Vilm, Germany (May 4, 2017)– Experts have for the first time mapped the distribution and movement corridors of migratory mammals in combination with threats from linear infrastructure, such as railways, roads, pipelines, and border fences, across the entire Central Asian region.

The Coordinating Unit of the Raptors MOU, in collaboration with BirdLife International, Vulture Conservation Foundation and the IUCN Vulture Specialist Group, has today launched a month-long Public Consultation Exercise on the 2nd draft of a Multi-species Action Plan to Conserve African-Eurasian Vultures (Vulture MsAP).The consultation period runs until 16 April 2017.

Abu Dhabi, 13 March 2017 – Delegates from twenty-three countries, along with the world’s leading dugong and seagrass experts, gather today under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) for the opening of the Third Meeting of Signatories (MOS3) to Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Dugongs and their Habitats (Dugong MOU).

Abu Dhabi, 13 March 2017- The CMS Secretariat is pleased to welcome the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the 42^nd Signatory to the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation

Lebanon is a country of extraordinary importance for migratory birds since it lies at the heart of the Rift Valley-Red Sea Flyway on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Every year thousands of birds migrate across Lebanon during the autumn season towards their wintering grounds in Africa and return in the spring time to their breeding areas in Eurasia. These birds are mainly waterbirds, raptors and songbirds. Among them there are several globally threatened species such as the Dalmatian Pelican, Greater Spotted Eagle, Imperial Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, Egyptian Vulture, Pallid Harrier and Lesser Kestrel. Great numbers of White Storks and Lesser-spotted Eagles also overfly Lebanon during their migration.

The official logo for the 12th Session of the Conference of the Parties to CMS was officially launched today (2:00 pm Manila time) at a ceremony held in the Senate of the Republic of the Philippines. The Conference (CO12) will take place in Manila from 23 to 27 October with the theme: “Their Future is Our Future: Sustainable Development for Wildlife and People”, linking the efforts undertaken under CMS to protect endangered migratory wildlife to the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed by world governments in an historic summit held in September 2015.

An overarching workshop to develop a Multi-species Action Plan to Conserve African-Eurasian Vultures (Vulture MsAP) took place from 16 to 19 February in the historic city of Toledo, Spain, at the kind invitation of the Spanish Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha.

The fourth of a series of regional workshops to develop a Multi-species Action Plan to Conserve African-Eurasian Vultures (Vulture MsAP) took place from 6 to 9 February in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The workshop was held as a part of the 18th Sharjah International Conservation Forum for Arabian Biodiversity (SICFAB), at the generous invitation of the Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA) of Sharjah.

In the Hollywood blockbuster The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013), the adventurous photographer Sean O’Connell decides not to take a picture of a snow leopard because he wishes to appreciate the unique moment of spotting the elusive and beautiful ‘ghost cat’.
В голливудском блокбастере «Невероятная жизнь Уолтера Митти» (2013), фотограф Шон О'Коннелл решает не фотографировать снежного барса, потому что он хочет оценить уникальный момент обнаружения неуловимой и красивой «призрачной кошки».

Reports have reached the Secretariat that an outbreak of what is thought to be peste-des-petits ruminants (sheep and goat plague) is occurring among the Saiga Antelopes in Mongolia, where already more than 1,000 individuals have died and the epidemic is continuing.