This side event will address how the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) can advance the operational implementation of One Health, building on existing CMS decisions and resolutions. The session will focus on what is still needed to translate One Health from a conceptual framework into effective action under CMS, particularly through strengthened governance, coordination, monitoring, and international cooperation. Moreover, One Health is recognized across multiple international agreements and conventions, calling for coordinated and integrative implementation. Emphasis will be placed on the relevance of One Health for migratory species conservation in an increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world. 

The event will highlight how the health of interconnected landscapes is a core principle linking migratory species, ecosystem integrity, and ecological functioning outcomes across freshwater, terrestrial, coastal, and marine systems. Because migratory species traverse political and ecological boundaries, pressures such as pollution, habitat degradation, climate impacts, and disease risks propagate across regions and sectors. The discussion will explore how CMS instruments, regional action plans, and transboundary cooperation can better integrate connectivity into conservation planning while addressing shared health risks affecting wildlife, domestic and food-producing animals, and human communities.

Sentinel species will be presented as practical cases for assessing ecological and health issues and for implementing One Health under CMS. Migratory taxa such as river dolphins, large terrestrial predators, seabirds, marine mammals, sea turtles, and elasmobranchs provide early warning signals of ecosystem collapse, cumulative pressures, and emerging health threats across connected landscapes and seascapes. By integrating wildlife health monitoring with conservation measures, CMS Parties can strengthen preparedness, risk prevention, and evidence-based decision-making while enhancing conservation outcomes for Appendix I and II species. Overall, the side event focuses on advancing One Health approaches and connectivity by integrating several initiatives under the CMS and other associated intergovernmental frameworks.‑level showcases from Brazil‑sectoral‑term continuity, sustained institutional arrangements, and stable financing to ensure that One Health solutions deliver durable conservation and health benefits over time.

The side event will bridge policy, CMS resolutions, and on-the-ground implementation by presenting country-level experiences primarily from South and Central America, such as Brazil, Panama, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina, as well as other regions. The initiative will illustrate how One Health approaches are being operationalized across diverse ecological, socio-economic, and governance contexts, highlighting implementation pathways, challenges, and solutions for delivering effective and durable conservation and health outcomes.‑Brazil, and the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), ‑level round‑table dialogue. It aims to generate clear policy‑relevant takeaways for CMS Parties, foster South–South and regional cooperation, and reinforce the role of One Health, connectivity, and sentinel species as strategic pillars for conserving migratory species while safeguarding ecosystem resilience and the health of humans and animals.

The side event will also address governance synergies between CMS and other multilateral environmental agreements, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and global agendas related to oceans, freshwater, and sustainable development. Organized by the Government of Brazil, the Government of Panama, ICMBio, WWF-Brazil, and the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), with additional partners to be invited, the event will be structured as a high-level roundtable dialogue. It aims to generate clear policy relevant takeaways for CMS Parties, foster South–South and regional cooperation, and reinforce the role of One Health, connectivity, and sentinel species as strategic pillars for conserving migratory species while safeguarding ecosystem resilience and the health of humans and nature.

Link to the COP15 agenda topics

Agenda 28.5 - Wildlife Health;

Agenda 25.3.1 - Priorities for Area-based Conservation of Marine Migratory Species; 

Resolution 12.17 - Conservation and Management of Whales and their Habitats in the South Atlantic Region

Resolution 14.7 - Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs)