31 March 2014
CMS Announces Launch of Migratory Landbirds Study Group
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The Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) has announced the launch of the Migratory Landbirds Study Group (MLSG).

The Group will identify primary research and monitoring gaps in support of the CMS Migratory Landbirds Action Plan.

CMS29 March 2014: The Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) has announced the launch of the Migratory Landbirds Study Group (MLSG). The Group will identify primary research and monitoring gaps in support of the CMS Migratory Landbirds Action Plan.

The establishment of the Group was announced at the inaugural meeting ‘Migratory landbirds: research, monitoring and conservation’ in Wilhelmshaven, Germany,which was held from 26-28 March 2014. According to long-term datasets, African-Eurasian landbirds are affected by human-related habitat change across breeding and non-breeding grounds. Unsustainable taking and climate change are also considered threats. African-Eurasian migratory landbirds include the common cuckoo, the Eurasian blackbird and the turtle dove. Five species of these landbirds are included in Appendix I and 85 in Appendix II of CMS.

At the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) in 2011, CMS Parties adopted a resolution requesting that an African-Eurasian Migratory Landbirds Action Plan (AEMLAP) be developed. A working group was established to that effect under the Scientific Council and a special workshop was organized in Ghana in 2012. The role of the AEMLAP is to provide an initial overarching, strategic framework for action at the international level to conserve, restore and sustainably manage populations of migratory landbird species and their habitats. The Action Plan covers 34 globally threatened species with declining global population trends.

The MLSG will collaborate closely with the landbirds working group to inform delivery of other actions contained within the AEMLAP. A Friends of the Landbirds Action Plan (FLAP) will also be established to provide a forum for all interested laymen to follow, support and contribute to the implementation of the AEMLAP. [CMS News]

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