Bonn, 27 August 2010 - Aliens have settled and are multiplying around Europe's Wadden Sea. Those were the findings of a report delivered at a special conference to mark Wadden Sea Day - an overview of recent research on the marine World Heritage Site.

The "Quality Status Report for the Wadden Sea 2009" reveals that a diverse range of alien species are increasing at an alarming rate in the sea, which borders the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. Many of the species have become abundant and several can be regarded as invasive with a significant impact on the recipient ecosystem. They pose a severe threat to the native biodiversity. In addition, they could become a serious problem to human health. For instance, the sharp shells of Pacific Oysters can cause injuries to mud flat walkers' feet and oysters or other aliens may carry agents that cause infections. Economic losses result from incurring costs for managing or even eradicating invasive alien species. Oysters covering blue mussel beds reduce fishermen's yield.

[Read on]

Governments, UN Conventions and NGOs Cooperate to protect the Earth’s biologically wealthiest nations in Latin America

Panama City, 26 August 2010 – Latin America and the Caribbean is the region with the greatest biological diversity on Earth and host several of the world’s mega-diverse countries, such as Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela with ecosystems used by numerous species during their migration. Together they host between 60 and 70 percent of all forms of life.

The regions also hold 41 percent of the world’s bird species and migratory birds and aquatic species, such as marine turtles, sharks, whales and dolphins, are an important part of the biodiversity. However, they now are threatened by fisheries, habitat degradation, and the drainage of wetlands for agricultural use.

[Read on] [español]

Panama City, 23 August 2010 – Today, the United Nations Environment Programme / Convention on Migratory Species (UNEP/CMS) has initiated the second workshop for policy makers of the Hispanic countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The workshop “CMS as a tool for conservation of biodiversity in Latin America and the Caribbean” is intended to build and strengthen the capacity of decision makers involved with the implementation of the Convention and other Multilateral Environmental Agreements as well as NGOs. Representatives of 17 LAC countries have come together to take part in the workshop, which is being held from 23 to 25 August 2010 in Panama City. In the preparations and hosting of the event, UNEP/CMS is being supported by the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNEP/ROLAC) and the Audubon Society Panama. The Spanish Ministry for the Environment is sponsoring the capacity building workshop.

[Read on] [en español]

Bonn (Germany), 18 August 2010 - The catastrophic wildfires that have swept across Russia this summer have killed at least 50 people and could cost the country's economy an estimated US$15 billion. But among the hidden victims of the fires are small, nocturnal animals that are fast losing their habitats. Russia's bat population - which boasts some 30 species - has been hit especially hard by the flames.

The areas worst affected by the wildfires are concentrated in western Russia, one of the most important breeding and foraging areas for the country's bat species.

Although no official assessments have been carried out, recent satellite images show that more than one million hectares of forests have been destroyed in western Russia. According to the country's Ministry of Nature Resources, the fires have already harmed about 40,000 hectares of protected forest areas.

[Read more on the UNEP website]

Fortaleza, Brazil/Nairobi, Kenya, 16 August 2010 - The United Nations is launching the Decade for Deserts and the Fight against Desertification today, an 11-year long effort to raise awareness and action to improve the protection and management of the world’s drylands, home to a third of the world’s population and which face serious economic and environmental threats.

“Continued land degradation – whether from climate change, unsustainable agriculture or poor management of water resources – is a threat to food security, leading to starvation among the most acutely affected communities and robbing the world of productive land,” said UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in a statement announcing the launch.

“As we begin the Decade on Deserts and the Fight against Desertification, let us pledge to intensify our efforts to nurture the land we need for achieving the Millennium Development Goals and guaranteeing human well-being,” he added.

[Read on] [français] [español]

Nairobi, 12 August 2010 - It was a simple game of building blocks that inspired Coco Tin Chi Ting's world-beating painting. Today, on the United Nations International Youth Day, the 14-year-old from Hong Kong, China was announced the global winner of the 19th UNEP International Children's Painting Competition, beating off stiff competition from hundreds of thousands of other children from across the world.

