News

World Migratory Bird Day 2023 to Focus on Water

We are pleased to announce that next year’s World Migratory Bird Day campaign will focus on the topic of water and its importance for migratory birds. Water is fundamental to life on our planet. The vast majority of migratory birds rely on aquatic ecosystems during their life cycles. Inland and coastal wetlands, rivers, lakes, streams, marshes, and ponds are all vital for feeding, drinking, or nesting, and also as places to rest and refuel during their long journeys.

01 December 2022

CMS International Experts Recommend Ways on Preserving the Movements of Migratory Species Despite Rapid Infrastructure Development

Migratory wild animals need to move freely across their habitats in order to survive but are increasingly hindered by linear infrastructure on their migration routes.  Elephants, Leopards and Mongolian gazelles are examples of animals that cover large distances in order to feed, find water, breed, or escape unfavorable weather conditions. The highly mobile Mongolian gazelles have adapted to the continental climate of Mongolia by moving hundreds of kilometers to avoid deep snow and cold in winter and drought conditions in summer.

24 August 2022

Preventing Pandemics Together - Nature4Health Applications Now Welcome

Bonn, 18 August 2022 – The Nature for Health (N4H) initiative is currently inviting low-and middle-income countries to apply for technical support in i

18 August 2022

New IPBES Assessment on Sustainable Use Confirms the Need to Address Major Threats to Reverse Current Trends of Loss of Wild Species

Bonn, 8 July 2022 - The findings of the IPBES assessment on sustainable use of wild species, released today, are consistent with recent reports of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) on the importance of wild species for people and nature, and on the need to address major threats to reverse current trends of biodiversity loss.

08 July 2022

Action Plan Addressing Unsustainable Use and Trade of Hawksbill Turtles in South-East Asia and the Western Pacific Ocean Agreed

This new Single Species Action Plan outlines what needs to be done ‘To address unsustainable use and trade of hawksbill turtles in the South-East Asia and Western Pacific Ocean region and build resilience in the populations’ at both the domestic and the international level.

02 June 2022

Ecological Connectivity: An Essential Component of Ecosystem Restoration

With a confluence of unprecedented crises facing the world today, such as relentless environmental changes causing accelerating biodiversity loss, increasing global warming, and advancing land degradation, restoration is key to counter these trends and return nature to a healthy state.

13 May 2022

Avian Influenza Continues to Impact Wild Migratory Birds: The Case of Prespa National Park

On March 11 2022, an outbreak of avian influenza was reported at the Prespa National Park, in Greece, resulting in mass mortality events that have severely impacted the Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus) nesting population found in the Lesser Prespa Lake. The Dalmatian pelican is classified as Near Threatened according to the IUCN  and is protected under the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) – listed on both appendix I and II – and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA).

30 March 2022

New Review Finds the Consumption of Wild Meat of Aquatic Megafauna Protected Under CMS to be Widespread Throughout the Tropics

Published on 21 March was a review of the literature and overview of the contemporary use of aquatic megafauna (cetaceans, sirenians, chelonians, and crocodylians) in the global tropics and subtropics, for 37 species listed on the Appendices of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).

22 March 2022

The Kingdom of Bahrain Accedes to CMS

The Kingdom of Bahrain has acceded to the Convention bringing the number of Parties to 133.  It joins the ever-growing number of contracting Parties from Asia. The Kingdom of Bahrain, whose capital is Manana, is an island country located in the Persian Gulf that comprises an archipelago of natural islands and artificial islands with a total land area of 728 km2 and approximately 3000 km2 of territorial waters. 

28 February 2022