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Peru and France have become the seventh and eighth nations, respectively, to accede to the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels.

Peru’s instrument of ratification was delivered to the Treaties Secretariat of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on 17 May 2005. France deposited its instrument of approval on 28 June 2005.

Ratification of the Agreement by Peru is an important step forward in international efforts to conserve these oceanic birds. Peru is a key RangeState for nine species of albatross and petrel protected by the Agreement which forage in Peruvian marine waters. These species include the critically endangered Chatham Albatross. Peru also has a substantial fishing industry.

France's accession to the Agreement also marks an important advance in the conservation of albatrosses and petrels. France has been a key stakeholder in the conservation of seabirds for many years, and has done much to raise awareness of the plight of these birds through seminal research on the at-sea distribution, feeding ecology and demography of albatrosses and petrels. France operates a number of fisheries that interact with seabirds, and is a range state for 17 ACAP listed species, including the critically endangered Amsterdam Albatross, which has been reduced to a population size of only 80 mature individuals. This recent action is testament to their unswerving commitment to conserve threatened seabirds and solve the global problem of fishery-induced mortality.

Both Peru and France are to be congratulated on becoming parties to ACAP, thus demonstrating their commitment to protect albatrosses and petrels at their breeding colonies, within their territorial waters and on the high seas.