Coco said her winning painting was a warning about pollution and its effect on animals.

[Read the full story on the UNEP website]

Bonn, 6 August 2010 - A presentation on the Wings Over Wetlands (WOW) Project's Critical Site Network (CSN) Tool is now available on the video-sharing website YouTube. The presentation was given during the official launch of the CSN Tool on 14 June 2010 at the 15th Anniversary of the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Mr. Ward Hagemeijer (Wetlands International) and Dr. Lincoln Fishpool (BirdLife International) presented the CSN Tool on behalf of the WOW Partnership, highlighting the website's main features and multiple uses to the international guests attending the event.

[Read the full story on the WOW website]

Bonn, 5 August 2010 - The UK's Food and Environment Research Agency (fera) has just circulated an update on the UK Ruddy Duck Eradication Programme. Since the start of the eradication programme in September 2005, the UK Ruddy Duck population continues to fall, from an estimated 4,400 to around 200 adults by July 2010.

The Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) is a North American bird introduced to the UK over 50 years ago. A small number escaped from captivity and formed a feral population which numbered around 6,000 by January 2000.

[Read on]

2 August 2010 - "Catastrophic decline, precipitous loss, decimation”— these are the words used to describe the current situation for apes in the wild. Illegal hunting, habitat loss to mining, logging and agricultural conversion, disease and the pet trade all threaten the fragile existence of apes and their habitats. It is estimated that some species of apes will be extinct in as little as one human generation (20 years). Gorilla species are among the hardest hit.

The Association of Zoos and Aquarium's Ape Taxon Advisory Group Conservation Initiative represents a collective effort by zoos to help conserve wild populations of apes - together. The numerous AZA zoos can raise a significant sum for this end. Launched in early 2010, the primary aim of the Initiative is to increase the amount and duration of zoo support for in situ ape conservation.

[Read on]

Bonn, 30 July 2010 - The electronic forms for the National Reports 2009-2011 are now available on the CMS web site (please click here). The deadline for submission of National Reports is 31 January 2011. This will allow time for the analysis to be made in time for COP10 which is scheduled to take place in Norway in November 2011.

The reports submitted to the last COP (Rome, 2008) can be viewed here.

Bonn, le 30 juillet 2010 – Les formulaires pour les Rapports Nationaux 2009-2011 sont désormais disponibles en ligne sur le site de la CMS (veuillez cliquer ici). La date limite pour la remise des Rapports Nationaux est le 31 janvier 2011. Cela permet de garantir que leur analyse sera effectuée à temps pour la COP10 qui doit avoir lieu en Norvège en novembre 2011.

Les rapports remis pour la dernière COP (Rome, 2008) peuvent être consultés ici.

Bonn, 30 de julio de 2010 – Los formatos electrónicos para los Informes Nacionales 2009-2011 ya están disponibles en el sitio web de la CMS (haga clic aquí). El plazo limite para presentar los Informes nacionales es el 31 de enero de 2011, permitiendo así proporcionar el tiempo necesario para que se realice el análisis a tiempo para la COP10, que tendrá lugar el Noruega en noviembre de 2011.

Los informes presentados a la última COP (Roma, 2008) se pueden consultar aquí.

Bonn, 26 July 2010 - The United Nations Environment Programme / Convention on Migratory Species (UNEP/CMS) is going to host a workshop for policy makers of the Hispanic countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). This workshop is intended to follow up on the previous workshop held in Panama City in 2007. Representatives of 20 LAC countries are expected to take part in the workshop to take place from 23 to 25 August 2010 also being held in Panama. In the preparations of the event, UNEP/CMS is being supported by the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNEP/ROLAC) and the Audubon Society Panama. The Spanish Ministry for the Environment is sponsoring the capacity building workshop.

[English][français][español]

On 19 July, Luxembourg's Minister for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, Marco Schank signed two CMS Memoranda of Understanding; one concerning conservation measures for the Aquatic Warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola), the rarest songbird in continental Europe, and the other for migratory birds of prey in Africa and Eurasia.

