Press Accreditation / Press Conferences

ENB Coverage

Overview of Side Events

Programme of Opening Ceremony

PRESS RELEASES:

5 December - Migratory Species Get Conservation Boost at International Wildlife Conferences

English	Italian	German

2 December - Noise Pollution and Ship Strike Threats to Whales and Dolphins

English	French	Spanish	Italian	German

1 December - Year of the Gorilla 2009 will focus on implementation of Conservation Action Plan

English	French	Spanish	German

1 December - Italy Supports Adoptions of Migratory Antelopes, Cranes and Dolphins at UN Wildlife Conference in Rome

28 November - Cheetahs, Dolphins and Falcons Among Species Proposed for Conservation Boost Across Countries and Continents

STATEMENTS /INTERVIEWS

Prince Albert II of Monaco (at the Opening Ceremony)

Dr Ian Redmond, Chief Consultant GRASP on the Year of the Gorilla

The 9th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UNEP/CMS) is held in Rome, 1-5 December 2008. 300 representatives from governmental and non-governmental organizations as well as scientists havel come together to discuss urgent conservation responses to address the rapid decline of migratory animal species across the globe.

“2010 and Beyond: Wildlife Renaissance” is the theme of CMS COP9. CMS, also called the Bonn Convention, is an international treaty concluded under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) dedicated to the conservation of migratory animals such as birds, whales and dolphins, sharks, marine turtles and elephants. CMS has committed itself to reducing the loss of biodiversity, of migratory animals and their habitats beyond 2010.

The 15th Meeting of the CMS Scientific Council was held 27-28 November. The Scientific Council provides advice on scientific issues and priorities for research and conservation. It also considers the listing of new species on the Convention’s two Appendices.

At this year’s meeting International Single Species Action Plans for the Lesser Flamingo, the White-winged Flufftail, the Chinese Crested Tern and the Black-faced Spoonbill have been tabled. Another focus will be on migratory marine species and CMS’s work on terrestrial mammals.

Highlights of CMS COP 9:

• 1st Meeting of the Parties to the CMS Agreement on the Conservation of Gorillas and their Habitats: Negotiation of action plans to protect gorilla populations in their African range states (29 November)
  
• Launch of the Year of the Gorilla by Prince Albert II of Monaco (1 December)
  
• Presentation of the UNEP/CMS Thesis Award sponsored by National Geographic
  Deutschland and Lufthansa to Dr Samantha Petersen for her thesis “Understanding and
  Mitigating Vulnerable Bycatch in Southern African Trawl and Longline Fisheries”
  
• Listing of additional animal species on the two Appendices of the Convention
  
  Appendix I
  Mammals: Black Sea population of the Bottlenose Dolphin, Irrawaddy Dolphin and Atlantic Humpback Dolphin, West African Manatee, Cheetah
  Bird species: Egyptian Vulture, Saker Falcon
  
  Appendix II
  Mammals: NorthWest African population of the Harbour Porpoise, Risso's Dolphin, Clymene Dolphin, African Wild Dog, Saiga Antelope
  Fish: Mako Shark, Porbeagle Shark, Spiny Dogfish
  
• Adoption of Resolutions to address threats to migratory species: the impact of climate change on migratory species, the impact of noise pollution on whales and dolphins, by-catch and the response to highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1
  
• Signature of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of the Andean Flamingo and its habitats and Memorandum of Cooperation with Chico Mendes Institute (Ministry for the Environment, Brazil)
  
• International Meeting on Migratory Sharks to conclude agreement on sharks (6-8 December)
  
  
• The conference will be held at FAO Headquarters in Rome and is being organised by the CMS Secretariat and the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea.

UNEP/CMS is an international environmental Convention dedicated to the protection of avian, aquatic and terrestrial animals, which migrate across political borders. Countries which have become Parties to the Agreement commit themselves to implementing measures to conserve migratory animals and the habitats on which they depend. Currently 110 Parties in Europe, Africa, America, Asia and Oceania have joined the Convention.

For more information please contact:

Ms. Veronika Lenarz, UNEP/CMS Secretariat;
Tel. +49(0)228-8152409; E-mail: vlenarz@cms.int

or

Mr. Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson/Head of Media,
Tel: +41 795 96 57 37; E-mail: nick.nuttall@unep.org