Major UN Meeting on Migratory Species Conservation Opens
14th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP14) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) of Wild Animals, also known as the Bonn Convention, opens under the slogan, "Nature Knows No Borders” in Uzbekistan.
This UN wildlife meeting brings together CMS Parties and other governments, UN organizations engaged in biodiversity conservation, scientific experts, wildlife conservation organizations and many other stakeholders from around the globe. The meeting will consider progress in implementing the Convention, as well as actions for addressing the many conservation needs and challenges for migratory species and their habitats. During the week-long negotiations, CMS COP14 is expected to consider an extensive agenda covering more than a hundred items.
Billions of animals make migratory journeys each year on land, in the oceans and rivers, and in the skies, crossing national boundaries and continents, with some traveling thousands of miles across the globe to feed and breed. They are an integral part of well-functioning ecosystems and provide many benefits to people, including as a source of food, economic benefits such as from tourism, and services and functions such as pollinating plants, transporting key nutrients, preying on pests, and helping to store carbon.
But migratory species are facing increasing threats. The landmark CMS report “State of the World’s Migratory Species,” launched on today’s opening day of COP14, reveals a decline with many of the world’s migratory species of animals declining and the risk of global extinction increasing. Featuring analysis of over 4,000 species, including 1,189 that have been recognized by CMS Parties as needing international action, the report issues a clear wake-up call and provides a set of priority recommendations for action to the COP.
The conference opened today under the slogan, "Nature Knows No Borders," which is a reminder that the journeys of migratory species do not adhere to political boundaries, and that their survival is dependent on international collaboration, including transboundary, regional and global conservation efforts.
The negotiations of the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) will be held during plenary and working group sessions throughout the week of 12-17 February, with final deliberations and the adoption of a set of new resolutions and decisions on Saturday, 17 February 2024.
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About the CMS Secretariat in Bonn:
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention, aims to protect terrestrial, aquatic and avian migratory species throughout their ranges. As an intergovernmental treaty under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), CMS – with its Secretariat in Bonn – brings together the governments of the countries through which migratory species pass - the Range States; it lays the legal foundation to conduct conservation measures on a global scale. The legal instruments under CMS may range from legally binding Agreements to less formal Memoranda of Understanding and can be adapted to fit the requirements of each region.