TNAG-0532-FCO40-627-Conservation-of-wildlife-in-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 111

(b) that all countries should assess their wetlands in respect of the need to provide a chain of effective refuges, these being selected for their value for waterfowl as well as permanence despite varying conditions of rainfall in arid areas; and

(c) that if countries are unable to undertake this work from their own resources they should seek assistance from appropriate international organizations.

Recommendation 9. Promotion of Hunting Research and Education

The Conference,

Recommends that waterfowl research organizations in different countries should undertake:

(a) to make every effort to obtain data on the breeding success and

productivity of the main species involved;

(b) to produce general mortality data based on recovery of ringed birds

to be compared with other measures of productivity; and

(c) to carry out special studies on the effect of hunting on wildfowl populations, by means of ringing data and the use and development of realistic hunting, kill or capture statistics;

And further recommends that international and national hunters' organizations should:

(a) encourage sportsmanlike methods in hunting, and stop action which

obviously leads to mass destruction or loss of waterfowl;

(b) intensify educational measures to improve hunters' knowledge of

different species of waterfowl; and

(c) make hunters aware of their responsibilities for conservation and wise

use of waterfowl resources through proper hunting practices.

Recommendation 10. African wetlands

The Conference,

Noting with satisfaction, that the new African Convention on Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, in force since 1969, deals specifically with wetlands as a productive natural resource and obliges the Contracting States to undertake ecologically sound measures for the conservation, management and utilization of wetlands,

Taking into consideration the importance of African wetlands as habitats for migratory waterfowl breeding in northern and central Eurasia, but winter- ing in Africa,

Recommends that African Governments encourage research on produc- tivity of wetlands and, possibly with the help of Unesco, establish an African list of wetlands of international importance, especially as waterfowl habitat, in conformity with the Project MAR list for Europe, published in 1965 by IUCN.

12