As a keen supporter of bird conservation and protection, Leica is proud to announce that it was a sponsor of the world’s largest migratory waterbird conference which took place over the course of this week.
The Eighth Session of the Meeting of the Parties to the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA MOP8) was hosted in Budapest, Hungary between 27-30 September, 2022.
AEWA is an intergovernmental treaty – administered by the United Nations – dedicated to the conservation of migratory waterbirds and their habitats across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, Greenland and the Canadian Archipelago.
Every year, AEWA hosts their MOP to give an opportunity for governments to overview bird conservation activities around the world while exploring possible actions for the future.
The AEWA meeting was among the largest international conferences focusing on migratory waterbird conservation in recent history. Over 200 people were in attendance, representing 45 different countries within the deliberations.
AEWA MOP8 was invited to take place in Budapest by the host country government. The Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary, Dr Zsolt Semjén, was among the speakers at the opening ceremony to welcome participants to the event.
Jacques Trouvilliez, Executive Secretary of AEWA, was another of the opening speakers, who extended his thanks to Leica for supporting the event during his speech.
This meeting comes at a particularly critical time, as new reports suggest that half of bird species are currently in decline. A further eighth of species are at threat of going extinct.
Over the course of AEWA MOP8, 16 resolutions and new guidelines were agreed upon by the parties in attendance, helping to secure the future of many of the 255 species covered under AEWA.
To give an example, one outcome of the event was the introduction of a new international action plan for the Common Eider, a sea-duck species which is currently in decline. It is hoped that these new measures will help recover populations in the numerous areas where this species can be found.
Within the conference centre, a number of Leica products were on display in the Leica display area. This included the APO-Televid spotting scope, a selection of Noctovid, Ultravid and Trinovid binoculars, as well as Rangemaster and Geovid rangefinders.
Attendees had the opportunity to interact with the products, while learning more about how these items can be used for bird spotting purposes.
If you would like more details about the products on display at the event, see our offerings under the “Experience Nature” portion of our website.