Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Antarctica

Australia, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States jointly submitted a Working Paper (WP) and an Information Paper (IP) on Important Bird Areas to the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP XVIII) at its June 1-5 meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria (WP 40, Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Antarctica and IP 27 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Antarctica). These papers reported on the recently completed analysis on IBAs based on the consistent application of global criteria for bird population assessment worldwide. The CEP recognised the value of the IBA report to those interested in bird population biology and ecology, biodiversity, and conservation. The Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting Resolution D (2015) welcomed the report and recommended that Parties take into account the information in the report and undertake appropriate monitoring of bird population to inform future management actions. The United States, on behalf of the original sponsors of the papers, presents this short paper to inform WG-EMM and the SC-CAMLR of this valuable scientific resource.