CONVENTION ON THE CONSERVATION OF EUROPEAN WILDLIFE AND NATURAL HABITATS (BERN, 1979)

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ABSTRACT

The Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats was signed in Bern, Switzerland in 1979 and came into force on 1 June 1982. Over the past 20 years, various mechanisms have been developed to monitor the implementation of the Convention and to improve its effectiveness. The purpose of this article is to examine the application of these mechanisms and assess the effectiveness of the Convention as a tool for biodiversity conservation. The convention has three main aims, which are stated in Article 1 and they are: to conserve wild flora and fauna and their natural habitats; to promote cooperation between states; and to give particular attention to endangered and vulnerable species including endangered and vulnerable migratory species. The Convention is divided into three: preamble, structure and appendices. The structure is divided into chapters. Chapter I  deals with general provision of the Convention; chapter II deals with protection of habitats; chapter III deals with protection of species; Chapter IV deals with special provisions for migratory species; chapter V deals with supplementary provision; Chapter IV deals  standing committee; Chapter VIII deals with settlement of dispute while Chapter IX deals with final provision. The appendices provide a list of some of the species to be conserved and how humans should handle their habitats to ensure their conservation. The Convention is now part of an extensive network of international treaties and regional agreements.

Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern, 1979)

 1.        HISTORY OF THE BERN CONVENTION

The Convention on  the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, commonly referred to as the Bern Convention (“Convention”), originated from a 1973 Recommendation of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe that the Committee of Ministers "define a coherent policy for the protection of wildlife, with a view to establishing European regulations if possible, by means of convention and involving severe restrictions on hunting, shooting, capture of animals needing protection, fishing and egg-collection, and the prohibition of bird netting."  This idea was revisited in 1976 at the Second European Ministerial Conference on the Environment, where a resolution was adopted directing the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to establish an ad hoc Committee of Experts to draft a legal instrument on the conservation of wildlife. After negotiations, the Convention was opened for signature at the Third European Ministerial Conference on the Environment in Bern, Switzerland on 19 September 1979. The Convention came into force on 1 June 1982. At the first meeting of the Standing Committee in 1982, only nine States and the European Community were Contracting Parties (“Parties”) to the Convention. There has been widespread acceptance in the succeeding years, however, and currently there are fifty-one Parties including thirty-six Member States of the Council of Europe, the European Community, Monaco, Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Tunisia.  The Parties now represent the majority of states on the European continent. The convention led to the creation in 1998 of the Emerald network of Areas of Special Conservation Interest (ASCIs) throughout the territory of the parties to the convention, which operates alongside the European Union's Natura 2000 programme.

1.1                   Aims and objectives

The convention has three main aims, which are stated in Article 1:

v  to conserve wild flora and fauna and their natural habitats.

v  to promote cooperation between states.

v  to give particular attention to endangered and vulnerable species including endangered and vulnerable migratory species.

                      

     1.2                     STRUCTURE

     The convention is divided into preamble, chapters and appendices.

v   PREAMBLE

The member States of the Council of Europe and the other signatories hereto, Considering that the aim of the Council of Europe is to achieve a greater unity between its members;Considering the wish of the Council of Europe to co-operate with other States in the field of nature conservation; Recognising that wild flora and fauna constitute a natural heritage of aesthetic, scientific, cultural, recreational, economic and intrinsic value that needs to be preserved and handed on to future generations; Recognising the essential role played by wild flora and fauna in maintaining biological balances; Noting that numerous species of wild flora and fauna are being seriously depleted and that some of them are threatened with extinction; Aware that the conservation of natural habitats is a vital component of the protection and conservation of wild flora and fauna; Recognising that the conservation of wild flora and fauna should be taken into consideration by the governments in their national goals and programmes, and that international co-operation should be established to protect migratory species in particular; Bearing in mind the widespread requests for common action made by governments or by international bodies, in particular the requests expressed by the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment 1972 and the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe; Desiring particularly to follow, in the field of wildlife conservation, the recommendations of Resolution No. 2 of the Second European Ministerial Conference on the Environment,

      Have agreed as follows:

 Chapter I – General provisions

Article 1

1. The aims of this Convention are to conserve wild flora and fauna and their natural habitats, especially those species and habitats whose conservation requires the co-operation of several States, and to promote such co-operation.

2. Particular  emphasis  is  given  to  endangered  and  vulnerable  species,  including  endangered  and vulnerable migratory species.

