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).

“Dim the Lights for Birds at Night!” has been selected as the official slogan of the 2022 edition of the UN-backed global World Migratory Bird Day campaign. This year, the campaign’s focus is on the impacts of light pollution on migratory birds.  “World Migratory Bird Day 2022 is not only about raising awareness on the negative effects of light pollution on migratory birds. We also hope the campaign will trigger concrete commitments and pledges from Parties, cities, and other key stakeholders across the world,” said Amy Fraenkel, Executive Secretary of CMS.

The CMS Energy Task Force (ETF) convened its 6th Meeting on 9 and 10 February. Over 60 participants, including representatives of CMS Parties, Multilateral Environmental Agreements, NGOs, International Financial Institutions, and entities working in the energy field met to discuss progress and priorities in implementing the ETF 2021-2024 workplan. CMS Executive Secretary Amy Fraenkel said: “Global energy demand is set to increase 30% by 2040. Transitioning to a decarbonized economy should be a top priority, but this transition needs to take place without jeopardizing the future of migratory species, many of which are already suffering from inadequate planning and monitoring of current energy developments.

The longest-studied Flatback Turtle has returned to one of Australia's key nesting beaches. Known as X23103, this flatback was first flipper-tagged at the nesting beach "Mon Repos" (Queensland, Australia) in 1974, and has been coming back ever since, giving insights into important live-history parameters such as nesting intervals and site fidelity.