[Read on]

Bonn, 16 July 2010 - Following its recent success in combating illegal hunting in May this year, the Project to Apply the Law on Fauna (PALF) has provided another progress report. The initiative, aimed towards protecting endangered species from illegal hunting in the Republic of Congo, was selected and featured on the Year of the Gorilla website as a priority project.

[Read on]

Bonn, 12 July 2010 - The UNEP/CMS Thesis Award on Migratory Species Conservation, sponsored by Lufthansa, is now open for applications until April 2011. The award of €10,000 (c. US$ 12,850) will be made at the 10th Meeting of the Conference of Parties to CMS (COP10) in Norway in November 2011, in affiliation with the Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK) in Bonn. The Secretariat of the Bonn Convention on Migratory Species advertises this award to promote scientific research and conservation of migratory species, as defined by the Convention.

[Read on] [Français] [Español]

Bonn, 30 June 2010 - The 16th Scientific Council meeting established guidelines for pragmatic and practical solutions to relevant issues of the conservation of migratory species.

In the presence of over 60 delegates from all the regions of the world, the Chairman of the Scientific Council, John H. Mshelbwala, opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and expressed his gratitude for their continued contribution to the CMS family. He specifically welcomed new members of the "family", Ian Redmond, CMS's new ambassador who had previously served as ambassador of last year's Year of the Gorilla campaign. Mshelbwala also welcomed Elizabeth M. Mrema at her first meeting of the Scientific Council as Executive Secretary.

[Read on]

London, 24 June 2010 – During the International Year of Biodiversity -CMS Ambassador Stanley Johnson and CMS Editor Robert Vagg launched the first comprehensive book on migratory species and the threats they face.  At a public event hosted by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) they presented the large format illustrated book covering a wide array of species ranging from albatrosses to zebras in their habitats. Both authors are donating all their authors' royalties to the CMS to help protect migratory species.

[Read on]

London, 24 June 2010 – Migratory species such as turtles and whales are exceptionally vulnerable to climate change, according to preliminary findings from a forthcoming report.

Research by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) for the United Nations Environment Programme’s Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UNEP/CMS) shows that even the subtle changes in environmental conditions that could be caused by climate change could have catastrophic consequences for animals that migrate.

CMS Executive Secretary Elizabeth Maruma Mrema said: “Migratory species are particularly threatened by climate change as they depend on different habitats to breed, feed and rest. The findings from the report will facilitate the Convention’s response to assist migratory species in adapting to climate change at a global level.”

[Read on]

Executive Summary on the report's findings

Climate Change Impacts on Migratory species - The Path Ahead

Bonn, 14 June 2010 – New conservation plans for the Siberian Crane Grus leucogeranus covering its entire range and migration routes that span continents have now been endorsed to save the species from extinction. During its annual migration, the Siberian Crane travels 5,000 kilometres from its breeding grounds in Yakutia and western Siberia, intermediate resting and feeding places, to its wintering sites in southern China and Iran.

During these extensive journeys along three migration routes, called flyways, they overcome considerable obstacles such as high mountains and vast deserts. Major threats like hunting in West and Central Asia and the drainage of critical wetlands in East Asia put them at an even greater risk. Only 3,000 to 3,500 birds remain globally. During the last century agricultural use, dams, pollution and inappropriate water management, oil and urban development have destroyed 60% of wetlands in Europe and 90 % worldwide.

[Read on] [Pressemitteilung]

Bonn, 9 June 2010 – the CMS Secretariat is pleased to announce that the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties will take place in Norway in the second half of November 2011. Further details of the precise dates and venue will be circulated in due course.

After a number of other countries had made enquiries about hosting the Conference, the Government of Norway made a formal offer to hold the meeting. This offer was warmly accepted after consultations with the Standing Committee.

