La Rochelle, 15 May 2012 – The AEWA African preparatory workshop to the 5th Meeting of the Parties to AEWA (MOP 5) took place on 12-13 May 2012 in the city of La Rochelle in France. An independent facilitation team conducted the workshop and provided further support to the finalization of the draft AEWA Plan of Action for Africa. The workshop was held in a participatory and interactive manner through discussions and thematic group sessions which enabled the Parties to establish and consolidate common positions on key issues of relevance to Africa and to prepare for effective participation at the AEWA MOP 5.

[Read on]

La Rochelle, 15 May 2012 – France and the Slovak Republic signed the UNEP/CMS Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia (Raptors MoU). The Signing Ceremonies took place during the 5th Meeting of Parties of the UNEP African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA), which is being held this week at La Rochelle in France.

The UNEP/CMS Raptors MoU was signed by Ambassador Jean-Pierre Thébault, on behalf of the Government of France on Monday, 14 May. France hosts significant breeding and wintering populations of many of the migratory birds of prey covered by the Raptors MoU, and is also located on a major raptor flyway.

[Press release] [Communiqué de presse]

Bonn, 15 May 2012 – CMS would like to express its congratulations to Latin America’s most renowned bat researcher for his outstanding conservation achievements. The Whitley Fund for Nature bestowed its newly-created Gold Award to Rodrigo Medellín on 9th May at a ceremony at the Royal Geographical Society in London.

Professor Medellín has been teaching conservation biology and community ecology for over 20 years in Mexico City and other universities abroad. He specializes in community ecology, plant-animal interactions, population biology and, more recently, molecular ecology.

[Read on] [link to the Whitley Awards website]

Bonn/La Rochelle, 14 May 2012 – The Secretariats of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands have renewed their interest and commitment to work together. Earlier today, Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General of Ramsar and Bert Lenten, Officer in Charge of CMS, signed a new Memorandum of Cooperation, in La Rochelle, France, during the opening ceremony of the 5th Meeting of the Parties to the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA).

[Read on] [ENB coverage of AEWA MOP5]

Bonn, 11 May 2012 – The French and Spanish e-books of the “Living Planet: Connected Planet” (Planète vivante – Planète connectée/Planeta vivo – Planeta conectado) publication are now available on the GRID-Arendal and CMS websites. The English version was launched in November 2011 at the COP10 in Norway and has ever since provided strong arguments for why ecological networks are vital for migratory animals.

On land, in the water and in the air, animals on the move depend on the availability of critical sites during their annual journeys. These world wildlife hubs are vital for the animals to refuel and reproduce – one missing link can jeopardize an entire population. The publication illustrates that much like modern transport systems with airports, railways and roads, migratory species have similar networks spanning the globe. Many of these hubs are under intense pressure from human development and the exploitation of natural resources.

[Read on]

Bonn/Nairobi, 10 May 2012 – Migratory birds undertake some of the most daring journeys in the animal kingdom, often covering thousands of kilometers to migrate. And the growing fan base of these winged adventurers is now presenting economic opportunities through sustainable tourism.

On 12-13 May 2012, the economic benefits of supporting the world’s migratory bird species will be one of the key themes of celebrations to mark World Migratory Bird Day 2012 (WMBD).

Under the slogan Migratory birds and people – together through time, WMBD will also emphasize the important cultural and environmental role played by birds.

[Press Release] [Communiqué de presse] [Comunicado de prensa]

Bonn, 3 May 2012 - New Year of the Bat (YoB) promotional and educational materials have been launched to support the global outreach of the campaign under the CMS Secretariat. The double-sided campaign poster is available in English on the front and either French, Spanish and German on the back. It was produced with the kind support of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety of Germany.

The message of the poster clearly shows that bats are an essential part of biodiversity. Bats provide important ecosystem services as pollinators of our green planet. In the tropical forests some plants flower only at night to attract bats. Several agricultural plants partly rely on bats for pollination or seed dispersal. In addition, bats are able to boost crops by acting as pest control agent.

