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Western/ Central Asian Site Network for Siberian Crane (and other waterbirds)

BACKGROUND (Prepared by the International Crane Foundation in consultation with the CMS Secretariat)

1. The UNEP/GEF Siberian Crane Wetland Project (SCWP) has a stated goal to develop flyway site networks with nomination procedures for sites harmonized with other site network schemes. Wetlands International is currently working with the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) on an initiative to develop the Central Asian Flyway Action Plan to Conserve Migratory Waterbirds and their Habitats that would include a provision to establish a site network for migratory waterbirds in the Central Asia Flyway (CAF).

2. At the “Waterbirds Around the World” Meeting, Edinburgh (April 2004), side events were held to discuss steps needed to develop these two related initiatives. Joint discussions focused on exploring the best mechanisms to link these initiatives, identifying frameworks for cooperation and applying lessons learned from the successful North East Asia Crane Site Network (NEACSN) established under the Asia-Pacific Migratory Waterbird Conservation Strategy.

3. CMS administers the Memorandum of Understanding concerning Conservation Measures for the Siberian Crane (MoU). The MoU involves the Siberian Crane’s 11 Range States and provides the basis for developing and implementing flyway level conservation plans for the Western, Central and Eastern populations of Siberian Cranes.

4. The Fifth Meeting of Signatory States to the CMS Siberian Crane Memorandum of Understanding (Moscow, April 2004) agreed on the need to establish a network of sites critical for Siberian Cranes of the Western and Central populations to promote protection of key wetlands and coordination among the Range State in the Central Asian Flyway. It also agreed with a proposal to introduce the site network concept into the next version of the respective MoU conservation plans.

5. The initiative to establish a Siberian Crane site network under the CMS MoU would focus attention on:

• Sites of importance for the conservation or recovery of Siberian Cranes;
• Sites which are also important for other migratory cranes and waterbirds; and
• Involving local people in conservation efforts at the sites.

6. It was recognized early on that the establishment of a Siberian Crane site network under the framework of the MoU would have additional benefits for other cranes and waterbirds. In addition to being of critical importance for Siberian Cranes, such a network would be the first step towards developing a more comprehensive site network for migratory waterbirds under a wider framework proposed within the CAF initiative. The main aim would be to start the Siberian Crane site network development process quickly, while the more extensive CAF framework consultations continued. The proposed Siberian Crane site network would eventually be integrated within the wider site network under CAF. Consequently its characteristics would need to be compatible with this aim.

7. The preliminary conclusions of the MoU’s inter-sessional Working Group were presented to the GEF SCWP’s Third Project Steering Committee Meeting (SCM3) in December 2004 in Iran. The process, title, objectives, site selection criteria, scope of activities to be conducted under the network, and opportunities for interaction and exchange were discusses throughout the course of the SCM3.

8. The SCM3 participants recommended that the site network be called the Western/Central Asian Site Network for Siberian Crane (and other waterbirds) (WCASN-SC).

9. The meeting to endorse the proposed Western/Central Asian Site Network for Siberian Cranes (and other waterbirds) (WCASN), New Delhi, 13 June 2005, agreed on criteria and qualifiers for selection of sites for the network, the information (datasheet) required for nomination of sites, and procedures for nominating, reviewing and approving sites. It was agreed that the vetting of nominations would be conducted by a Site Nomination Review Working Group, composed of one representative from the breeding range (Russian Federation), two representatives (rotating) from the staging areas (Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan initially), two representatives from the wintering range (I. R. of Iran and India), as well as BirdLife International, Wetlands International and the International Crane Foundation. This Working Group will operate on an interim basis until its Terms of Reference are developed and approved at the Sixth Meeting Siberian Crane MoU Meeting in 2006. The Working Group would make recommendations to a WCASN Committee for approval.

10. A preliminary list of 21 sites that had been suggested by the participating countries for inclusion in the site network was presented to the meeting, including eight sites covered by the UNEP/GEF Siberian Crane Wetlands Project. The states were encouraged to formally nominate these sites once the site nomination template had been finalized. 

11. Finally, the scope of technical activities to be included under the site network was outlined, and it was agreed that these activities would be integrated into the existing Conservation Plans under the CMS MoU.

12. The final proposal for the site network, as agreed at this meeting, will be attached as an addendum to the Conservation Plans for the Western and Central populations.