Bern Convention Newsroom
Group of Specialists on the European Diploma for Protected Areas
The Group of Specialists on the European Diploma for Protected Areas held its annual meeting on 24th February 2021 by video-conference. The Group discussed consequences of the lack of appraisal visits last year due to the pandemic, and possible solutions, including an exceptional extension to...
200 Case-Files: A milestone within the monitoring of the Bern Convention
This February, the Bern Convention registered its 200th case-file. This pioneering system has since 1984 given organisations and private citizens the opportunity to highlight presumed breaches of the Bern Convention, potentially bringing the case to the Standing Committee- a pan-European forum....
40th Standing Committee meeting
For the first time ever the Bern Convention held its landmark 40th Standing Committee online, attracting a record of 190 participants including 45 Contracting Parties, from 30th November to 4th December. Contracting Parties, experts and NGO representatives discussed the outcomes of activities...
Birdlife Report on Derogations from the Protection of Birds
On Tuesday 10th November, Birdlife published its new Report on “Derogations from the protection of birds under the EU Birds Directive, the Bern Convention and the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA)”, which sheds light on the controversial process of issuing tens of thousands of licenses...
11th Meeting of the Group of Experts on Protected Areas and Ecological Networks
The Group of Experts on Protected Areas and Ecological Networks held its 11th meeting on 7-8 October 2020 by video-conference. The Group examined the results of the Reporting under Resolution No. 8 (2012) on the conservation status of species and habitats, took stock of the implementation of the...
The European Diploma for Protected Areas celebrates the European Day of Parks 2020
The European Diploma for Protected Areas (EDPA) is proud to celebrate the European Day of Parks and its theme "Healthy Parks, Healthy People" which took place on 24th May 2020. That theme is particularly relevant these days, and the EDPA, which turns 55 this year, is privileged to be able to...
Meeting of the Bureau of the Bern Convention
The Bureau to the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention held its second ordinary meeting of 2020 on 15-16 September by video-conference. The Bureau discussed and reviewed proposals for ensuring the financial sustainability of the Convention. It assessed progress in the implementation of the...
The Bern Convention advocates for climate action on Earth Day 2020
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, members of the Bureau of the Bern Convention have prepared a short video message to remind of the importance of conservation of biodiversity in the face of climate change. Protection of habitats and species which provide essential eco-system...
1st meeting of the Bureau of the Bern Convention in 2020
The Bureau to the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention successfully held its first annual meeting of 2020 on 7th and 8th April by video-conference. The Bureau assessed progress in the implementation of the Convention’s Programme of Activities for 2020 and the state of preparation of the...
Covid-19 Outbreak - message to our partners
In accordance with the recommendations of the French authorities, and as an expression of civic responsibility and solidarity in these difficult times, the Council of Europe is taking emergency measures to stop the spread of the Covid 19 epidemic. By decision of the Secretary General, the...
Group of Specialists on the European Diploma for Protected Areas
The Group of Specialists on the European Diploma for Protected Areas held its annual meeting on 18-19 March 2020 by video-conference. This year, the Group agreed to award a new site with the Diploma, discussed the renewal of the Diploma to 14 areas and took decisions on areas requiring particular...
39th Standing Committee meeting
On 3-6 December 2019, the Bern Convention held the 39th annual meeting of its Standing Committee. Contracting Parties, experts and NGO representatives gathered to discuss the outcomes of activities implemented throughout 2019, including in the field of combating illegal killing of birds, the...
Emerald Network biogeographical Seminar on bird species for Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia
An Emerald Network biogeographical evaluation Seminar for bird species involving Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia took place on 29-30 October 2019 in the European Youth Centre in Budapest, Hungary. The meeting convened national delegations from those countries, independent scientific experts and...
40th anniversary of the Bern Convention
Today, the Bern Convention turns 40 years old. To celebrate this remarkable date, a new campaign highlights the most inspiring results of 4 decades working for the preservation of nature. From helping save the few remaining leopards in the Caucasus to fighting invasive alien species or actively...
Addressing climate change adaptation and protected areas management
While responses to climate change appear insufficient at the global scale, it is urgent for the biodiversity sector to assess ways to integrate adaptation to climate change and its impacts in conservation action and and to deliver it. To explore how to achieve greater synergies between climate...
13th Meeting of the Group of Experts on Invasive Alien Species (IAS)
The Bern Convention has pioneered inter-governmental cooperation towards controlling the spread of and eradicating Invasive Alien Species in Europe through the creation of a dedicated Group of Experts, already back in 1992. It later developed and adopted the European Strategy on the eradication...
2nd meeting of the Bureau to the Bern Convention in 2019
The Bureau to the Standing Committee to the Convention will gather in Strasbourg for its second annual meeting for 2019. The Bureau will review progress in the implementation of decisions taken at the 38th Standing Committee meeting and progress made by the different Convention’s groups of...
Second Emerald Network Biogeographical Seminar for Belarus, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine
A second Emerald Network Biogeographical Seminar for Belarus, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine took place in Minsk (Belarus) on 18 and 19 June 2019, bringing together national delegations, NGOs, independent scientific experts as well as representatives of the European Environment Agency and of...
Biogeographical evaluation of the list of Emerald Network sites proposed by Andorra
On 6 June, the list of the Emerald Network sites proposed by Andorra for the very first time benefited from an evaluation at biogeographical level. The evaluation aimed to measure the capacity of the list of sites to ensure the long-term conservation of the species and habitats protected by the...
Third training workshop on reporting on the conservation status of species and habitats
The third training workshop on reporting on the conservation status of species and habitats under Resolution No. 8 (2012) has been held at the Council of Europe office in Paris on 23 May 2019. This meeting, organised with the financial support of the ENI SEIS East II project implemented by the...
Highlights
- Group of Specialists on the European Diploma for Protected Areas - 24 February 2021 (video-conference)
