Brazil and ACAP strengthen conservation ties during ACAP liaison visit

From left – right: João Luis Fernandino Ferreira - Specialized Technical Advisor from the Fisheries co-Management Department (DPES), Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change; Bráulio Ferreira de Souza Dias - Director of the Department of Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity (DCBIO), Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change;Tatiana Neves, Vice-chair of ACAP’s Advisory Committee and CEO and founder of the conservation NGO Projeto Albatroz; ACAP Executive Secretary, Dr Christine Bogle; Leandro Magalhães Silva de Sousa - Secretary. Deputy Head of Biodiversity Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Krishna Barros Bonavides - Environmental Analyst from the Department of Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity (DCBIO), Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change;Inez Varoto Correa - Environmental Analyst from the Office of International Affairs, Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change; Gabriela Isa Rosendo Vieira Campos  - Environmental Analyst from the Office of International Affairs, Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change; Pedro Ricardo Alexandre de Albuquerque - Environmental Analyst from the Fisheries co-Management Department (DPES), Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change

The Executive Secretary of the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), Dr Christine Bogle, recently visited Brazil as part of a series of liaison visits in South America, following the conclusion of ACAP’s meetings in Peru this August. 

In the nation’s capital, Brasília, Christine engaged with key government officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Fishing and Aquaculture and the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change with the Department of Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity (DCBIO), the Fisheries co-Management Department (DPES) and the Department of Oceans and Coastal Management. The meetings included a round table discussion, in which Tatiana Neves, Vice-chair of ACAP’s Advisory Committee (and CEO and founder of the conservation NGO Projeto Albatroz) also participated. 

The meetings focused on the outcomes of the Fourteenth Meeting of ACAP’s Advisory Committee (AC14) in Peru, Brazil’s efforts to protect albatrosses and petrels, including its National Plan of Action for the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, and the conservation and outreach work of the Petrobas sponsored NGO, Projeto Albatroz. 

ACAP National Contact Point and Deputy Head of Biodiversity Division at Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Leandro Magalhães Silva de Sousa, and Krishna Barros Bonavides from Brazil’s Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change said the ACAP Executive Secretary’s visit represented a significant step for Brazil to show national efforts in the conservation of albatrosses.  

“The roundtable discussion provided a valuable opportunity to exchange information and learn about new initiatives among Brazilian stakeholders dedicated to the conservation of albatrosses and petrels. This reaffirmed the government´s commitment to implementing the Agreement in Brazil and underscored the importance seabird conservation efforts.”

This year is the 20th anniversary of the Agreement coming into force. During the round table meeting, Christine spoke about this significant milestone for ACAP, outlining the Agreement’s achievements over the twenty-year period as well as the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for ACAP. She also presented meeting participants with ACAP's 20^th Anniversary Booklet produced to mark the occasion.

“Brazil is an active ACAP Party committed to multilateral cooperation to protect albatrosses and petrels, including many that regularly visit Brazil’s coastal waters. I was pleased to meet the officials responsible for these endeavours,” said Dr Bogle.

Dr Bogle also visited ACAP Parties, Uruguay and Argentina as part of her schedule of liaison visits in South America in September.

25 September 2024