Article 2 

The  Contracting  Parties  shall  take  requisite  measures  to  maintain  the  population  of  wild  flora and  fauna  at or  adapt  it  to,  a  level  which  corresponds  in  particular  to  ecological,  scientific  and cultural  requirements,  while  taking  account  of  economic  and  recreational  requirements  and  the needs of sub-species, varieties or forms at risk locally.

Article 3

1. Each  Contracting  Party  shall  take  steps  to  promote  national  policies  for  the  conservation  of wild  flora,  wild  fauna  and  natural  habitats,  with  particular  attention  to  endangered  and vulnerable  species,  especially  endemic  ones,  and  endangered  habitats,  in  accordance  with  the provisions of this Convention.

2. Each  Contracting  Party  undertakes,  in  its  planning  and  development  policies  and  in  its measures against pollution, to have regard to the conservation of wild flora and fauna.

3. Each  Contracting  Party  shall  promote  education  and  disseminate  general  information  on  the need to conserve species of wild flora and fauna and their habitats.

         Chapter II – Protection of habitats

 Article 4

 1. Each  Contracting  Party  shall  take  appropriate  and      necessary  legislative  and  administrative measures  to  ensure  the  conservation  of  the  habitats  of  the  wild  flora  and  fauna  species, especially  those  specified  in  Appendices  I  and  II,  and  the  conservation  of  endangered  natural habitats.

2. The  Contracting  Parties  in  their  planning  and  development  policies  shall  have  regard  to  the conservation  requirements  of  the  areas  protected  under  the  preceding  paragraph,  so  as  to  avoid or minimise as far as possible any deterioration of such areas.

3. The  Contracting Parties undertake  to  give  special  attention  to  the  protection  of  areas  that  are  of importance  for  the  migratory  species  specified  in  Appendices  II  and  III  and  which  are appropriately  situated  in  relation  to  migration  routes,  as  wintering,  staging,  feeding,  breeding or moulting areas.

4. The  Contracting  Parties  undertake  to  co-ordinate  as  appropriate  their  efforts  for  the  protection of  the  natural  habitats  referred  to  in  this  article  when  these  are  situated  in  frontier  areas.

Chapter III – Protection of species 

 Article 5 

 Each Contracting Party shall take appropriate and necessary legislative and administrative measures to ensure the special protection of the wild flora species specified in Appendix I. Deliberate picking, collecting, cutting or uprooting of such plants shall be prohibited. Each Contracting Party shall, as appropriate, prohibit the possession or sale of these species. 

  Article 6   

 Each Contracting Party shall take appropriate and necessary legislative and administrative measures to ensure the special protection of the wild fauna species specified in Appendix II. The following will in particular be prohibited for these species:

a. all forms of deliberate capture and keeping and deliberate killing;    b. the deliberate damage to or destruction of breeding or resting sites;  

 c. the deliberate disturbance of wild fauna, particularly during the period of breeding, rearing and hibernation, insofar as disturbance would be significant in relation to the objectives of this Convention;    d. the deliberate destruction or taking of eggs from the wild or keeping these eggs even if empty;

 e. the possession of and internal trade in these animals, alive or dead, including stuffed animals and any readily recognisable part or derivative thereof, where this would contribute to the effectiveness of the provisions of this article. 

  Article 7 

 1. Each Contracting Party shall take appropriate and necessary legislative and administrative measures to ensure the protection of the wild fauna species specified in Appendix III.

 2. Any exploitation of wild fauna specified in Appendix III shall be regulated in order to keep the populations out of danger, taking into account the requirements of Article 2.  

3. Measures to be taken shall include:  

 a. closed seasons and/or other procedures regulating the exploitation;  

 b. the temporary or local prohibition of exploitation, as appropriate, in order to restore satisfactory population levels; 

 c. the regulation as appropriate of sale, keeping for sale, transport for sale or offering for sale of live and dead wild animals.

Article 8  

In respect of the capture or killing of wild fauna species specified in Appendix III and in cases where, in accordance with Article 9, exceptions are applied to species specified in Appendix II, Contracting Parties shall prohibit the use of all indiscriminate means of capture and killing and the use of all means capable of causing local disappearance of, or serious disturbance to, populations of a species, and in particular, the means specified in Appendix IV.  

