Convention Support

African IBAs potentially qualifying as Ramsar sites Zoom In

BirdLife uses its information – on species, sites, habitats and people – to influence the relevant policies and priorities of governments, corporations and other key organisations, and to support international conservation conventions (e.g. Ramsar Convention) and other such international agreements and initiatives.

The high quality of BirdLife's technical input is widely recognised by decision-makers, reflecting its basis in sound science, the strict application of criteria, its well-established local (source) to global (synthesis) process, and its dynamic nature, being updated in a monitoring cycle.

BirdLife strives to make sure that the key organisations are fully aware of its analyses, conclusions and recommendations, particularly regarding Globally Threatened Birds, Important Bird Areas and Endemic Bird Areas. To influence these organisations' decisions, information is analyzed and provided in a form that matches policy requirements.

The Partnership is responsible for such work at the national and local levels, with the Secretariat covering non-Partnership countries and leading on international aspects.

Policy sectors – examples of BirdLife involvement

• Biodiversity – Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD): Partners supporting governments in establishing and implementing National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs).
• Forests – United Nations Forum on Forests: Partners assisting governments in formulation of National Forest Policies.
• Marine – Fisheries policy: Partners campaigning to reduce fisheries by-catch, which is driving albatrosses and other vulnerable marine organisms towards extinction, through raising public awareness and persuading governments to sign and implement a global FAO agreement to tackle the problem.
• Wetlands – Ramsar Convention on Wetlands: Partners lobbying Governments to designate Ramsar Sites.
• Drylands – UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD): Partners assisting governments in formulation of National Action Programmes.
• Climate change – UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): Partners lobbying governments to ratify and implement the Kyoto Protocol.
• Agriculture: EU Partners campaigning to reform the EU Common Agricultural Policy through influencing governments and wider society.
• Migrants – Convention on Migratory Species (CMS): Partners advising governments about the management of migratory species and lobbying them to sign and implement Agreements under the CMS, e.g. the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement.
• International trade in wildlife – Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES): Partners providing information to governments on species' threat status and trading levels.