Inter-sessional Working Group on the Future Shape of CMS

The Inter-Sessional Working Group, established at the CMS COP in Rome in 2008, met at the CMS HQ in the UN Campus in Bonn from in October 2009 to review the first draft of report compiled by the consultancy firm, ERIC (Environmental Regulation and Information Centre). The report deals with the current organisation of CMS and the CMS Family.

For more information on the "Future Shape" process, click here

CMS Family Guide - THIRD EDITION JUST PUBLISHED!

The CMS Family Guide is a comprehensive, 100-page encyclopaedia describing the Convention's history and structure, the Agreements and MOUs, some of the species covered in the Appendices, the threats and challenges migratory animals face and some of the activties undertaken by the Convention.

The second edition has been trnaslated in French and Spanish and the third edition has just appeared - initially only in English. Click on the links below for the pdf version of the Guide.

[English][Français][Español]

CMS Project Office - Abu Dhabi - Signing of Donor Agreement

The Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have signed a Donor Agreement to establish a UNEP/Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) office in Abu Dhabi.

The office will be led by Lahcen El Kabiri, the former Deputy Executive Secretary of CMS. The Office will manage the two MOUs on Dugongs and RAptors (Brids of Prey).

Year of the Gorilla - 2009

After the Year ofthe Turtle (200^) which had a strong focus on the Indian Ocean Region, CMS ran "year of the Dolphin" in 2007 and 2008 as a global campaign. 2009 was declared "Year of the Gorilla".

CMS is cooperating with GRASP - the Great Apes Survival Partnership to promote gorilla conservation.

To find out more about Year of the Gorilla activities, click on the logo (left).

Small Island Developing States

CMS has produced a leaflet describing the benefits of membership of the Convention to small island developing states (SIDS).

The leaflet can be found here in three different languages: English, français and español.

In Jnauary 2010, the BBC carried a report on the ecological value of rare species found on small islands. Click here to link to the article.

Bycatch Reduction and Trans-Oceanic Cooperation to Conserve the Leatherback Turtle

Leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are endangered due to bycatch mortality in fisheries, but also to over harvesting of eggs and meat. This highly migratory species can travel across the Atlantic. Bycatch numbers of Leatherbacks in the South-western Atlantic off the coast of Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina are alarming.
The project sponsored also by CMS aims to track at least three Leatherback turtles equipped with satellite tags to provide new information on leatherbacks movements captured as a result of bycatch.