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Standing Committee Paves the Way to COP12
The last full meeting of the CMS Standing Committee for the triennium 2015-2017 took place in Bonn from 9 to 10 November, setting the scene for next year’s CMS Conference of the Parties (COP12) which will be held in Manila from 22 to 28 October at the kind invitation of the Government of the Philippines. |
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CMS and OceanCare Sign Partnership Agreement
CMS and OceanCare signed a Partnership Agreement today to formalize their cooperation to better conserve aquatic and marine migratory species. CMS Executive Secretary, Bradnee Chambers, and OceanCare President, Sigrid Lüber, signed the agreement in the margins of the 45th Meeting of the CMS Standing Committee taking place from 9 to 10 November in Bonn, Germany. |
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CMS Signs First Partnership Agreement with Chinese NGO
CMS and the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) signed a Partnership Agreement to formalize their cooperation to better protect migratory animals and their habitats. CBCGDF thereby becomes the first formal Chinese NGO partner of CMS. |
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CMS Executive Secretary Visits China
CMS Executive Secretary, Bradnee Chambers has just completed a three-day visit of China, where he met ministry officials, participated in a workshop, attended an award ceremony for children’s paintings and visited two conservation areas. |
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First Regional Capacity-Building Workshop held in the Caribbean
The CMS Secretariat, in co-operation with the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) and the UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme (CEP), organized the first Caribbean regional accession workshop from 31 August to 2 September 2016 in Bridgetown, Barbados. |
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Countries Act to Better Protect Whales and Dolphins from Bycatch, Chemicals and Underwater Munitions
Harbour Porpoises, Orcas and Common Dolphins are exposed to many threats. Bycatch, for example, kills large numbers of marine mammals in fishing nets. Ocean energy installations, leaching chemicals and submerged munitions from the two world wars impact their lives. |
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Iraq Becomes CMS Party No. 124
CMS welcomes the Republic of Iraq as the 124th Party to the Convention with effect from today. Iraq, a state located in Western Asia, mainly characterized by desert and the important rivers - the Euphrates and Tigris - is the latest Party to have joined CMS. |
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CMS Family Attends International Bat Research Conference
The 17th International Bat Research Conference was being held in Durban, South Africa from 31 July to 5 August 2016. The conference will provide a platform for scientific exchange between bat researchers. On this occasion, the CMS Family will be represented by EUROBATS. |
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Workshop Identifies Critical Threats to Old World Vultures in the European Region
The second Regional Workshop to develop a Multi-species Action Plan to Conserve African-Eurasian Vultures (Vulture MsAP) took place from 25 to 29 October at Monfragüe National Park in Extremadura, Spain. |
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1st Meeting of the AEWA White-headed Duck International Working Group Takes Place in Madrid
Key Range States from the AEWA populations of the White-headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala) as well as priority countries where the invasive Ruddy Duck occurs came together for the 1st Meeting of the AEWA White-headed Duck International Working Group from 24 to 26 October in Madrid, Spain. |
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African Regional Workshop to Advance the Conservation of Old World Vultures
The first regional workshop to develop a Multi-species Action Plan to conserve African-Eurasian Vultures (Vulture MsAP) took place from 18 to 21 October in Dakar, Senegal. Government representatives, partners and stakeholders met to promote international cooperation in order to halt the recent rapid population declines of vultures - one of the most endangered groups of birds on Earth. |
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Range State Workshop for the European Eel
From 13 to 14 October 2016, CMS and the Sargasso Sea Commission co-organized the first Range State Workshop for the European Eel in Galway, Ireland. The meeting provided a unique opportunity for Range States to discuss the status of eel conservation and management, and to consider any additional instruments of international cooperation. |
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Good News for Reducing Poisoning Pressures on Scavengers and Waterbirds
The world’s largest conservation event – the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress has adopted an important motion to help make lead ammunition a poison of the past. |
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Way Forward for Safeguarding Central Asian Migratory Mammals
Central Asian ecosystems, home to some of the most spectacular migrations of wild mammals in the world face increasing threats. Thirty experts active in Central Asia convened at the International Academy of Nature Conservation on Vilm Island in Germany to discuss how to advance their common goal of conserving Central Asian mammals and their habitats. |
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Task Force Agrees Need for Tougher Penalties, Adopts Zero Tolerance Approach to Curb Annual Slaughter of 25 Million Birds in the Mediterranean
Governments throughout the Mediterranean have agreed the need for tougher penalties and stricter surveillance in order to enforce a new “zero tolerance” policy that seeks to clamp down on the annual slaughter of millions of migratory birds in the region. |
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Bonn Convention Joins UN-Day Celebrations
To mark the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the United Nations' presence in Bonn, the City celebrated UN Day on Saturday, 29 October on the market square. |
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Wadden Sea Day – Celebrating a World Heritage Site Important to Migratory Birds
To mark Wadden Sea Day 2016 a special event was held on 25 August, focusing on the great importance of the area as a staging post for the millions of birds that seek food and shelter there during their migration along the East Atlantic Flyway. |
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Key Environment Body Meets in Bonn
The Liaison Group of Biodiversity-related Conventions (BLG), the body that brings together the top officials of seven international treaties dealing with the conservation of the planet’s fauna and flora, held its eleventh regular meeting in Bonn on 23 August 2016. |
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Snow Leopard Day 2016
23 October 2016 was International Snow Leopard Day, which is dedicated to raising awareness for the plight of this iconic species. The Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) inhabits mountain terrains of twelve Range States in Central and South Asia. |
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Signs of Hope for Saiga Antelope after Mass Die-off in 2015
In May 2015, a catastrophic and unprecedented mass die-off caused by a bacterial infection wiped out more than 200,000 saiga antelopes within a few weeks. |
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Saving Lions: Africa Agrees on Ways Forward
In a historic move, representatives of 28 African lion Range States have reached broad agreement to secure the survival of this iconic species in the wild across Africa. |
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Opinion: Spectre of Extinction Haunts the Ghost of the Mountains
Its silvery coat, spectral appearance and elusive nature have earned the Snow Leopard the pseudonym “the Ghost of the Mountains”. Its numbers are precariously low but concerted international efforts are under way to prevent the species’ extinction. |
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![By Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE (European Eel (Anguilla anguilla)) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.cms.int/sites/default/files/news_featured_image/european_eel_wikimedia_commons_bernard_dupont_wikimedia_commons.jpg)
