International news

The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC) has alerted barangay officials of this coastal town to take precautionary measures following the discovery of a great white sha

On 26 October 2017 in the margins of the CMS COP12 in Manila, Environment for the Americas (EFTA), the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), announced an innovative partnership to increase awareness of the plight of migratory birds around the world. The new partnership 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 global recognition and appreciation of migratory birds and highlight the urgent need for their conservation.

In May 2015, the world witnessed the unprecedented death of over 200,000 Saiga Antelopes in Kazakhstan. The mortality hit more than 80 per cent of the population in the Betpak-Dala region of the Central Asian country. Pasteurella multocida bacteria caused the catastrophic decline which left 200,000 animals of the Critically Endangered species dead. This corresponds to a 62 per cent crash in the global population within just three weeks.

After a long and distinguished career in the CMS Family, Lambertus “Bert” Lenten, the Deputy Executive Secretary of CMS has retired. Bert’s connection to CMS started when he was appointed interim Executive Secretary of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) in January 1996. Based in the Division for International Nature Conservation of the Directorate for Nature with the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture Nature and Fisheries in The Hague, Bert organized the first Meeting of the Parties, which took place at Somerset West, near Cape Town in 1999.

On 26 October 2017 on the sidelines of the CMS COP12 in Manila, Environment for the Americas (EFTA), the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), announced an innovative partnership to boost awareness of the plight of migratory birds around the world. The new partnership 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.

As reported on this website on 9 October 2017 and as delegates to the CMS COP12 in Manila will know, the CMS Secretariat worked with “Territory”, a professional and experienced design team from Hamburg, to produce “TRACKS”, a special publication in the format of an airline inflight magazine. An extended 102-page electronic version was also produced as published on the CMS website on 24 October.

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) held the 21st meeting of its Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) on 11-14 December 2017. One of the main agenda items discussed was how to mainstream ¬biodiversity conservation into the sectors of energy and mining, infrastructure, manufacturing and processing industry, and health. Members of the CMS Energy Task Force were present, and held a side event to share guidance, lessons learned and recommendations for integrating biodiversity considerations into renewable energy and powerline developments.

The Twelfth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP12) held from 23 to 28 October 2017 in Manila, the Philippines, endorsed the Secretariat’s Programme of Work for 2018-2020.

Institutions and organizations from 14 countries in the Balkans, Middle East and Africa have come together under a flyway conservation project for the Egyptian Vulture. The aim to reinforce the easternmost Egyptian Vulture populations in Europe by implementing urgent conservation measures to address major known threats at the breeding grounds and along the flyway.

The 48^th Meeting of the CMS Standing Committee will take place from Tuesday, 23 October to Wednesday, 24 October 2018 at the UNEP/CMS Secretariat premises, P