Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels
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The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels is a legally binding international treaty signed in 2001. It was created in order to halt the decline of seabird populations in the southern hemisphere, particularly albatrosses and procellariids, which are threatened by introduced species on their breeding islands, pollution and being taken as by-catch by long-line fisheries (which kills more than 300,000 seabirds a year). The Agreement requires measures be taken by signatory governments to reduce by-catch (by the use of mitigation measures), protection of breeding colonies and control and removal introduced species from breeding islands.
The Agreement was the result of two meetings and was signed in Canberra in June of 2001 by 11 countries. It has subsequently been ratified by eight countries, Australia, Ecuador, New Zealand, Spain, South Africa, France, Peru and the United Kingdom. The treaty has also been signed but not ratified by another three countries, Argentina, Brazil and Chile. It came into force on the 1 February 2004.
