Special conservation measures for Mediterranean Cormorants

21 Mediterranean countries which are Contracting Parties to the Convention for the protection of the marine environment and the coastal region of the Mediterranean (the "Barcelona Convention") have recently adopted a 2004-2006 Action Plan for threatened birds of the Mediterranean Sea; among the 15 Mediterranean species on the Action Plan’s list are European Shag and Pygmy Cormorant.

The Action Plan identifies a number of actions to be taken in order to maintain or improve the conservation status of the fifteen species. Those listed for the two species of Cormorant are as follows:

European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis (Mediterranean subspecies desmarestii)

• Inventory and map critical habitats.
• Confer strictly protected status on the species.
• Prohibit all types of disturbances to the breeding colonies.
• Monitor populations.
• Create Special Protected Areas where the species breeds, and encourage buffer zones surrounding breeding areas including adjacent sea area.
• Plan, regulate and/or manage activities and processes of coastal and infrastructure development near to breeding sites.
• Take measures to influence fishing policies in order to avoid negative effects on food stocks and food availability, and to avoid mortality from bycatch.
• Prevent oil spills and chemical pollution of the sea.
• Identify important bird areas at sea for the species.

Pygmy Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmeus

• Afford strict protection to the species and its habitat, particularly from hunting, disturbance and development.
• Manage wintering and breeding sites in order to meet the species’ requirements.
• Monitor breeding and wintering populations.
• Monitor water levels and quality at breeding sites.
• Create SPAs where breeding colonies exist.
• Research its feeding and dispersal ecology.
• Develop education campaigns for hunters.
• Restore degraded wetlands used by the species.

The body responsible for the implementation of the Action Plan is the Mediterranean Action Plan’s Regional Activity Centre/Special Protected Areas (RAC/SPA) in Tunis, Tunisia. Planned measures include the holding in spring 2005 of the First Mediterranean Symposium on ecology and conservation of sea birds.

The other species of the Bird Action Plan are:

Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris diomedea
Mediterranean Shearwater Puffinus yelkouan
European Storm-petrel Hydrobates pelagicus
White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus
Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber
Osprey Pandion haliaetus
Eleonora’s Falcon Falco eleonorae
Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris
Audouin’s Gull Larus audouinii
Lesser Crested Tern Sterna bengalensis
Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis
Little Tern Sterna albifrons

For more information on the Action Plan for Birds in the Mediterranean, contact RAC/SPA at car-asp@rac-spa.org or consult the RAC/SPA website at www.rac-spa.org.tn