The Kyrgyz Republic – the 120th Party to UNEP/CMS

Bonn, 1 May 2014 - CMS welcomes the Central Asian Kyrgyz Republic as the 120th Party to the Convention with effect from 1 May 2014.

Kyrgyzstan, a land-locked state in central Asia is the latest Party to have joined the Convention. Mainly consisting of mountainous terrain, Kyrgyzstan is an extremely important Range State for many migratory species listed under both Appendix I and II of the Convention.  CMS warmly welcomes Kyrgyzstan’s accession.

Many migratory birds of prey, such as the Lesser Kestrel listed under Appendix I find essential habitats in Kyrgyzstan’s mountains on their migration routes. In addition, the occurrence of Snow Leopards, Argali Sheep and the Great Bustard make it easy to see how diverse and important Kyrgyzstan’s contribution to CMS will be. As a Range State to the MOU on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey and of other endangered Appendix I and II species, Kyrgyzstan’s input into future conservation and collaboration efforts could be considerable.

With the accession to CMS, Kyrgyzstan is now a Party to all treaties participating in the Biological Liaison Group – consisting of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), the World Heritage Convention (WHC) and CMS.

CMS has already been cooperating with Kyrgyzstan in the past, in particular to enhance the conservation of snow leopards and argali, and is looking forward to strengthen joint efforts in the conservation of not only migratory species, but our common natural heritage.

Last updated on 01 May 2014