[Read on]

[link to Year of the Bat resources page] [link to the YoB newsletter]

Bonn, 25 de abril de 2012 - En 2011 la Convención de Especies Migratorias (CMS) y el Centro de Estudios en Biología Teórica y Aplicada (BIOTA), acordaron cooperar en un importante proyecto en el marco del Memorando de Entendimiento sobre Flamencos Altoandinos de la CMS, como parte de su implementación. La iniciativa está financiada por la CMS mediante su Programa de pequeñas subvenciones (PPS).

Este proyecto de seguimiento de poblaciones de Flamencos Altoandinos y sus colonias de reproducción, proporciona datos esenciales para conocer el estado de conservación actual de estas poblaciones y establecer las tendencias de las poblaciones reproductoras. Los datos obtenidos serán la base para desarrollar un programa, en colaboración con instituciones de Argentina y Bolivia, de seguimiento y protección de las especies en el futuro. El objetivo del proyecto es el estudio, durante la temporada de reproducción 2011-2012, de la reproducción, de los lugares de anidamiento activos, la realización de conteos de las colonias reproductoras de flamencos en los lugares prioritarios y la identificación de las principales amenazas a su conservación.

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Panama City, 23 April 2012 - After several years of international negotiations, the final operational design of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) was agreed yesterday.

The German city of Bonn, which hosts such treaties as the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Convention on Migratory Species, won the bid to host the secretariat of the new independent body at a meeting held in Panama City.

[Read more on the UNEP website]

Bonn, 17 April 2012 - The CMS COP10 adopted Resolution 10.19 on Migratory Species Conservation in the Light of Climate Change, which provides the building blocks for a new action plan for the next triennium. The newly appointed Scientific Councillor for Climate Change, Prof. Colin Galbraith, a long-term expert on the subject within the Scientific Council, is advising the Convention on the development and implementation of this ambitious programme.

At COP10 Parties from across the world reported serious declines in migratory species which are being associated with climate change. These include long-distance migratory birds in the Sahelo-Saharan region, marine mammals in the Arctic requiring sea ice to rest and to raise their young, as well as marine turtles and dugongs suffering from the destruction of seagrass pastures as a result of extreme climatic events in Australia. There is strong evidence to suggest that climate change is fast becoming one of the primary threats to the survival of animals on the move.

[Read on] [more information on the Climate Change Working Group]

Nairobi, 11 April 2012 - In just over two months, representatives from world governments will be winging their way to the Rio+20 conference in Brazil to map out the future path of sustainable development.

Supporting ecosystem services (the benefits people gain from healthy ecosystems) is a key part of the transition to a low-carbon, resource efficient Green Economy, which in the context of sustainable development, is one of Rio+20's major themes.

One winged, nocturnal resident of Mexico with strong Brazilian roots is demonstrating just that - and boosting the US cotton industry by hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process.

In summer months, the Brazilian free-tailed bat migrates from its habitat in central Mexico to breeding grounds in the north of the country and south western areas of the United States, where it feeds on moths and other agricultural pests.

[Read on - links to the full story on the UNEP website]

Bonn, 10 April 2012 - After 10 years as clerk at CMS, responsible for outgoing post and the publication archive, Nalanda Wijeratne, known as “Nalin", has retired from UN Service. He joined CMS from the Desertification Secretariat (UNCCD) and had previously worked for the Embassies of Niger, the USA and Lebanon, in the days when Bonn was still the capital of Germany. He will be rejoining his family in his native Sri Lanka.

His colleagues at the CMS Secretariat wish him a long and happy retirement.

Bonn, 3 April 2012 - The Secretariats of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and Ramsar have decided to renew the formal foundation of their long-standing collaboration.

The new Joint Work Plan (JWP) for the period 2012-2014 concentrates on tangible goals. It was endorsed by the 38th meeting of the CMS Standing Committee preceding CMS COP10 in November 2011. Ramsar COP11 is expected to approve it.

[Read on]

Bonn, 30 March 2012 - The Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan reports the successful interception of a shipment of 4,704 saiga antelope horns (Saiga tatarica) in the Almaty region of the country.

