Seabirds are excellent indicators of ocean health and are a comparatively data-rich marine taxa with decades of satellite tracking providing unique and valuable understanding of distribution, important sites and connectivity. As such, migratory seabirds play a critical role supporting the implementation of global ocean targets, including ecological connectivity under CMS, 30x30 under the Global Biodiversity Framework and area-based management tools under the new BBNJ Agreement. 

 

COP15 will have an unprecedented focus on migratory seabirds to advance this opportunity, recognising that urgent and coordinated action is needed for this most threatened group of birds. The six marine flyways provide an opportunity to expand the successful flyways concept to the ocean, establishing a powerful framework for coordinating conservation action, research and knowledge sharing at an ocean basin scale. This approach is strengthened by proposals to include gadfly petrels and Flesh-footed Shearwater on the CMS Appendices, as well as Concerted Actions for Flesh-footed Shearwater and Antipodean Albatross.  

 

This event will explore these proposals as well as the six marine flyways, including how these will contribute to identifying and safeguarding an ecologically coherent network of important sites, and working collaboratively to address urgent challenges like bycatch in fisheries and invasive species.