 Article 9  

1. Each Contracting Party may make exceptions from the provisions of Articles 4, 5, 6, 7 and from the prohibition of the use of the means mentioned in Article 8 provided that there is no other satisfactory solution and that the exception will not be detrimental to the survival of the population concerned:   

 – for the protection of flora and fauna; 

 – to prevent serious damage to crops, livestock, forests, fisheries, water and other forms of property;  

 – in the interests of public health and safety, air safety or other overriding public interests;  

 – for the purposes of research and education, of repopulation, of reintroduction and for the necessary breeding;

 – to permit, under strictly supervised conditions, on a selective basis and to a limited extent, the taking, keeping or other judicious exploitation of certain wild animals and plants in small numbers.   

2. The Contracting Parties shall report every two years to the Standing Committee on the exceptions made under the preceding paragraph. These reports must specify: 

 – the populations which are or have been subject to the exceptions and, when practical, the number of specimens involved;   – the means authorised for the killing or capture;   

– the conditions of risk and the circumstances of time and place under which such exceptions were granted;   

– the authority empowered to declare that these conditions have been fulfilled, and to take decisions in respect of the means that may be used, their limits and the persons instructed to carry them out;   

– the controls involved.

Chapter IV – Special provisions for migratory species

  Article 10 

 1. The Contracting Parties undertake, in addition to the measures specified in Articles 4, 6, 7 and 8, to co-ordinate their efforts for the protection of the migratory species specified in Appendices II and III whose range extends into their territories.

2. The Contracting Parties shall take measures to seek to ensure that the closed seasons and/or other procedures regulating the exploitation established under paragraph 3.a of Article 7 are adequate and appropriately disposed to meet the requirements of the migratory species specified in Appendix III. 

Chapter V – Supplementary provisions  

 Article 11 

 1. In carrying out the provisions of this Convention, the Contracting Parties undertake:   

 a. to co-operate whenever appropriate and in particular where this would enhance the effectiveness of measures taken under other articles of this Convention;  

 b. to encourage and co-ordinate research related to the purposes of this Convention.   

2. Each Contracting Party undertakes:  

 a. to encourage the reintroduction of native species of wild flora and fauna when this would contribute to the conservation of an endangered species, provided that a study is first made in the light of the experiences of other Contracting Parties to establish that such reintroduction would be effective and acceptable; 

b. to strictly control the introduction of non-native species.

3. Each Contracting Party shall inform the Standing Committee of the species receiving complete protection on its territory and not included in Appendices I and II.  

 Article 12   

The Contracting Parties may adopt stricter measures for the conservation of wild flora and fauna and their natural habitats than those provided under this Convention.

 Chapter VI – Standing Committee   

Article 13 

 1. For the purposes of this Convention, a Standing Committee shall be set up.

2. Any  Contracting  Party  may  be  represented  on  the  Standing  Committee  by  one  or  more delegates.  Each delegation  shall  have  one  vote.  Within  the  areas  of  its  competence,  the European  Economic  Community  shall  exercise  its  right  to  vote  with  a  number  of  votes  equal  to the  number  of  its  member  States  which  are  Contracting  Parties  to  this  Convention;  the European  Economic  Community  shall  not  exercise  its  right  to  vote  in  cases  where  the  member States concerned exercise theirs, and conversely.

3. Any member State  of  the  Council  of  Europe  which  is  not  a  Contracting  Party  to  the  Convention may be represented on the committee as an observer.  The  Standing  Committee  may,  by  unanimous  decision,  invite  any  non-member  State  of  the Council  of  Europe  which  is  not  a  Contracting  Party  to  the  Convention  to  be  represented  by  an observer at one of its meetings. Any body  or  agency  technically  qualified  in  the  protection,  conservation  or  management  of wild fauna and flora and their habitats, and belonging to one of the following categories:

a.  international  agencies  or  bodies,  either  governmental  or  non-governmental,  and  national governmental agencies or bodies;

b. national  non-governmental  agencies  or  bodies  which  have  been  approved  for  this  purpose by  the  State  in  which  they  are  located,  may  inform  the  Secretary  General  of  the  Council  of Europe,  at  least  three  months  before  the  meeting  of  the  Committee,  of  its  wish  to  be represented  at  that  meeting  by  observers.  They  shall  be  admitted  unless,  at  least  one month  before  the  meeting,  one-third  of  the  Contracting  Parties  have  informed  the Secretary General of their objection. 4. The  Standing  Committee  shall  be  convened  by  the  Secretary  General  of  the  Council  of  Europe. Its  first  meeting  shall  be  held  within  one  year  of  the  date  of  the  entry  into  force  of  the  Convention.  It  shall  subsequently  meet  at  least  every  two  years  and  whenever  a  majority  of  the Contracting Parties so request.  5. A  majority  of  the  Contracting  Parties  shall  constitute  a  quorum  for  holding  a  meeting  of  the Standing Committee. 