This arrest of a circle of wildlife traffickers had been prepared for several months and benefited from close cooperation of a number of agencies. Kazakhstan has shown considerable commitment in implementing the CMS Saiga Antelope Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), not only by establishing new protected areas, but also by recently amending national law to specifically target wildlife traffickers. The CMS Saiga MoU is administered together with CITES, especially to control the international trade in saiga horn, which is used in Chinese Traditional Medicine.

[Read on] [link to external site in Russian]

Bonn, 30 March 2012 - The World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) 2012 campaign team is excited to announce the release of this year’s campaign trailer! The two-minute animated video helps explain this year’s theme Migratory birds and people – together through time, and is inspired by the 2012 WMBD Poster. It aims to enhance the viewers’ understanding of migratory birds and their relevance for mankind.

[Read on] [version française] [versión española]

Bonn, 22 March 2012 - The Capacity Building Work Plan for the triennium 2012-2014 was adopted at COP10 in order to enhance the national capacity to implement the mandate of the Convention. This initiative aims at identifying capacity building gaps of Parties to be addressed through various targeted building activities. All stakeholders and partners shall be encouraged to exchange resources, experience and information. In a further step, decision-makers shall be guided towards creating and maintaining a favorable conservation status of migratory species at national and international level.

CMS together with AEWA received financial support to implement the joint capacity building activities for the next 3 years in line with the adopted CMS Capacity Building Work Plan for 2012-2014. This contribution is being made through the Thematic Programme for Environment and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources including Energy (ENRTP) Strategic Cooperation Agreement (SCA) between the European Commission - Directorate General Environment and UNEP.

[Read on]

Bonn, 15 March 2012 - The CMS Secretariat is delighted to announce a new call for proposals as part of the Small Grants Programme (SGP) of the Convention. The Programme has played a crucial role in conserving animals on the move since its inception in 1994 by the fourth Conference of the Parties. Projects in more than 30 countries have been supported to date with a total volume exceeding € 1.2 million.

A dedicated webpage has been created for the SGP, where the SGP guidelines, application templates and other relevant information is available (click here for the page in English– version française – versión española).

[Read on]

Bonn, 14 March 2012 - Each year on the second weekend in May, dedicated people and organizations plan World Migratory Bird Day events to celebrate migrating birds in their region and to raise awareness about the need for their protection. Since World Migratory Bird Day began in 2006, events have been carried out in 104 countries and we hope this year even more people and countries will join the global celebration.

On their epic journeys spanning thousands of kilometres, migratory birds connect continents, cultures and people along their migration routes. World Migratory Bird Day 2012 and this year’s theme Migratory birds and people - together through time highlight the vital relationship between birds and people.

[Read on] ------ --- ---

Bonn, 12 March 2012 - The Conference of Parties (COP) to CMS passed a resolution on reducing the impact of gillnet fisheries, because of the grave affects on marine life, including threatened migratory species listed in the Appendices of CMS.

This widely used fishing method has so far received relatively little international attention when it comes to its impacts on migratory species and the assessment of mitigation methods. It is clear, however, that bycatch in gillnet fisheries has considerable impact on the populations of these long-lived species.

[Read on]

Bonn, 8 March 2012 - Over the years the CMS Secretariat has regularly received reports of elephants being killed in Africa.

With the exception of southern African populations all other African elephant populations are decreasing. The recent accounts of poaching of close to 450 elephants in Bouba Ndjida National Park in northern Cameroon increase the concerns about the future of elephants in Africa.

[Read on]

Bonn, 8 March 2012 - The Government of Niger approved the creation of the Termit Tin Toumma National Nature and Cultural Reserve on 6 March.

This “hotspot” for desert biodiversity and home of the last population of addax in the wild is one of the largest protected areas in Africa. The mountain range of Termit and the adjoining sands of Tin Toumma are located in the east of Niger and are considered today as a key area for Sahelo-Saharan biodiversity, including some very threatened species such as the addax, the dama gazelle and the Saharan cheetah, and some regionally important populations of Dorcas gazelle, Barbary sheep and Lappet-faced vulture.

