Hírek a nagyvilágból

The third meeting of the Sessional Committee of the CMS Scientific Council is taking place in Bonn this week (29 May-1 June), its first gathering since last year’s Conference of the Parties in Manila. The Sessional Committee will consider strategic and institutional matters such as the Scientific Council’s rules of procedure, the subject areas of the COP-appointees, will review the implementation of its Programme of Work for 2016-2017 and develop the one for the triennium 2018-2020.

Representatives of over 20 Range States of the European Eel (Anguilla anguilla) and a number of IGOs and NGOs met in Malmö, Sweden, to discuss options for a mechanism to enhance international cooperation to conserve the critically endangered species. The meeting, chaired by a representative of the Swedish Government, was hosted by the World Maritime University, which recently celebrated the 35th anniversary of its foundation and is the only UN entity based in the country.

The Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemicals (SETAC) held its 28th meeting in Rome from 13 to 17 May 2018, under the central theme “Responsible and Innovative Research for Environmental Quality”. One of the programme highlights was a special symposium on “Migratory Species at Risk, the Role of Pesticides and other Chemicals”, which took place on 15 May co-organized by CMS and the Wildlife Toxicology Interest Group which operates under SETAC.

Dolphins, whales and porpoises (cetaceans) are fascinating animals that continue to capture the imagination of humans as evidenced by the increasing number of whale watchers taking to the seas in search of a glimpse of these majestic creatures. They are amongst the most intelligent animals on our planet and play a critical role in maintaining marine ecosystem health and therefore human health.. Yet, a dolphin, porpoise or whale is accidentally killed in fishing operations somewhere in the world about every two minutes.

The Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UNEP/CMS) is pleased to announce the publication of issue No.

The 4th World Conference on Marine Biodiversity (WCMB-4) held 13-16 May 2018 in Montreal, Canada, showcased marine biodiversity’s key role in sustaining ocean ecosystems. A special session of the Conference was an ideal opportunity to spotlight the ten years of achievement under the Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative (GOBI) including its support to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).

To mark World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) 2018, the CMS and AEWA Secretariats co-organized two local WMBD events in Bonn, Germany. The first event was a film screening in the Museum Koenig and the second event was a birdwatching tour in the forests around Bonn. The two events in Bonn, were among the 400 + registered events which took place in 68 countries around the world to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day in May.

Exciting news has reached the CMS Secretariat that TRACKS, the special “Inflight Magazine” distributed to delegates attending the CMS COP12 in Manila in November 2017 has been nominated for two publishing awards. The 82 page magazine, TRACKS won a silver award topping the not-for-profit category at the Mercury Excellence Awards 2017-18 and has recently also been shortlisted at the Best of Content Marketing (BCM) awards in the categories “Specials and Annuals” and “Cover of the Year”.

From 9 to 11 May 2018, a workshop for prosecutors and investigators on wildlife crime took place in Valsaín, Segovia, Spain. The workshop was jointly organized by the“Wildlife Crime” Working Group of the European Network of Prosecutors for the Environments (ENPE) and the CMS Secretariat. The workshop brought together prosecutors and investigators responsible for the enforcement against environmental and wildlife crime from 17 countries, mostly from the Mediterranean region, including North Africa and Middle East, as well as legal experts from ENPE.