21 November 2011
CMS Report Calls for International Collaboration to Protect Ecological Networks
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A new report from the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) highlights the importance of protecting ecological networks, underscoring the need for greater country participation in CMS to protect migratory species worldwide.

It was launched at the opening of the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the CMS.

Living Planet: Connected Planet21 November 2011: The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) launched, on the occasion of its 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10), a publication titled “Living Planet: Connected Planet – Preventing the End of the World’s Wildlife Migrations through Ecological Networks.”

The report highlights the importance of ecological connectivity and corridors, and the threats they face from human development, exploitation of natural resources and other factors. The authors suggest that the Mean Species Abundance, which measures both the diversity of species and their numbers, will decrease from 0.70 in 2000, to about 0.63 by 2050. According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), this is equivalent to losing all fauna and flora in an area of 9.1 million square kilometers, approximately the size of the US or China.

The report highlights the threats to white Beluga whales and marine mammals’ exposure to increasing noise pollution from sonar and vessels. For snow leopards, the report cites threats such as conflict with farmers, poaching and loss of prey due to poorly managed and illegal hunting. It notes that such threats require international collaboration and efforts to engage communities affected by the presence of snow leopards. Elizabeth Mrema, CMS Executive Secretary, also stressed the importance of international cooperation to manage large transboundary networks. Some of the largest countries are not Parties to the CMS, which creates challenges for protecting migratory species worldwide.

The report also includes a number of success stories of transboundary collaboration. One, for example, is built around protection of the globally threatened Lesser White-fronted Goose, wherein the framework of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) has brought together governments of 22 key countries along the birds’ migration routes to help save species from extinction. Another success story comes from the endangered Mountain Gorillas in the Virunga Mountains of eastern Africa, where transboundary enforcement measures led to their recovery in the midst of armed conflict.

CMS COP 10 is taking place in Bergen, Norway, from 20-25 November 2011. [Publication: Living Planet: Connected Planet] [UNEP Press Release] [CMS Resources] [IISD RS Coverage of CMS COP 10]


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