1 June 2012: The Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) has announced the accession of Zimbabwe as the 117th Party to the Convention. Zimbabwe also acceded to the Agreement on African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), bringing its membership to 66.

According to the CMS, Zimbabwe contains habitat that provides an ideal environment for a variety of wildlife species. Over 600 species of birds fly over or breed every year in Zimbabwe; from the 337 species of mammals found in Southern Africa, 175 of these occur in Zimbabwe. Six species are listed under CMS Appendix I and 82 under Appendix II. Endangered birds include the Blue Swallow (Appendix I) and the Lesser Flamingo (Appendix II). Endangered mammals include the Large-eared free-tailed bat and the African Elephant (Appendix II). [CMS Press Release]