Bonn, 1 October - The “CMS October Pentathlon” begins on 16 October with the opening of a week-long series of workshops and meetings as part of “WATCH” – Western African Talks on Cetaceans and Their Habitats. Hosted by the Government of the Canary Islands on behalf of Spain, the meeting will start with two days of scientific workshops covering cetacean conservation, whale-watching and awareness raising, before a crucial three-day session gets under way on 18 October to agree a CMS Action Plan for the Conservation of Small Cetaceans in the African Eastern Atlantic Basin and to start negotiations for a new agreement, which is foreseen to cover manatees as well. Prior to that, at a ceremony to be hosted by the Government of Spain during the meeting, a new CMS Agreement for the West African monk seal, negotiated over the last two years under the leadership of Spain, is expected to be signed by the four range sates – Mauritania, Morocco, Portugal and Spain. At present, CMS expect a total attendance of about 120 for the WATCH meetings. Managers and scientists from 28 of the 30 Range States are expected at the meeting. CMS NGO Partners IFAW, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, and the Wildlife Conservation Society are also expected to play a prominent role as observer organisations.

The following week, the Scottish Executive and DEFRA, on behalf of the UK Government, will open a four-day meeting at Loch Lomond on 22 October to negotiate a wide ranging agreement covering migratory birds of prey in Africa, Asia and Europe. This will be the largest of the five agreements under consideration during October, and over 89 range states have registered for the meeting, alongside numerous other organisations including CMS’ NGO Partners, Birdlife International. The overall attendance is expected to exceed 100.

In parallel, the Government of France will host the “Paris Primates” meetings at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris from 22 to 26 October. Four different primate meetings will take place during the week i.e. Francophone Primatologists ; Donors to the GRASP Partnership ; and the Congo Basin Forest Partnership, as well as CMS who have a negotiation session 22-24 October for a binding agreement under Article IV to conserve all gorillas. This agreement, named the NGAGI Agreement after the Swahili word for Gorillas, would be a keystone in providing permanent, international legal protection for these endangered, valuable and vulnerable species (see previous web announcement on NGAGI). The CMS Secretariat are geared up to work throughout the week if Range Sates can reach agreement in the initial session, so that a final “Mini- Treaty” (ie binding Agreement under CMS) can be signed as early as Friday 26 October, when many African Ministers will have arrived in Paris for the Congo Basin meeting. The Secretariat is working in close co-operation with GRASP on the agreement.

UNEP and UNESCO have received generous financial support for the GRASP Partnership from the governments of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Norway and the European Union through the European Commission to help co-ordinate implementation of NGAGI once it has been agreed by the Range States.

The last lap of the October Pentathlon will come on 28-31 October, when Pacific and Indian Ocean range states will convene in Abu Dhabi for workshops to plan implementation of a brand-new CMS agreement protecting the dugong (or sea cow) throughout its southern ocean range. The agreement will be signed during the meeting at a ceremony planned for 31 October 2007.

Commenting on the October agenda, Robert Hepworth, CMS Executive Secretary, said today: “We have a major challenge ahead. Up to five new agreements lie within our reach if we can sustain our efforts for the next month, and help range states to cross the various hurdles that remain. I would like to thank the Government and regional authorities in Australia, Belgium, Italy, Spain, France, Monaco, the Netherlands the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, whose special donations and encouragement have made these meetings possible. I would also like to recognize publicly the staff of CMS whose professionalism and tenacity, alongside support from short term reinforcements, has made it possible to proceed with the wishes of the Parties in holding these meetings. We are currently being forced to operate under very difficult circumstances as a result of staffing policies which are beyond CMS’ control. I am proud of the Secretariat for their selfless commitment and hope their special efforts in recent weeks, will be rewarded by fruitful negotiations and results.”