International news

From 12 to 13 July 2018, CMS attended the Technical Meeting of Experts regarding the IUCN World Conservation Congress (WCC) Resolution 70 on “Crimes against the Environment”, hosted by the IUCN Environmental Law Centre in Bonn, Germany. Participants from ten international organizations, including UN agencies, IGOs and NGOs met and shared their experiences in response to crimes against the environment and wildlife. CMS showcased its work on the issues of wildlife crime affecting avian, terrestrial and aquatic species and discussed with the international experts on legislation, enforcement and compliance in illicit wildlife trade and conservation of those species.

On 12 July, during the 33rd Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI33), held in Rome, management solutions for ghost gear, also known as abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), and bycatch were discussed in a side event. FAO Member States Vanuatu, Samoa, Fiji, Palau, Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Panama served as hosts for the event organized in collaboration with FAO, the International Whaling Commission (IWC), World Animal Protection, WWF and CMS.

The CMS Secretariat would like to inform all Parties that the 1^st Meeting of Range States for the Joint CMS-CITES African Carnivores Initiative will take place 5 - 8 November 2018 in Bon

The 48th Meeting of the CMS Standing Committee will take place from Tuesday, 23 to Wednesday, 24 October 2018 at the UNEP/CMS Secretariat premises, Platz der Vereinten Nationen 1, 53113 Bonn.

From 18 to 22 June 2018, government representatives and experts gathered at the Headquarters of the United Nations to discuss the issue of anthropogenic underwater noise in the context of the UN consultative process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (ICP-19). CMS Executive Secretary, Bradnee Chambers, delivered an opening statement and brought the CMS Family Guidelines on Environmental Impact Assessments for Marine Noise-generating Activities to the attention of UN Member States.

Marine experts gathered at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from June 18-22, 2018 to discuss anthropogenic underwater noise. Dr. Bradnee Chambers, Executive Secretary of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), describes the impacts of this type of pollution on marine wildlife and sets out some of the solutions.

It is the most miraculous bird, the ultimate winged messenger, exploring our globe, spending its life on the breeze.

It is estimated that the Mediterranean hosts almost 10 per cent of the world’s marine biodiversity despite it representing just 1 per cent of the world’s seas. Whales and dolphins are an essential component of the natural heritage of Mediterranean and Black Sea countries and play a key role in maintaining the equilibrium of marine ecosystems.

A side event, where experts will discuss the urgent need to assess, regulate and address the impacts of underwater noise, a transboundary threat, will be held on the side lines of the 19^th

Please be informed, that the 3^rd Meeting of Signatories (Sharks MOS3) to the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks will take place from 10 to 14 December 20