International agreements for the protection of Great Bustards
The critical conservation status of the Great Bustard in its entire European range prompted the European Union to designate it as a priority species for conservation. Member states - including Austria - are therefore obliged to introduce comprehensive conservation measures for the lasting preservation of remaining populations. The "Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of the Middle-European Population of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda)" has been in force since its ratification by Hungary and five other states (Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Romania) on 1st of June 2001. Austria and Slovakia signed the memorandum on 28th of November 2001. In 2002 Albania, Croatia, Germany and Ukraine signed the Memorandum. Czech Republic is a member since 2008. The aims of the memorandum include strengthening bustard conservation at the international level, supporting existing habitat conservation programmes, some of which have been operating for many years already, and ensuring the long-term survival of these programmes by putting them into an international legal context.
The MoU is in agreement under the framework of the Bonn Convention, an international agreement on the protection of migratory species.
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E-mail: secretariat@cms.int
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Documents and information
MOS5 2023 Bratislava, Slovakia
2018 National Reports from Signatories - Germany (CMS/GB/MOS4/Inf.6.1) (pdf, 308 KB)
2018 National Reports from Signatories - Slovakia (CMS/GB/MOS4/Inf.6.2) (pdf, 352 KB)
2018 National Reports from Signatories - Czech Republic (CMS/GB/MOS4/Inf.6.3) (pdf, 230 KB)
2018 National Reports from Signatories - Ukraine (CMS/GB/MOS4/Inf.6.4) (pdf, 284 KB)
2018 National Reports from Signatories - Croatia (CMS/GB/MOS4/Inf.6.5) (pdf, 385 KB)
2018 National Reports from Signatories - Romania (CMS/GB/MOS4/Inf.6.6) (pdf, 237 KB)
2018 National Reports from Signatories - Hungary (CMS/GB/MOS4/Inf.6.7) (pdf, 975 KB)
2018 National Reports from Signatories - Austria (CMS/GB/MOS4/Inf.6.8) (pdf, 3.501 KB)
2013 National Reports from Signatories - Germany (CMS/GB/MoS3/Inf.6.1) (pdf, 1,05 MB)
2013 National Reports from Signatories - Czech Republic (CMS/GB/MoS3/Inf.6.2) (pdf, 85,4 KB)
2013 National Reports from Signatories - Croatia (CMS/GB/MoS3/Inf.6.3) (pdf, 80,8 KB)
2013 National Reports from Signatories - Slovakia (CMS/GB/MoS3/Inf.6.4) (pdf, 115 KB)
2013 National Reports from Signatories - Romania (CMS/GB/MoS3/Inf.6.5) (pdf, 1,24 MB)
2013 National Reports from Signatories - Moldova (CMS/GB/MoS3/Inf.6.6) (pdf, 81 KB)
2013 National Reports from Signatories - Greece (CMS/GB/MoS3/Inf.6.7) (pdf, 62 KB)
2013 National Reports from Signatories - Ukraine (CMS/GB/MoS3/Inf.6.8/Rev.1) (pdf, 100 KB)
2013 National Reports from Signatories - Hungary (CMS/GB/MoS3/Inf.6.9) (pdf, 1,23 MB)
2013 National Reports from Signatories - Austria (CMS/GB/MoS3/Inf.6.10) (pdf, 1,14 MB)
2013 Status of Signatures (CMS/GB/MoS3/Inf.3) (pdf, 68,8 KB)
2013 Provisional Annoted Agenda and Meeting Schedule (CMS/GB/MoS3/Doc.3.2/Rev.1) (pdf, 96,8 KB)
2013 List of Documents (CMS/GB/MoS3/Doc.3.3) (pdf, 79,2 KB)
2013 Report of the third Meeting of the Signatories - Hungary (CMS/GB/MoS3/REPORT) (pdf, 240 KB)
2013 Report of the Secretariat (CMS/GB/MoS3/Doc.5.1) (pdf, 149 KB)
2013 Overview Report (CMS/GB/MoS3/Doc.5.2) (pdf, 119 KB)
2013 Extension of the Memorandum's Geographical Scope: Recognition of additional Range States (CMS/GB/MoS3/Doc.7.1) (pdf, 503 KB)
2013 Guidelines for Reinforcement and Reintroduction of the Great Bustard Otis tarda (CMS/GB/MoS3/Doc.7.4.1) (pdf, 1,09 MB)
2013 Guidlines to determine the age of Great Bustard in field (CMS/GB/MoS3/Doc.7.4.2/Annex 1) (pdf, 0,98 MB)
2013 Great Bustard Joint Research Programm - Hungary (CMS/GB/MoS3/Doc.7.4.4) (pdf, 310 KB)
2013 Study of Different Agri-Environmental Schemes for the Benefit of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda) (CMS/GB/MoS3/Doc.7.4.7) (pdf, 156 KB)
