August 2013: The June-August issue of the Bulletin of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) features a guest article by Rüdiger Strempel, Chair of the Jastarnia Group, on the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (ASCOBANS) Advisory Committee meeting, in addition to articles on the draft Action Plan for the High Andean Flamingos and the International Action Plan adopted to reduce barriers to migratory species in Central Asia.

Strempel highlights that the harbor porpoise found in the Baltic Sea is in danger of extinction, but the ASCOBANS recovery plan for the Baltic Sea and the conservation plan for the western Baltic provide guidelines on the measures needed to improve the conservation status of the species. Further, the Bulletin notes that a workshop to support the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Conservation of High Andean Flamingos and Their Habitats was held from 8-9 August 2013, in Antofagasta, Chile, to finalize a draft of the Action Plan, highlighting that the objectives of the Action Plan are to promote the coordination of the signatories’ conservation actions. Germany, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia and the CMS Secretariat also agreed on an action plan to mitigate the impacts on migratory wildlife of infrastructure development associated with mining activities.

The Bulletin also features pieces on: a grid expansion and species protection project in Germany; CMS’ contribution to the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES); and a feasibility study assessing the implications of incorporating the Central Asian Flyway into the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA). [Publication: CMS Bulletin 6-8-2013]