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The Twelfth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP12) held from 23 to 28 October 2017 in Manila, the Philippines, decided on the inclusion of thirty-four taxa on the Appendices of the Conven

CMS is pleased to welcome the Dominican Republic as the 125thParty to the Convention with effect from today. The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern part of the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles and has one of the region’s most varied climates, with rain forest conditions prevailing in the coastal and lowland areas. The island is prone to hurricanes which are most likely to occur from August to October, and was badly affected by Hurricane Maria in September this year.

World governments attending this year’s largest wildlife summit have collectively endorsed actions on the conservation of a wide range of migratory species, many of which are near-extinct. The week-long CMS COP12 ended in Manila today with decisions on 34 species in submissions made by 24 Parties from Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe and Oceania. These include actions on Africa’s great carnivores, 10 species of vulture, and the endangered Whale Shark, known as the butanding in the Philippines.

Chimpanzees - which share some 99 per cent of their DNA with us - are in trouble, despite national protection efforts across Africa, says the world-renowned conservationist Ian Redmond. “Although our zoological next of kin with the widest distribution of any ape apart from ourselves, they are an endangered species. Most are declining in number - victims of habitat loss and poaching - and have been extirpated in at least three, possibly five other countries,” he said.

Representatives of governments attending the year’s foremost wildlife summit have today taken a major step towards agreeing to strengthen measures for the conservation of a wide range of migratory species. The Conference of the Parties has today given the green light to add a number of endangered animals to the two Appendices of the Convention. Listing on Appendix I requires governments of Parties to protect the species while Appendix II calls for international cooperation to ensure that the conservation status of a species is favourable.

Three leading bird conservation organizations today announced an innovative partnership to boost awareness of the plight of migratory birds around the globe. The new alliance formally unites two of the world’s largest bird education campaigns, International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) and World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) in a bid to strengthen recognition and appreciation of migratory birds and highlight the urgent need for their conservation.

A new set of guidelines for regulators will significantly help to manage marine noise, which is increasingly posing a major threat to many marine animals. Bradnee Chambers, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), said the recommendations are a response to a historically unprecedented increase in marine noise.

UN Environment’s Executive Director, Erik Solheim conveyed an upbeat message when he addressed delegates on the third day of the CMS Conference of Parties. On the prospects for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, his final rallying cry echoed Barack Obama’s election slogan “Yes We Can”.

Last month, an international team of scientists and explorers reported an unusual find: two large chunks of polystyrene lyingon ice floes in a previously inaccessible part of the Arctic Ocean. The surprise discovery – hundreds of miles from land – is the first time plastic debris had been recorded in the area, which is usually covered in sea ice. Tim Gordon, the expedition’s lead scientist, said it confirmed just how far plastic pollution had reached.

At a ceremony held during the CMS COP and presided over by CMS Executive Secretary, Bradnee Chambers, four countries became members of CMS Memoranda of Understanding while the WWF and the Peregrine Trust became cooperating partners to the Sharks MOU and Raptors MOU respectively. Burkina Faso signed the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia becoming the 58th Signatory to do so.