6. Subject  to  the  provisions  of  this  Convention,  the  Standing  Committee  shall  draw  up  its  own Rules of Procedure.

Article 14

1. The  Standing  Committee  shall  be  responsible  for  following  the  application  of  this  Convention. It may in particular:

– keep  under  review  the  provisions  of  this  Convention,  including  its  appendices,  and examine any modifications necessary;

–make  recommendations  to  the  Contracting  Parties  concerning  measures  to  be  taken  for  the purposes of this Convention;

–recommend  the  appropriate  measures  to  keep  the  public  informed  about  the  activities undertaken  within  the  framework  of  this  Convention;

 – make recommendations to the Committee of Ministers concerning non-member States of the Council of Europe to be invited to accede to this Convention;  

 – make any proposal for improving the effectiveness of this Convention, including proposals for the conclusion, with the States which are not Contracting Parties to the Convention, of agreements that would enhance the effective conservation of species or groups of species.  

 2. In order to discharge its functions, the Standing Committee may, on its own initiative, arrange for meetings of groups of experts.   

Article 15   

After each meeting, the Standing Committee shall forward to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe a report on its work and on the functioning of the Convention. 

Chapter VII – Amendments  

 Article 16  

1. Any amendment to the articles of this Convention proposed by a Contracting Party or the Committee of Ministers shall be communicated to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and forwarded by him at least two months before the meeting of the Standing Committee to the member States of the Council of Europe, to any signatory, to any Contracting Party, to any State invited to sign this Convention in accordance with the provisions of Article 19 and to any State invited to accede to it in accordance with the provisions of Article 20.   

2. Any amendment proposed in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph shall be examined by the Standing Committee which:     a for amendments to Articles 1 to 12, shall submit the text adopted by a three-quarters majority of the votes cast to the Contracting Parties for acceptance;    b for amendments to Articles 13 to 24, shall submit the text adopted by a three-quarters majority of the votes cast to the Committee of Ministers for approval. After its approval, this text shall be forwarded to the Contracting Parties for acceptance. 

 3. Any amendment shall enter into force on the thirtieth day after all the Contracting Parties have informed the Secretary General that they have accepted it.  

4. The provisions of paragraphs 1, 2.a and 3 of this article shall apply to the adoption of new appendices to this Convention.  

 Article 17 

 1. Any amendment to the appendices of this Convention proposed by a Contracting Party or the Committee of Ministers shall be communicated to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and forwarded by him at least two months before the meeting of the Standing Committee to the member States of the Council of Europe, to any signatory, to any Contracting Party, to any State invited to sign this Convention in accordance with the provisions of Article 19 and to any State invited to accede to it in accordance with the provisions of Article 20. 

2.  Any  amendment  proposed  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  preceding  paragraph  shall be  examined  by  the  Standing  Committee,  which  may  adopt  it  by  a  two-thirds  majority  of  the Contracting Parties. The text adopted shall be forwarded to the Contracting Parties. 

3. Three  months  after  its  adoption  by  the  Standing  Committee  and  unless  one-third  of  the Contracting  Parties  have  notified  objections,  any  amendment  shall  enter  into  force  for  those Contracting Parties which have not notified objections.

 Chapter VIII – Settlement of disputes

 Article 18  

1. The  Standing  Committee  shall  use  its  best  endeavours  to  facilitate  a  friendly  settlement  of  any difficulty to which the execution of this Convention may give rise.

 2. Any  dispute  between  Contracting  Parties  concerning  the  interpretation  or  application  of  this Convention  which  has  not  been  settled  on  the  basis  of  the  provisions  of  the  preceding paragraph  or  by  negotiation  between  the  parties  concerned  shall,  unless  the  said  parties  agree otherwise,  be  submitted,  at  the  request  of  one  of  them,  to  arbitration.  Each  party  shall  designate an  arbitrator  and  the  two  arbitrators  shall  designate  a  third  arbitrator.  Subject  to  the  provisions of  paragraph    of  this  article,  if  one  of  the  parties  has  not  designated  its  arbitrator  within  the three  months  following  the  request  for  arbitration,  he  shall  be  designated  at  the  request  of  the other  party  by  the  President  of  the  European  Court  of  Human  Rights  within  a  further  three months'  period.  The  same  procedure  shall  be  observed  if  the  arbitrators  cannot  agree  on  the choice  of  the  third  arbitrator  within  the  three  months  following  the  designation  of  the  two  first arbitrators.