2013 Action Plan (Part 1) - General (CMS/GB/MoS3/Inf.10) (pdf, 105 KB)
2013 Action Plan (Part 2) - Country Specific (pdf, 54,8 KB)
2013 List of officially designated National Contact Points (as at 12 March 2013) (pdf, 50,2 KB)
2013 International single species plan for the Western Palearctic population of Great bustard (pdf, 924 KB)
2008 National Reports from Signatories - Croatia (UNEP/CMS/GB/2/Inf.4.1) (pdf, 79,5 KB)
2008 National Reports from Signatories - Macedonia (UNEP/CMS/GB/2/Inf.4.2) (pdf, 114 KB)
2008 National Reports from Signatories – Czech Republic (UNEP/CMS/GB/2/Inf.4.3) (pdf, 95 KB)
2008 National Reports from Signatories - Germany (UNEP/CMS/GB/2/Inf.4.4) (pdf, 139 KB)
2008 National Reports from Signatories – Slovakia (UNEP/CMS/GB/2/Inf.4.5) (pdf, 77 KB)
2008 National Reports from Signatories – Austria (UNEP/CMS/GB/2/Inf.4.6) (pdf, 71 KB)
2008 National Reports from Signatories - Ukraine (UNEP/CMS/GB/2/Inf.4.7) (pdf, 102 KB)
2008 National Reports from Signatories - Bulgaria (UNEP/CMS/GB/2/Inf.4.8) (pdf, 71,1 KB)
2008 National Reports from Signatories – Hungary (UNEP/CMS/GB/2/Inf.4.9) (pdf, 863 KB)
2004 National Reports from Signatories - Hungary (CMS/GB.1/Inf.4.1) (pdf, 300 KB)
2004 National Reports from Signatories - Albania (CMS/GB.1/Inf.4.2) (pdf, 71,4 KB)
2004 National Reports from Signatories - Croatia (CMS/GB.1/Inf.4.3) (pdf, 114 KB)
2004 National Reports from Signatories - Slovakia (CMS/GB.1/Inf.4.4) (pdf, 140 KB)
2004 National Reports from Signatories - Austria (CMS/GB.1/Inf.4.5/Rev.1) (pdf, 2,1 MB)
2004 National Reports from Signatories - Bulgaria (CMS/GB.1/Inf.4.6) (pdf, 128 KB)
2004 National Reports from Signatories - Germany (CMS/GB.1/Inf.4.7) (pdf, 161 KB)
2004 National Reports from Non - Signatories - Czech Republic (CMS/GB.1/Inf.7.1) (pdf, 142 KB)
2004 National Reports from Non - Signatories - Great Britain (CMS/GB.1/Inf.7.2) (pdf, 114 KB)
2004 National Reports from Non - Signatories - Serbia and Montenegro (CMS/GB.1/Inf.7.3) (pdf, 100 KB)
2004 Action Plan for the Great Bustard MoU (General) (pdf, 100 KB)
2004 Agreement Summary Sheet (pdf, 30 KB)
There are a number of international agreements apart from the MoU that are concerned with Great Bustard conservation.
The Birds Directive is a directive of the European Union on the conservation of wild birds. The directive (Council Directive 79/409/EEC) applies in Austria since its accession to the EU on 1st January 1995. The directive aims to conserve or recreate a sufficient diversity and area of habitats for wild birds. The bird species listed in the Birds Directive and their habitats are to be conserved permanently through the designation of protected areas under the framework of Natura 2000, a pan-European network of protected areas.
The Bern Convention is a Council of Europe agreement on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats. Austria is a signatory to the Bern Convention. The principal aims of the Convention are to ensure conservation and protection of all wild plant and animal species and their natural habitats (listed in Appendices I and II), to increase cooperation on conservation between contracting parties, and to afford special protection to the most vulnerable or threatened species including migratory species (listed in Appendix 3). Austria signed up to the convention in 1983 (BGBl. Nr. 372/1983). The contents and objectives of the Bern Convention have been transposed into provincial nature conservation laws and hunting laws.
The Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES or the Washington Convention) aims to regulate international trade in more than 3,000 animal and over 30,000 plant species and derived products, which are endangered or which may become endangered if their exploitation is not controlled. Species covered under CITES are listed in three Appendices, according to the level of protection they need. Austria joined this comprehensive control system on trade in endangered species in 1982. Offences are punishable by fines between € 726 and € 36,336. Particularly severe offences may entail prison sentences of up to two years.