Decisions 15.150 to 15.156 - Flyways
Avian Species Conservation Issues
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Decision directed to: Parties
Parties:
a) are requested to implement the new Flyways Programme of Work 2026-2029 and share progress at the Flyways Working Group, with special focus on ensuring synergies with CMS and non-CMS instruments addressing migratory flyways globally;
b) are urged to promote and support the development of online tools for mapping migratory flyways, such as IUCN or BirdLife International online databases and the AVISTEP spatial planning tool, and the threats affecting and ecosystem services provided by migratory bird species.
Decision directed to: Parties, Others
Range States of the Americas Flyways are encouraged to:
a) collaborate with the CMS Secretariat, in coordination with existing CMS avian-related instruments such as the MOUs for High Andean Flamingos, for Ruddy Headed Goose and for Southern South American Grassland Birds, to develop a new CMS initiative for the Americas Flyways to be adopted at COP16 that coordinates and facilitates the implementation of the Americas Flyways Framework and Action Plan;
b) support the work of the Americas Flyways Framework Task Force to finalize the review of the Framework and Action Plan for the Americas;
c) implement the Americas Flyways Framework (AFF) Action Plan;
d) support the work started by the AAF to develop a new CMS institutional framework for the Americas Flyways that could enhance cooperation among CMS Parties, non-Parties and relevant stakeholders in the region;
e) support the development, adoption and implementation of a multi-species action plan for priority species of Vultures of the Americas in line with CMS priorities, within the Americas Flyways Framework;
f) support the implementation of the revised action plan within the auspices of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Southern South American Migratory Grassland Bird Species and their Habitats (UNEP/CMS/COP15/Inf. 40).
Decision directed to: Parties, Others
Range States of the Central Asian Flyway (CAF) are requested to:
a) support the Government of India and the Secretariat to set up the Coordination Unit of the CAF in India, under the umbrella of CMS, by the end of 2026;
b) support the development and implementation of a CAF Programme of Work to identify the gaps and challenges in the region, including the need for further capacity-building and conservation initiatives.
Decision directed to: IGOs & NGOs, Others
Non-Parties, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, the private sector, international financial institutions, donors and other stakeholders are invited to support the Flyways Working Group, and to jointly cooperate in the implementation of its strategic priorities.
Decision directed to: Working Groups & Task Forces
The Flyways Working Group is requested, subject to the availability of resources, to:
a) act as a platform that ensures the exchange of best practices and the identification of global synergies and gaps across the different flyway-related initiatives, developed either within the framework of the CMS or outside, in aligment with the priorities identified in the CMS Strategic Plan for Migratory Species (SPMS) and with those of other relevant MEAs working in areas linked to migratory bird conservation;
b) review relevant scientific and technical reports, international initiatives and processes linked to the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats, and develop guidance to help Parties raise awareness of the importance of migratory flyways and the ecosystem services they provide;
c) help to ensure coordination between the various CMS Working Groups and Task Forces (e.g., Illegal Killing of Birds, Poisoning, Landbirds, Energy) on flyway-related actions and priorities, and enhance synergies in their implementation;
d) report progress to the Scientific Council.
Decision directed to: Working Groups & Task Forces
The Americas Flyways Task Force is requested, subject to the availability of resources, to:
a) finalize the review and update of the Americas Flyways Framework (AFF) and Action Plan for the Americas;
b) support the implementation of the AFF Action Plan, seeking synergies with other CMS and non-CMS Parties and instruments.
Decision directed to: Secretariat
The Secretariat shall, subject to the availability of resources:
a) organize subregional meetings aimed at sharing best practices and lessons learned on flyway-scale conservation, awareness-raising, and on the development of adequate institutional frameworks to protect them;
b) support the work of the Flyways Working Group, in particular by organizing its meetings, aiding the development of a monitoring tool to provide Parties with an objective, fact-based national self-assessment of the current status of flyways and helping to raise awareness of flyways conservation;
c) support the Americas Flyway Task Force work, in particular by organizing the Task Force’s meetings and helping to update the AFF Action Plan;
d) support Range States of the Americas and other stakeholders in the development of a new CMS Initiative for the Americas Flyways (IAF), including the convening of an in-person constitutive meeting, subject to the availability of resources;
e) support the establishment of the Central Asian Flyway Initiative, including by supporting the Government of India in setting up the coordination unit of the CAF in India, by the end of 2026.