| Alien
Invaders Threaten World Heritage Site |
|
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]
|
| UN
Hosts Major Forum to Discuss Biodiversity Conservation
in Latin America and the Caribbean |
|
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]
|
| CMS
Workshop in Panama |
|
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] |
| Russian
Forest Fires Pose Major Threat to Bats |
|
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]
|
| UN
Launches Decade-Long Efforts to Tackle Desertification |
|
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]
|
| Winner
of the UNEP International Children's Painting
Competition Announced |
|
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] |
| Presentation
on the Wings Over Wetlands (WOW) Project's Critical
Site Network (CSN) Tool - Now Available Online |
|
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]
|
| UK
Ruddy Duck Population Continues to Fall - 200
Adults Remaining |
|
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] |
| Association
of Zoos and Aquariums Launches Ape Conservation
Initiative - Call for Proposals |
|
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]
|
| National
Reports - Rapports Nationaux - Informes Nacionales
2009-11 |
|
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.
|
| Second
Regional Workshop for Policy Makers of the Latin
American and Caribbean (LAC) Region |
|
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]
|
| Luxembourg signs Aquatic Warbler and Birds of Prey Memoranda of Understanding |
|
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]
|
| CMS Supports Combat Against Illegal Hunting |
|
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]
|
| UNEP/CMS Thesis Award - Call for Applications |
|
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]
|
| Scientific Council Addresses Threats and Discusses Changes to CMS Appendices |
|
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]
|
| CMS
Ambassador Stanley Johnson and CMS Editor Robert
Vagg Launch Their First Book |
|
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]
|
| Climate Change Catastrophe for Migratory Species |
|
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
|
Protection
of Endangered Siberian Crane and Crucial Wetland
Sites Connects Biodiversity and Human Development |
|
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.
|
The
Republic of Equatorial Guinea Accedes to CMS |
|
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] |
Solar
Power for Schoolchildren and $85,000 for Gorilla
Conservation Among Lasting Legacy of World
Environment Day in Rwanda |
|
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]
|
CMS
Participates in the Roundtable: Challenges
and Ambitions of Conventions related to Biological
Diversity |
|
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] |
Baby
Gorilla Airlift Sparks Calls for Stronger
Controls on Smuggling |
|
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]
|
CMS
Ambassador’s Book to be Published |
|
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
|
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