Norway’s Minister of the Environment and International Development, Erik Solheim said: “I am delighted that our offer to host CMS COP10 has been accepted. Conserving the natural environment is our priority and that is why we take our obligations under CMS and its Family seriously.”

“I am looking forward to going to Norway for CMS’s milestone 10th COP, the first in the post-2010 period. CMS and its Parties continue to face daunting challenges and one of the key questions facing the COP will be deciding the future shape of the Convention. Fortunately, Parties will be choosing how to proceed, building on the solid progress of the last few years”, said CMS Executive Secretary, Elizabeth Maruma Mrema.

Norway has experience of hosting CMS-related meetings – the third MOP of ACAP, the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels was held in Bergen in April/May 2009. As host of the COP, Norway will become a full member of the CMS Standing Committee.

Bonn, 8 June 2010 – The UNEP/CMS Secretariat welcomes the accession of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea to CMS. Equatorial Guinea will be 114th Party to the Convention with effect from 1 August 2010.

The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is located in Central Africa, bordering the Bay of Biafra. Due to the variety of biogeographical regions within its territory, Equatorial Guinea possesses a high degree of biological diversity. In its area of more than 28,051 km2, the country also embraces a combination of complex vegetation zones. Beyond the coastal plains, the mainland provinces are hilly at a level of approximately 2,000 feet, with some 4,000-foot peaks. In addition Equatorial Guinea hosts many sources of water, thanks to its continental rivers and volcanic islands.

[Read on]

Kigali/Volcanoes National Park, 5 June 2010 – Schoolchildren and villagers across Rwanda will receive solar power and more than $85,000 will go to gorilla conservation as part of the lasting legacy of World Environment Day 2010.

Rwanda, this year’s global host for WED, organized a vivid celebration in the Volcanoes National Park that brought together a Hollywood star, the Rwandan President, environmentalists and businesses alongside 30,000 people.

During the much-anticipated and widely acclaimed traditional Kwita Izina baby gorilla naming ceremony, this year’s People’s Choice name, ‘Zoya’, which was chosen online by around 3,400 people around the planet, was announced by Oscar-nominated actor Don Cheadle.

Further details can be found on the UNEP website here.

[Read on]

Geneva, 4 June 2010 – Natural systems that support economies, lives and livelihoods across the planet are at risk of rapid degradation and collapse, unless there is swift, radical and creative action to conserve and sustainably use the variety of life on Earth. Actions are requested at all levels.

To raise awareness of the impending crisis and to spur the world to act, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity. In September 2010, the General Assembly will hold a special high-level meeting on the subject. It will give the international community an opportunity to demonstrate much needed leadership in advance of the Nagoya Biodiversity Summit, to be held in October 2010, which will adopt a new strategic plan for implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity.

[Read on]

Kigali, Nairobi, 4 June 2010 – UN Peacekeepers in DR Congo are planning a new gorilla rescue airlift next month, in what may be one of the first operations conducted under their new mandate. As of 1 July, the UN Peacekeeping Mission in DR Congo (MONUC) will convert to a stabilization mission, as per a recent decision by the UN Security Council.

The rescue is being carried out amid concerns for the future of the endangered species and recommendations by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and INTERPOL to strengthen the capacity of the UN Mission and law enforcement bodies to combat cross-border environmental crime in the Greater Congo Basin and gorilla range states.

[Read on]

Bonn, 1 June 2010 – The book “Survival – Saving Endangered Migratory Animals” written by CMS Ambassador, Stanley Johnson and CMS’s editor, Robert Vagg will be officially launched at an evening seminar hosted by the Zoological Society of London on 24 June.

The speakers at the event will be the authors together with CMS Executive Secretary, Elizabeth Maruma Mrema and the Senior Curator of the ZSL, Paul Pearce-Kelly. The English version of the book, published by Stacey International, contains 164 pages and a splendid range of colour photos of many species listed in the Convention’s appendices. There is also a German language version “Wanderer der Wildnis” published by Frederking & Thaler.

For more details of the launch, click here