3. In  the  event  of  a  dispute  between  two  Contracting  Parties  one  of  which  is  a  member  State  of  the European  Economic  Community,  the  latter  itself  being  a  Contracting  Party,  the  other Contracting  Party  shall  address  the  request  for  arbitration  both  to  the  member  State  and  to  the Community,  which  jointly  shall  notify  it,  within  two  months  of  receipt  of  the  request,  whether the  member  State  or  the  Community,  or  the  member  and  the  Community  jointly,  shall  be  party to  the  dispute.  In  the  absence  of  such  notification  within  the  said  time  limit,  the  member  State and  the  Community  shall  be  considered  as  being  one  and  the  same  party  to  the  dispute  for  the purposes  of  the  application  of  the  provisions  governing  the  constitution  and  procedure  of  the arbitration  tribunal.  The  same  shall  apply  when  the  member  State  and  the  Community  jointly present themselves as party to the dispute.

4. The  arbitration  tribunal  shall  draw  up  its  own  Rules  of  Procedure.  Its  decisions  shall  be  taken by majority vote. Its award shall be final and binding.

5. Each  party  to  the  dispute  shall  bear  the  expenses  of  the  arbitrator  designated  by  it  and  the parties  shall  share  equally  the  expenses  of  the  third  arbitrator,  as  well  as  other  costs  entailed  by the arbitration.

 Chapter IX – Final provisions

Article 19

1. This  Convention  shall  be  open  for  signature  by  the  member  States  of  the  Council  of  Europe  and non-member  States  which  have  participated  in  its  elaboration  and  by  the  European  Economic Community.  

Up  until  the  date  when  the  Convention  enters  into  force,  it  shall  also  be  open  for  signature  by any other State so invited by the Committee of Ministers. The  Convention  is  subject  to  ratification,  acceptance  or  approval.  Instruments  of  ratification, acceptance or approval shall be deposited with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. 

2. The  Convention  shall  enter  into  force  on  the  first  day  of  the  month  following  the  expiry  of  a period  of  three  months  after  the  date  on  which  five  States,  including  at  least  four  member States  of  the  Council  of  Europe,  have  expressed  their  consent  to  be  bound  by  the  Convention  in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph.

3. In  respect  of  any  signatory  State  or  the  European  Economic  Community  which  subsequently express  their  consent  to  be  bound  by  it,  the  Convention  shall  enter  into  force  on  the  first  day  of the  month  following  the  expiry  of  a  period  of  three  months  after  the  date  of  the  deposit  of  the instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval.

Article 20

1. After  the  entry  into  force  of  this  Convention,  the  Committee  of  Ministers  of  the  Council  of Europe,  after  consulting  the  Contracting  Parties,  may  invite  to  accede  to  the  Convention  any non-member  State  of  the  Council  which,  invited  to  sign  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of Article 19, has not yet done so, and any other non-member State.

2. In  respect  of  any  acceding  State,  the  Convention  shall  enter  into  force  on  the  first  day  of  the month  following  the  expiry  of  a  period  of  three  months  after  the  date  of  the  deposit  of  the instrument of accession with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

Article 21

1. Any  State  may,  at  the  time  of  signature  or  when  depositing  its  instrument  of  ratification, acceptance,  approval  or  accession,  specify  the  territory  or  territories  to  which  this  Convention shall apply.

2. Any  Contracting  Party  may,  when  depositing  its  instrument  of  ratification,  acceptance, approval  or  accession  or  at  any  later  date,  by  declaration  addressed  to  the  Secretary  General  of the  Council  of  Europe,  extend  the  application  of  this  Convention  to  any  other  territory  specified in  the  declaration  and  for  whose  international  relations  it  is  responsible  or  on  whose  behalf  it  is authorised to give undertakings.

