International news

Delegates from 13 countries agreed today on transboundary conservation measures for the Middle-European population of the Great Bustard. Germany is one of the signatories to a special agreement concluded under the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS, also known as the Bonn Convention) to better protect the species. CMS and the Brandenburg State Office for Environment (LfU) organized the meeting with support from the Förderverein Großtrappenschutz e.V. (Society for the Protection of the Great Bustard).

Wildlife tourism is not a viable option in Central Asia — the area is inaccessible and lacks the infrastructure which all but the hardiest of travellers want.

Representatives from business, civil society, academia and government will come together in Mexico for the World Ocean Summit, which is being held 7-9 March. The annual event is hosted by The Economist, and seeks to address topics related to oceans such as sustainable seafood, blue economy clusters, ocean governance and marine debris. International attention and cooperation for the control of marine debris is especially important in light of the UNEP/CMS/Resolution 12.20 on the ‘Management of Marine Debris’ which was passed by the CMS Conference of Parties at Manila in 2017.

On the 3rd of March each year is World Wildlife Day, this year being conducted with the theme “Big Cats – Predators under Threat”, highlighting the dramatic declines in numbers and habitat being suffered by Lions Tigers, Leopards and Jaguars as well as Cheetahs, Snow Leopards and Pumas. The campaign also provides an opportunity of publicizing and garnering support for the many conservation initiatives being undertaken worldwide to ensure big cats’ survival.

With World Wildlife Day this year being celebrated under the theme Big Cats - Predators Under Threat, Bradnee Chambers, executive secretary of the UN Convention on Migratory Species, examines some of the difficulties involved in reconciling the interests of wild animals and the people who have to live alongside them.

Record warmth in the Arctic this month could yet prove to be a freak occurrence, but experts warn the warming event is unprecedented

A single mutation in an immunity gene called Sting might be one reason why bats can resist the worst effects of harmful viruses such as Ebola.

The 2nd Philippine Environment Summit is a celebration of the Philippine environmental movement showcasing programmes and projects that contribute to social and economic advancement, while taking into account the need to protect the environment.

The theme for next month’s World Wildlife Day being celebrated around the world on 3 March will be “Big Cats: Predators under Threat”. World Wildlife Day, led by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), brings together a coalition of conservation organizations – joined this year for the first time by African Parks, Panthera and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The campaign will stress the importance of actions – at the international, national and personal level – to ensure that big cat species survive in the face of a range of largely human-induced threats.

CMS Executive Secretary, Bradnee Chambers has been attending the biennial meeting of the Polar Bear Ranges States, which was held on this occasion in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA. The Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) was added to Appendix II of CMS at the 11th Conference of the Parties in Quito in 2014. Appendix II listing means that Range States are encouraged to conclude agreements for the benefit of the species involved; the Polar Bear Agreement meets the criteria laid out in Article V of the Convention.