At its 13th ordinary meeting (COP13, Gandhinagar, February 2020) the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) considered the issue of light pollution. Through Resolution 13.5 Light Pollution Guidelines for Wildlife, COP13 endorsed National Light Pollution Guidelines for some groups of migratory wildlife including Marine Turtles, Seabirds and Migratory Shorebirds, and recommended Parties, non-Parties and other stakeholders to use the guidelines to limit and mitigate the harmful effects of artificial light on migratory species. With a view to complementing those guidelines, COP13 through Decision 13.138 requested the Secretariat to prepare guidelines for adoption by COP14 on how to effectively avoid and mitigate the indirect and direct negative effects of light pollution for those taxa not yet in the focus of the guidelines endorsed by Res. 13.5, taking also into account other existing guidance as relevant.
Decision 13.138 also suggested that one of the next World Migratory Bird Days (WMBD) should be dedicated to highlighting the effects of light pollution on migratory birds. In response to this decision, the partners of WMBD designated light pollution as the theme for the 2022 campaign.
The main aim of the workshop is to review and provide input to a set of draft guidelines being developed under the aegis of CMS, aimed at providing generic advice on the reduction of light pollution and specific guidance regarding the impact of light pollution on migratory birds and bats. The Workshop is also expected to provide input to the World Migratory Bird Day 2022 campaign. A set of recommendations is foreseen as a possible output of the workshop.
