October 2010: The Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) has released a newsletter highlighting the countdown to the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to CMS, to be held in Bergen, Norway from 20-25 November 2011.

The newsletter provides an update on the process regarding the future shape of the CMS, which will be under consideration at the Meeting of the Standing Committee from 23-24 November 2010. The newsletter also: describes the launching of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative; highlights that 2011-2012 will be the “Year of the Bat;” outlines the recent meetings on the CMS Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning Conservation, Restoration and Sustainable Use of the Saiga Antelope; and describes the 17th Meeting of the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (ASCOBAN) Advisory Committee, as well as a new conservation strategy to protect the dugong. Finally, the newsletter highlights the successes of the Agreement on Seals in the Wadden Sea over the past 20 years. [CMS Newsletter October 2010]