International news

Experts in dugong, seagrasses and community-based management met in Bangkok on 15-17 February 2016 to provide guidance and advice on current efforts and future directions for a number of major projects included in the work plan of the CMS Dugong MOU Secretariat.

The second Meeting of Signatories to the Convention on Migratory Species Sharks MOU is taking place in San José, Costa Rica, from 15 to 19 February.

A new Executive Secretary has been appointed for the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), which was concluded under the auspices of CMS.

Bangkok, 16 February 2016- The UNEP/CMS Secretariat is participating in the ASEAN Conference on Biodiversity 2016 taking place from 15 to 19 February 2016 in Bangkok, Thailand.

It has long been said that we know more about the Moon than we do about the oceans. After all, 12 people have walked on the surface of the Moon, but only three have been to the deepest part of the sea...
By Bradnee Chambers, the Executive Secretary of the UNEP Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UNEP/CMS).

Official Representatives of the Parties to seven global biodiversity-related conventions met at the United Nations Office in Geneva from 8 to 11 February 2016 to explore ways to strengthen synergies and improve efficiency among the conventions with a view to enhancing their implementation at all levels. Assisted in their work by the heads and staff of the secretariats of each of the conventions and representatives from a number of international and non-governmental organizations, the four day workshop was mandated by decision XII/6 of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and was supported with funding from the Governments of Switzerland and Finland.

The Secretariats of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) are pleased to announce that the designated date for World Migratory Bird Day 2016 will be Tuesday, 10 May 2016. This year’s theme is the illegal killing, taking and trade of migratory birds. More details about the theme can be found here. You will be able to register your events on the World Migratory Bird Day website shortly (the website is currently under construction).

“World Wetlands Day” celebrated around the world on 2 February marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Convention of Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat. A campaign and associate events have been organized every year since 1997 to raise public awareness of the importance and value of wetlands, almost two thirds of which have been lost since 1900.

The second meeting of the signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks is taking place in San José, Costa Rica from 15 to 19 February. It will be preceded by the first meeting of the Memorandum’s Advisory Committee under the chairmanship of John Carlson of the USA. The MOU is a non-legally binding instrument and was negotiated under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).

The First Global Integrated Marine Assessment – also known as the First World Ocean Assessment - has been published by the United Nations. Following a recommendation of the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development, that there should be a regular process for the global reporting and assessment of the state of the marine environment, the assessment has been in the making since 2010.