18
INTERNATIONAL RESPONSES
The Standing Committee of the Convention on the conservation
of Europeanwildlife andnatural habitats (BerneConvention) was
the first multi-lateral environmental agreement to respond to
the outcome of the 1991 IWRB workshop. Meeting in December
that year it “Recommended” Contracting Parties to “take steps
to phase out the use of lead gunshot in wetlands or waterfowl
hunting as soon as possible” as well as undertake a range of
supporting activities (Table 2). It has periodically revisited the
issue, stimulating an important review of evidence in 2004
(Bana 2004).
The need to address lead shot poisoning was seen as a central
issue during the negotiation of AEWA in the early 1990s. The
final Agreement text agreed in 1995 called on Parties to “...
endeavour to phase out the use of lead shot for hunting in
wetlands by the year 2000.” Since then, the exact nature of the
target has changed as each target has passed (Table 2), but
the goal has remained, that use of lead gunshot in wetlands
should be eliminated. Indeed, the issue was central to the
fourth Meeting of Parties in 2008, with a range of technical and
advocacy materials being used at, produced for and following,
thatmeeting (e.g.Beintema2004, AEWA2009). AEWAhas further
supported a range of training workshops in those regions where
there has been little move towards use of non-toxic shot.
The agreement of the EU Sustainable Hunting Initiative6, an
initiative of the European Commission and a formal partnership
between it, BirdLife International (BLI) and FACE (the European
Federation of Hunting Associations) in 2004, has been helpfully
supportive of AEWA objectives:
“Both organisations [BLI and FACE] ask for the phasing out of the
use of lead shot for hunting in wetlands throughout the EU as
soon as possible, and in any case by the year 2009 at the latest.”
Most recently, the 11th Conference of the Parties to the
Convention on Migratory Species (in Resolution 11.15) called
on Parties to “Phase-out the use of lead ammunition across all
habitats (wetland and terrestrial) with non-toxic alternatives
within the next three years with Parties reporting to CMS COP12
in 2017, working with stakeholders on implementation.” This is
a more comprehensive target than AEWA, reflecting: the wider
taxonomic scope of CMS; the need to eliminate poisoning risk to
large raptors arising fromuse of lead bullets; and acknowledging
that lead ammunition poses a risk to birds in both wetland and
terrestrial habitats.
6EU Sustainable Hunting Initiative
Table 2: International decisions concerning lead poisoning and wildlife.
Decision Content Comment
Convention on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats
1991 – Standing Committee
Recommendation No. 28
(Convention on the conservation
of European wildlife and natural
habitats 1991)
“Take steps to phase out the use of lead
gunshot in wetlands or waterfowl hunting as
soon as possible.”
“Establish and adhere to a schedule for
the replacement of lead shot by non-
toxic alternatives, so that manufacturers
and dealers may plan their programmes
accordingly.”
African-Eurasian MigratoryWaterbirds Agreement
1995 – Text of AEWA’s Action Plan “Parties shall endeavour to phase out the use
of lead shot for hunting in wetlands by the year
2000.”
1999 – First Meeting of Parties –
Resolution 1.14 (AEWA 1999)
“Parties shall endeavour to phase out the use
of lead shot for hunting inwetlands by the year
2000.”
Call for elaborated guidance to phase out
lead gunshot in wetlands.
David A. Stroud