Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) is a legally binding international treaty signed in 2001 and entered into force on 1 February 2004 when South Africa ratified as the fifth Party to the agreement.

Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels
Logo of the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels
AbbreviationACAP
Formation1 February 2004 (2004-02-01)
TypeInternational organization
PurposeConservation
Location
Coordinates42.8833029°S 147.3268095°E / -42.8833029; 147.3268095
Area served
International
Membership
13 state members
Executive Secretary
Marco Favero
Websiteacap.aq
Black-browed Albatross hooked on a long-line.

It was created in order to halt the drastic decline of seabird populations in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly albatrosses and petrels procellariids. Albatrosses and petrels are threatened by introduced species on their breeding islands, pollution, and being taken as bycatch by longline fisheries, as well as by trawl and gillnet fisheries. The agreement requires that measures be taken by signatory governments to reduce bycatch; protect breeding colonies; and control and remove introduced species from breeding sites, especially on islands.

Currently, ACAP protects all the world's albatross species, seven Southern Hemisphere petrel and two shearwater species. The agreement marks an increasing international commitment to protect albatrosses and petrels.

Organization

The Executive Secretary of ACAP is Marco Favero, who is supported by a Science Officer, Wiesława Misiak, and an Information Officer, John Cooper.[1] The secretariat is located at 119 Macquarie Street, Hobart in the state of Tasmania, Australia.[2][3]

The agreement entered into force on 1 February 2004. National representatives of the signatory countries meet regularly.

LocationDate
Hobart, Australia10-12 November 2004
Christchurch, New Zealand13-17 November 2006
Bergen, Norway27 April - 1 May 2009
Lima, Peru23-27 April 2012
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain4-8 May 2015

Nine meetings of ACAP's Advisory Committee have been held to date, the last in La Serena, Chile from 9 to 13 May 2016. The Advisory Committee is currently supported by three working groups for Taxonomy, Seabird Bycatch, and Population and Conservation Status.

Provisions

ACAP helps countries to implement species action plans, control the expansion of non-native predators, introduce measures reducing bycatch of seabirds, and support research in the sphere of the effective conservation of petrels and albatrosses. To this end it has published ACAP Species Assessments, booklets, mitigation factsheets, and a number of ACAP Conservation Guidelines, including for biosecurity; eradication of introduced mammals; translocation; and census and survey methods.

One of the agreement's main activities is to provide expert advice on seabird bycatch mitigation to fisheries managers, both in domestic and high seas fisheries.

Species covered by the Agreement

The following 31 species of albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters are listed by the agreement.

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)
  • Short-tailed Albatross (Phoebastria albatrus)
  • Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis)
  • Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes)
  • Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross (Thalassarche chlororhynchos)
  • Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross (Thalassarche carteri)
  • Grey-headed Albatross (Thalassarche chrysostoma)
  • Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris)
  • 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 and shearwaters 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)
  • Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus)
  • Pink-footed Shearwater (Puffinus (Ardenna) creatopus)

Member states

The following 13 countries are parties to the agreement:

Canada, Namibia, and the United States regularly send observer delegations to ACAP meetings, but have not as yet acceded to the agreement.[4] Japan has sent delegations in some years.

See also
  • Bonn Convention

References
  1. "Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels - ACAP Secretariat Staff". acap.aq. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  2. "Headquarters Agreement Between the Government of Australia and the Secretariat to the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (Hobart, 23 June 2008) - ATS 19 of 2008”. Australasian Legal Information Institute, Australian Treaties Library. Retrieved on 18 April 2017.
  3. "Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels - Home". acap.aq. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  4. Williams, Ted (May 2016). "How Congress Can Protect Seabirds With One Simple Act". Audubon. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
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