The CMS Executive Secretary last week began a series of short missions taking him to Tokyo, Madrid, Rome and Monaco in February.

Last week Rob Hepworth was one of the experts invited to Japan by the Pew Foundation to participate in the second of two symposia exploring options to resolve the 25 year dispute on commercial whaling, which, to quote the ES, “casts a long shadow” over CMS by deterring key pro-whaling countries such as Japan from joining CMS and by constraining the development of CMS as the natural conservation convention for whales alongside other migratory marine mammals.

The symposium led to a fruitful exchange of views under the inspired chairmanship of former ICC Judge Neroni Slade, and generated several ideas for consideration by IWC at their special intersessional meeting due to be held in London next month. Speaking in a personal capacity Rob Hepworth suggested several ideas for “normalising” the IWC during the concluding session including

• Increased participation by the IWC Secretariat in the mainstream biodiversity related MEAs, including CBD and CMS, and the Biodiversity Liaison Group

• Improved contacts between scientists in IWC and other MEAs

• Modernising IWC and providing “breathing space” by reducing its plenary sessions to 3-yearly intervals (as with CMS and CITES);

• IWC to relate its work to the CBD and WSSD “2010” targets for biodiversity

Whilst in Tokyo, the Executive Secretary also gave interviews to two leading daily newspapers, in which the CMS-created Avian Influenza Task Force featured strongly. He also held meetings to discuss Japan’s interests in CMS, including possible future accession, with a senior member of the Parliament (a former Japanese Minister), several locally-based NGOs and officials in the Ministry of Environment. It is clear that despite the difficulties engendered by the whaling issue, there is considerable convergence between CMS and Japans concerns to promote conservation and complementary activities such as ecotourism. CMS will as a result step up its activities to engage with Japan in areas such as migratory birds where there are good prospects for results.

Mr Hepworth also visited Yokohama for a meeting with the Executive Director of the International Timber Trade Organisation (ITTO), Mr Emmanuel Ze Meka. The two chief officers decided that there was major scope for co-operation in transboundary forest areas and for forest-dwelling migratory species including elephants, gorillas and birds. A more detailed meeting between CMS and ITTO officials to identify possible joint projects will take place soon, possibly during the CBD CoP in Bonn in May 2008.

This week the Executive Secretary paid a short visit to Madrid to represent the Convention at the 3rd World Congress on Biosphere Reserves organised by UNESCO and the Government of Spain. Besides an intervention in plenary to cement linkages already identified by delegates between Biosphere reserves, migratory species and ecotourism, he submitted suggestions for the Madrid Action Plan due to be adopted as a result of the Congress. There were also opportunities for bilaterals with CMS focal Points and Scientific Councillors from Spain, Mali, and Ghana, and with other key delegates. A CMS poster was displayed. As result of the mission, the Executive Secretary will consider whether the Convention should develop a leaflet or other information targeted directly at the managers of designated areas such as biosphere reserves and World Heritage and Ramsar Sites which are all important for migratory species.

Next week, the Executive Secretary is on the move again, this time to Rome for discussions with the Environment Ministry on arrangements for the next CoP, and with FAO to follow up last December’s successful CMS meeting on sharks. The following week, he will be in Monaco for the UNEP Governing Council where there will be a special session dealing with biodiversity related issues involving several MEAs and in which the German environment Minister is expected to participate.