Two important avian meetings took place back to back in Singapore early in 2017: the first was a meeting of the Arctic Migratory Birds Initiative (AMBI), a group that operates under the Arctic Council’s CAFF (Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna); the second was the 9th Meeting of Partners to the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership

The third Regional Workshop to develop a Multi-species Action Plan to Conserve African-Eurasian Vultures (Vulture MsAP) took place from 29 to 30 November in Mumbai, India. This Workshop covered nine of the fifteen species of Old World vultures, a term used for vultures that occur in the continents of Africa, Asia and Europe; a region collectively referred to as the Old World.

CMS and the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) signed a Partnership Agreement to formalize their cooperation to better protect migratory animals and their habitats. CBCGDF thereby becomes the first formal Chinese NGO partner of CMS.

CMS Executive Secretary, Bradnee Chambers has just completed a three-day visit of China, where he met ministry officials, participated in a workshop, attended an award ceremony for children’s paintings and visited two conservation areas.

An International Workshop on the Yellow-breasted Bunting and Migratory Landbird Conservation took place on the 2-4 November 2016 in the city of Guangzhou, in the province of Guangdong, China. Fifty experts from ten countries met to discuss the species’ conservation status and to agree on the conservation priorities under the framework of an international Action Plan. Over the last 30 years, the Yellow-breasted Bunting has suffered a rapid decline that has led to its uplisting in the IUCN Red List to the category of “Endangered”. The main reason for this decline is the intensive trapping in the wintering grounds, especially in China where this bird is highly appreciated as food.

23 October 2016 was International Snow Leopard Day, which is dedicated to raising awareness for the plight of this iconic species. The Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) inhabits mountain terrains of twelve Range States in Central and South Asia. With between 4,500 and 6,000 animals remaining in the wild today, Snow Leopards are one of the most endangered big cats in the world.

Its silvery coat, spectral appearance and elusive nature have earned the Snow Leopard the pseudonym “the Ghost of the Mountains”. Its numbers are precariously low but concerted international efforts are under way to prevent the species’ extinction.

At the ceremony where the Migratory Species Champion Programme was launched on the eve of the CMS COP11 in Quito in 2014, the Government of the Principality of Monaco received the Champion award for its commitment to the conservation of marine species for the triennium 2015-2017.