Common use of Implement the Plan Clause in Contracts

Implement the Plan. After a species action plan is adopted (as per the relevant national procedure and custom), the real work starts for the conservation and management of the species concerned. If the actions, responsible actors as well as required resources etc. have been scoped in detail during the action- planning process, commencing the implementation phase will be easier. It is also useful to use the momentum of the action-planning process itself – particularly the action-planning workshop or any other stakeholder meetings – to already start implementing the most urgent agreed priority activities11. As the actions to be undertaken will be species-specific, no general guidelines can be given on the actual implementation of the conservation or management activities themselves. Guidance on this can be sought from other countries working on the same species, the other AEWA Guidelines focusing on specific conservation challenges as well as a multitude of other resources covering conservation interventions. As mentioned above, for AEWA Contracting Parties the AEWA Secretariat may also serve as a source of information with respect to contacting international species or topical experts, if additional advice is required for the implementation of a certain action. There are, however, procedural elements worth establishing to facilitate the implementation of national species action plans: - National Species Working Group (this can be very informal and should consist of representatives from the major organisations charged with implementing the Plan; establish a mailing list via email or some other form of communication like a WhatsApp group where information on implementation progress, species status updates etc. can be shared regularly and with a very low threshold of administrative resources; - Assign a coordinator responsible for monitoring progress in Action Plan implementation and for reaching out to the main organisations/people responsible for the actions, coordinate project development and fundraising efforts etc. This person does not have to be from within the national government, but should have good relations with the government and all other key stakeholders and will be responsible for reporting back to the National Working Group or Task Force dealing with action-planning in general; - Consider developing and agreeing on a more detailed 2-3-year workplan, if the adopted Action Plan does not go into the level of detail necessary to ensure implementation in practice. In a workplan, activities can be broken down into smaller tasks with more concrete deadlines, assigned to specific people to take the lead on and also budgeted for in more detail. Surveys amongst range state governments and stakeholders in relation to the implementation of AEWA International Species Action Plans pinpoint (i) the lack of sufficient resources, (ii) the lack of government engagement and input, and (iii) the lack of power within the conservation community (including the relevant government agencies) to influence influential industries and related policy as the three main barriers to successful Species Action Plan implementation12. 11 The rolling workplans developed by AEWA International Species Working Groups can be found on the AEWA website. For example, the 2021-2023 workplan of the AEWA European Seaduck International Working Group. 12 Overview on the status of preparation and implementation of AEWA ISSAPs and ISSMPs as well as Multi-Species Action Plans 2015. legally required, or strongly promoted through policy guidance, that Species Action Plans be taken into account in development applications. These and other barriers to successful implementation will exist in each country depending on the local circumstances – some will be within the scope of the Working Group to tackle; others may require wider support (also internationally) as well as innovative problem-solving. Here again a look to similar conservation interventions that have been successful in other countries may prove useful13.

Implement the Plan. After a species action plan is adopted (as per the relevant national procedure and custom), the real work starts for the conservation and management of the species concerned. If the actions, responsible actors as well as required resources etc. have been scoped in detail during the action- action-planning process, commencing the implementation phase will be easier. It is also useful to use the momentum of the action-planning process itself – particularly the action-planning workshop or any other stakeholder meetings – to already start implementing the most urgent agreed priority activities11. As the actions to be undertaken will be species-specific, no general guidelines can be given on the actual implementation of the conservation or management activities themselves. Guidance on this can be sought from other countries working on the same species, the other AEWA Guidelines focusing on specific conservation challenges as well as a multitude of other resources covering conservation interventions. As mentioned above, for AEWA Contracting Parties the AEWA Secretariat may also serve as a source of information with respect to contacting international species or topical experts, if additional advice is required for the implementation of a certain action. There are, however, procedural elements worth establishing to facilitate the implementation of national species action plans: - National Species Working Group (this can be very informal and should consist of representatives from the major organisations charged with implementing the Plan; establish a mailing list via email or some other form of communication like a WhatsApp group where information on implementation progress, species status updates etc. can be shared regularly and with a very low threshold of administrative resources; - Assign a coordinator responsible for monitoring progress in Action Plan implementation and for reaching out to the main organisations/people responsible for the actions, coordinate project development and fundraising efforts etc. This person does not have to be from within the national government, but should have good relations with the government and all other key stakeholders and will be responsible for reporting back to the National Working Group or Task Force dealing with action-planning in general; - Consider developing and agreeing on a more detailed 2-3-year workplan, if the adopted Action Plan does not go into the level of detail necessary to ensure implementation in practice. In a workplan, activities can be broken down into smaller tasks with more concrete deadlines, assigned to specific people to take the lead on and also budgeted for in more detail. Surveys amongst range state governments and stakeholders in relation to the implementation of AEWA International Species Action Plans pinpoint (i) the lack of sufficient resources, (ii) the lack of government engagement and input, and (iii) the lack of power within the conservation community (including the relevant government agencies) to influence influential industries and related policy as the three main barriers to successful Species Action Plan implementation12. 11 The rolling workplans developed by AEWA International Species Working Groups can be found on the AEWA website. For example, the 2021-2023 workplan of the AEWA European Seaduck International Working Group. 12 Overview on the status of preparation and implementation of AEWA ISSAPs and ISSMPs as well as Multi-Species Action Plans 2015. legally required, or strongly promoted through policy guidance, that Species Action Plans be taken into account in development applications. These and other barriers to successful implementation will exist in each country depending on the local circumstances – some will be within the scope of the Working Group to tackle; others may require wider support (also internationally) as well as innovative problem-solving. Here again a look to similar conservation interventions that have been successful in other countries may prove useful13.