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At its 34th Session, held recently in Brazil, the World Heritage Committee considered two reports received from the World Conservation Union (IUCN, the official technical advisory body to the World Heritage Committee on natural heritage, click here) on localities where ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels breed.  These reports among others are now available for consultation on-line (click here for a full list).  The reports offer succinct but authoritative summaries of the "state of conservation play" and make recommendations for further improvements for each existing or prospective World Heritage Site considered.

Document WHC-10/34.COM/7B entitled State of conservation of World Heritage properties inscribed on the World Heritage List includes (pp. 41-43) IUCN's report on Macquarie Island, an Australian World Heritage Site in the Southern Ocean that supports populations of several ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels.  The report notes with approval the ongoing (but now delayed to 2011) attempts to eradicate introduced mammals from the island.  It also refers to commercial fishing in the vicinity of Macquarie, as shown by the following quote: "The World Heritage Centre and IUCN consider that all States Parties with such long-line fishing operations should be strongly encouraged to consider adhering to the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, which would require them to take specific mitigation measures to reduce the number of albatrosses and petrels killed by long-line fishing".

IUCN's favourable report (WHC.10/34.COM/INF.8B2, entitled IUCN Evaluation of Nominations of Natural and Mixed Properties to the World Heritage List, pp. 146-156) on the nomination by the USA of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument led to its successful listing at the Brazil meeting.  This new World Heritage Site contains large populations of two species of North Pacific albatrosses.

The World Heritage Committee also took note (WHC.10/34.COM/INF.8B3; List of nominations received by 1 February 2010 and for examination by the Committee at its 35th Session (2011)) of the receipt of the nomination documents for the Japanese Ogasawara Islands, home to populations of North Pacific albatrosses.  This nomination will be considered at the 2011 meeting of the committee.  If then adopted most of the North Pacific breeding localities for ACAP-listed albatrosses will fall within World Heritage Sites, giving them an international status.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 15 August 2010