the administrative advisory board of the Agreement. He assesses the budget situation and advises on other administrative matters such as personnel issues. The establishment of the Standing Committee was decided at the fifth Conference of the Parties in autumn 2006 in order to relieve the advisory committee.

The Standing Committee meets once a year, often on the UN campus in Bonn, for the first time in March 2007 and most recently in May 2016.

office

The EUROBATS Secretariat is the administrative body of the agreement. It coordinates and organizes all activities of the Conference of the Parties, the Standing Committee and the Advisory Committee. It is also used to exchange information and coordinate international research and observation activities. In addition, the Secretariat takes initiatives to implement the desired goals and to recruit new member states and works to raise public awareness. The International Bat Night, initiated by the EUROBATS Secretariat, has meanwhile become an event in more than 30 countries and takes place every year on the last full weekend in August. The 20th International Bat Night will be celebrated in 2016.

The establishment of the secretariat was decided at the first Conference of the Parties in Bristol / Great Britain in July 1995. In January 1996 it started its work in Bonn. Since June 2006 the secretariat has been in " Langen Eugen " on the UN campus. Many other UN agencies also reside there .

Agreement area

The agreement area initially covered the entire European continent, but was enlarged in 2010. The reason for changing the area of ​​the agreement was the knowledge that populations of European bat species occur in a larger area than initially defined. The agreement area now covers the western Palearctic from the Svalbard Archipelago in the north to the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea in the south (including North Africa and the Middle East). The 50th degree of longitude is the eastern limit of the agreement area, the Azores with the 30th degree of longitude the western limit.

Contracting States

The following 36 of the 63 possible signatory states have ratified the agreement so far (as of August 2016); alphabetical order, in brackets the date of ratification:

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