[Read on] [Communiqué de presse]

Bonn, 5 March 2012 - At the invitation of the CMS Ambassadors, a Donors’ Meeting took place in the margins of COP10 on 22 November in Bergen.

The generous hospitality of the German Government and the entertaining chairing of Stanley Johnson made this event memorable. Despite times of financial austerity, CMS received overwhelming financial support from its Parties, non-member states and organizations.

[Read on]

Abu Dhabi , 29 February 2012 - Programme Officer, Nick P. Williams, reports back on his first 100 days in office.

CMS 10th Conference of the Parties (COP10) held in Bergen, Norway 20–25 November 2011 - In addition to meeting and listening to the views of delegates from as many Range States as possible, most of our efforts were focused on supporting the Saker Falcon Working Group that was established to consider the implications of the European Union-led proposal to uplist the species onto CMS Appendix I. The Group met on seven occasions during the week and comprised 38 representatives from Saker Falcon Range States and other interested parties. Highly intensive negotiations held in a positive and constructive atmosphere led to the development of CMS Resolution 10.28 that was unanimously adopted at the plenary session on the final day.

[Read on] [version française]

Bonn, 28 February 2012 - CMS Agreements Officer, Melanie Virtue participated last week in the Cross River Gorilla strategic planning workshop, in Limbe, Cameroon.

Nigerian and Cameroon government officials met - together with WCS and other international and local NGOs, USFWS, GIZ, UNEP-CMS and UNEP GRASP - near Limbe from 22–24 February, 2012. The group reviewed progress on the conservation of the critically endangered Cross River Gorilla, and developed the elements for a new five-year action plan to protect the approximately 250 remaining specimens of the sub-species which is found only in the border region between Cameroon and Nigeria.

[Read on]

Bonn, 27 February 2012 - A programme to improve livelihoods and create economic opportunity in exchange for the conservation of dugongs and their seagrass habitat was officially launched in Abu Dhabi today.

The Dugong, Seagrass and Coastal Communities Initiative aims to attract funding partners whose investment in rural coastal communities and local partnerships will return financial and environmental benefits to communities in developing nations. The initiative will provide incentives for conservation activities and environmental safeguarding across the dugong’s range using innovative financial, educational and knowledge transfer tools.

[Read on]

Bonn, 24 February 2012 - The First Meeting of the Signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Conservation and Restoration of the Bukhara Deer (Cervus elaphus bactrianus) took place on 20 November 2011. The meeting brought together representatives from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as international experts.

The Signatories reviewed the conservation status of the Bukhara Deer, which had previously disappeared from the riparian forests along the rivers of Amu Darya and Syr Darya due to uncontrolled hunting, logging and unsustainable agricultural practices. The endangered species has since been reintroduced as a result of conservation measures under the CMS agreement.

[Read on]

Bonn, 20 February 2012 -The Steering Committee of the CMS Sahelo-Saharan Antelopes project in Niger met for the third time in Niamey 16th February 2012 to review progress regarding anti-poaching and the planned designation of Termit as a nature reserve.

The Committee was chaired by Mr Mamadou Manane, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Water and Environment. The Committee is composed of members of the General Directorate of Forests, regional environmental representatives, mayors of the main communities of the Termit area, local NGOs, the Sahara Conservation Fund (SCF), the EU Delegation in Niger, UNDP and CMS. SCF is a strategic partner of CMS in this project, both contributing to its implementation and also co-financing some of the activities.

[Read on]

Wlihelmshaven, Germany, 16 February 2012 - Arctic weather conditions over the last two weeks led to an almost completely frozen Wadden Sea, which may have severe effects on wintering waterbirds staying during this cold spell, as experts of the joint Dutch/ German/ Danish group monitoring migratory birds (JMMB) expect. Waterbirds suffer from poor availability of food in combination with the very cold temperatures, which some will not survive. However, most birds managed to escape quickly after the cold spell started further southwest to West-European coasts to reach milder weather conditions.

