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.

During the International Year of Biodiversity the scientific community is focusing on pinpointing what research is needed, what animal populations are most threatened, which of these species need listing in the CMS appendices, along with many other concerns. A major topic of the meeting was the review of strategy implementation for the Scientific Council 2006-2011.

The Conference-appointed Councillor on fish and marine specialist, Zeb Hogan, gave a presentation on freshwater fish species, which brought to light the huge information gap that exists on this species. Of 15,000 freshwater fish species, only 3,000 have been assessed for the IUCN Red Data Lists and just one is included on the CMS Appendix I as Endangered.. There is therefore insufficient data to categorise 80% of known freshwater fish species. Again, scientific data are pivotal in making decisions within the framework of CMS. Endangered fish species that are not listed but that clearly migrate across international borders are of major concern. 

Barry Baker, the Conference-appointed Councillor on bycatch, gave an account on the detrimental effects of bycatch on seabirds, cetaceans and marine turtles, specifically in tuna fisheries and briefly discussed useful mitigation practices. For sea birds alone, bycatch results in about 200,000 deaths per year. Although many measures have been taken, there is not one single solution to reduce seabird bycatch.  

Delegates discussed the conservation status of CMS Appendix I Species and agreed to continue producing fact sheets on the species listed on the appendix. In addition, proposals for amendments were made on adding fish species, the tiger and two beaked whales to Appendices I and II of the Convention.

Key points of the meeting also included threats to endangered species such as climate change, habitat loss and artificial barriers to migration. Response to emergency situations for CMS species, the critical sites and ecological networks for migratory species as well as global bird flyways and conservation priorities were also on the agenda. 

Representatives discussed the criteria for the listing of species in Appendix II and those necessary for the classification for considering a country to become a Range State. An extensive discussion on sustainable use affecting many species as diverse as cranes and marine turtles followed.

The EUROBATS Secretariat announced the Year of the Bat, sparking great interest from representatives of countries outside of Europe. This campaign would commence in Europe in 2011 and spread worldwide the following year.

Delegates broke into Taxonomic Working Groups addressing climate change, bycatch and wildlife diseases. These covered birds, fish, aquatic and terrestrial mammals and marine turtles and presented their reports to the plenary.

Before closing the Meeting, the Chair emphasized the contribution of the Secretariat to a productive inter-sessional gathering. It was proposed that the 17th meeting of the Scientific Council would be held immediately before the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties in November 2011 in Norway.