3. Any  declaration  made  under  the  preceding  paragraph  may,  in  respect  of  any  territory mentioned  in  such  declaration,  be  withdrawn  by  notification  addressed  to  the  Secretary General.  Such  withdrawal  shall  become  effective  on  the  first  day  of  the  month  following  the expiry  of  a  period  of  six  months  after  the  date  of  receipt  of  the  notification  by  the  Secretary General. Article 22

1. Any  State  may,  at  the  time  of  signature  or  when  depositing  its  instrument  of  ratification, acceptance,  approval  or  accession,  make  one  or  more  reservations  regarding  certain  species specified  in  Appendices  I  to  III  and/or,  for  certain  species  mentioned  in  the  reservation  or reservations,  regarding  certain  means  or  methods  of  killing,  capture  and  other  exploitation listed  in  Appendix  IV.  No  reservations  of  a  general  nature  may  be  made.  

2. Any Contracting Party which extends the application of this Convention to a territory mentioned in the declaration referred to in paragraph 2 of Article 21 may, in respect of the territory concerned, make one or more reservations in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph. 

 3. No other reservation may be made. 

 4. Any Contracting Party which has made a reservation under paragraphs 1 and 2 of this article may wholly or partly withdraw it by means of a notification addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. Such withdrawal shall take effect as from the date of receipt of the notification by the Secretary General.  

 Article 23

 1. Any Contracting Party may, at any time, denounce this Convention by means of a notification addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.   

2. Such denunciation shall become effective on the first day of the month following the expiry of a period of six months after the date of receipt of the notification by the Secretary General.  

 Article 24    

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe shall notify the member States of the Council of Europe, any signatory State, the European Economic Community if a signatory of this Convention and any Contracting Party of:   

a. any signature;   

b. the deposit of any instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession;   

c. any date of entry into force of this Convention in accordance with Articles 19 and 20;   

d. any information forwarded under the provisions of paragraph 3 of Article 13;   

e. any report established in pursuance of the provisions of Article 15;   

f. any amendment or any new appendix adopted in accordance with Articles 16 and 17 and the date on which the amendment or new appendix comes into force;  

 g. any declaration made under the provisions of paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article 21;   

h. any reservation made under the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 22;   

i. the withdrawal of any reservation carried out under the provisions of paragraph 4 of Article 22;

j. any  notification  made  under  the  provisions  of  Article  23  and  the  date  on  which  the denunciation takes effect. In  witness  whereof  the  undersigned,  being  duly  authorised  thereto,  have  signed  this Convention. 

Appendices

Appendix I - Strictly protected flora species.

Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae, Angiospermae, Bryophyta, Bryopsida: Anthocerotae, Bryopsida: Hepaticae, Bryopsida: Musci, Algae etc.

Appendix II - Strictly protected fauna species

Mammals: Birds;Reptiles; Amphibians; Fish.

INVERTEBRATES: Arthropods;Molluscs; Annelids; Echinoderms; Cnidarians; Sponges.

Appendix III - Protected fauna species.

VERTEBRATES: Mammals; Birds; Reptiles; Amphibians; Fish.

INVERTEBRATES: Molluscs; Annelids; Echinoderms; Cnidarians;

Sponges.

Appendix IV - Prohibited means and methods of killing, capture and other forms of exploitation.

MAMMALS: Snares; Live animals used as decoys which are blind or mutilated;Tape recorders; Electrical devices capable of killing and stunning; Artificial light sources Sources lumineuses artificielles; Artificial light sources Sources lumineuses artificielles; Mirrors and other dazzling devices Miroirs et autres objets aveuglants; Devices for illuminating targets; Sighting devices for night shooting comprising an image magnifier or image converter; Explosives; Nets; Traps; Poison and poisoned or anaesthetic bait; Gassing or smoking out Gazage et enfumage; Semi-automatic or automatic weapons with a magazine capable of holding more than two rounds of ammunition; Motor vehicles in motion; Mirrors and other dazzling devices.

FRESHWATER FISH:

Explosives; Firearms; Poisons; Anaesthetics; Gassing or smoking out Gazage et enfumage; Electricity with alternating current; Artificial light sources.

CRAYFISH (Decapoda): Explosives and Poisons.

CONCLUSION

Over the past two decades, the Bern Convention has accommodated an increasing number of Parties and developed the necessary framework and machinery to pursue its mission. The Convention is now part of an extensive network of international treaties and regional agreements.

References

Council of Europe (1979). Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats.

Sandra, J. The Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern, 1979): Procedures of Application in Practice. J. Int’lwildlifel. & Pol’y(1999), 2(2).

Wikipedia (2017) Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. Retrieved from www.wikipedia.en/Convention-on-the-Conservation-of-European-Wildlife-and-Natural-Habitats.html Accessed on 21st January, 2017.