[Read on]

Bonn, 15 February 2012 - Research and conservation of whales, dolphins and porpoises, collectively referred to as cetaceans, will be subject of a series of meetings to be held in the Irish city of Galway in March. Galway’s “cetacean fortnight” will start with the annual meeting of the Advisory Committee of ASCOBANS from 20-22 March. At this meeting, participants will review progress of the Agreement’s implementation and will formulate recommendations to the Meeting of the Parties (22-24 October 2012).

[Read on]

Bonn, 10 February 2012 - Marine debris, which includes plastics and other types of debris from domestic or international sources, is a growing concern related to ocean ecosystem health and conservation of marine wildlife. Approximately 70 per cent of it lies on the seabed, with the remaining parts suspended in the water column or floating on the surface.

[Read on]

Bonn, 9 February 2012 - On 24 October 2011 Ms. Monika Thiele entered on duty as new CMS Staff member based in Washington, DC. Monika works 50 per cent of her time for CMS and her main assignment is to raise awareness within the USA about CMS and to establish good working relationships with governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The other 50 per cent of her time she works for the UNEP Regional Office for North America (RONA) on ecosystem management, with a special focus on ocean and coastal issues.

[Read on]

Bonn, 8 February 2012 - The Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea (listed under Appendix II of CMS and on AEWA) makes an incredible migration each year. These small birds travel distances of more than 50,000 miles, from pole to pole, crossing through temperate and tropical regions along the way.

Arctic Terns are categorized as threatened or as species of concern in certain countries, while BirdLife International has considered the species to be at lower risk since 1988, believing that there are approximately one million individuals around the world. The Arctic Tern has a circumpolar range, breeding in the Arctic and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America as far south as Brittany, France and Massachusetts, USA. It is a trans-equatorial migrant, and during the boreal winter the birds can be found throughout the Southern Ocean to the edge of the Antarctic ice and the southern tips of South America and Africa.

Carsten Egevang used geo-locator tags to track ten of these terns, and he shows ud how they fared on this fantastic video. To see the video click here.

Bonn, 6 February 2012 - A new project, implemented by the Wild Camel Protection Foundation in collaboration with the UNEP/CMS Secretariat and with funding from the Mohamed bin-Zayed Species Conservation Fund will help to raise public awareness on the plight of the critically endangered wild Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus ferus) and its important ecological role for the deserts of Mongolia and China.

[Read on]

Bonn, 3 February 2012 - Large infrastructure projects such as roads, railroads, mining sites, pipelines and fences can have detrimental effects on migratory gazelles, Wild Asses and Saiga Antelopes, causing not only habitat fragmentation but also direct mortality. This is the result of a recent study from WWF Mongolia (click here), which analyses the barrier effect of infrastructure development in Mongolia on migratory ungulates. The study was commissioned by the UNEP/CMS Secretariat with funding from the Principality of Monaco, and was discussed at the 17th Scientific Council Meeting in Bergen (17/18 November 2012).

[Read on]

* To read more about the COP, read the special edition of the CMS Bulletin

Bonn, 2 February 2012 - The theme for World Wetlands Day 2012 being celebrated around the world today is "Wetland Tourism: A Great Experience."

World Wetlands Day 2012 draws attention to the world's wetlands as popular tourist destinations and is an opportunity for governments, NGOs and civil society to raise awareness on the wise use of wetlands and sustainable tourism.

Wetland tourism, when developed and managed in a sustainable way, can support wetland conservation and can be beneficial to both the wildlife and the human communities found living in and around wetlands. At the same time the uncontrolled and unsustainable use of wetlands for tourism can also have a grave negative impact upon wetlands, their wildlife and the people which depend on them.

World Wetlands Day is celebrated around the world on 2 February each year. The global event marks the date of the adoption of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. This year, the Ramsar Convention has joined forces with the UN World Tourism Organization to try to focus attention on the issues and to address the challenge of achieving sustainable tourism in and around wetlands.

* Ramsar / UN WTO Press Release: [English] [français]
* World Wetlands Day 2012 Website