The seventh Conference of the Parties (COP-7) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) was held from 18-24 September 2002, in Bonn, Germany.

The meeting, attended by approximately 300 participants, representing 70 countries, 17 inter-governmental organizations, and 28 non-governmental organizations, discussed, inter alia, amendments to the Convention’s Appendices; measures to improve the conversation status of Appendix I and II species; institutional, financial and administrative arrangements; and reviewed the implementation of the CMS’s current agreements, and developments for future agreements.
The 11th Meeting of the CMS Scientific Council and the 24th Meeting of the CMS Standing Committee were held prior to COP-7 on 14-17 September and 17 September, respectively. The second Meeting of the Parties (MOP-2) to the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) followed CMS COP-7 on 25-27 September.
CMS COP-7 started on a high note with the signing of a Headquarters Agreement between the German Government and the CMS Secretariat, which officially established Bonn as the CMS Secretariat’s headquarters, the signing of several Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), and the addition of 15 new Parties to the Convention. By meeting’s end, 37 species were added to Appendices I and II; 20 on Appendix I and 21 on Appendix II. The Fin, Sei and Sperm whales, and the Great White Shark were listed on both. However, the rapidly growing Convention, offset by a restricted budget, will have significant implications for the CMS Secretariat’s ability to carry out its ambitious agenda, developing countries’ ability to implement their Convention obligations, and future projects to be developed. The Earth Negotiations Bulletin report outlining these discussions in detail can be found at http://enb.iisd.org/linkages/vol18/enb1821e.html