The 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP14) took place from February 12-17, 2024, in the ancient city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Governments, scientists, and stakeholders gathered to agree on strategies for the conservation of wildlife. Did they succeed in their work to adopt strong protection measures for migratory species and their habitats?
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Twice a year, hundreds of millions of creatures, from small butterflies to colossal whales, embark on a long journey around the globe. Guided by the stars or the Earth’s magnetic field, they swim, fly, or walk thousands of miles, weaving distant ecosystems together. But migratory species are now under threat, many of them teetering on the edge of extinction.
To protect these animals, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) was adopted in 1979. This global treaty of the United Nations addresses the conservation and management of migratory species and their habitats through the cooperation of countries across national borders. Today, 133 countries are Contracting Parties to the CMS, with an additional 28 countries involved through related agreements or memorandums.
The 14th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the CMS took place in Samarkand from 12 to 17 February, 2024, making it the first ever UN COP to be held in Central Asia, a region that is home to many of the world’s migratory species. This global summit was also the first CMS COP since the Covid-19 pandemic, and the first major biodiversity meeting since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) in 2022. COP14 thus represented a historic moment for the conservation of migratory species and their habitats.
The conference, convened under the slogan “nature knows no borders”, brought together 470 delegates from 122 countries, along with hundreds of representatives of non-governmental organisations, intergovernmental organisations and UN agencies. In total, over 2,000 people attended COP14 and worked together to address the challenges faced by migratory animals with concerted actions and guidelines.
One in Five Migratory Species Threatened With Extinction
The conference in Samarkand opened with the launch of the first ever UN report on the State of the World’s Migratory Species, which provides an overview of the conservation status of migratory animals, the pressures they face, and the actions that need to be taken to support their recovery. The report revealed that 22% of all migratory species listed under the CMS – over one in five – are threatened with extinction, and 44% of them are showing declining population trends.
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Migratory species can be found in all major groups of animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects. They move from one habitat to another during different times of the year, in order to find food resources, breeding sites or favourable climatic conditions. By connecting distant habitats, they perform key ecological functions such as pest control, seed dispersal and pollination, and contribute to the overall biological balance of ecosystems.
The CMS focuses on species which “cyclically and predictably cross one or more national jurisdictional boundaries.” This definition was developed for the purpose of legal protection and therefore focuses on a political criterion rather than a purely biological one. Species such as gorillas, which do not display migratory behaviours, can be included under the Convention, because their small movements take them across national borders. On the other hand, migratory animals that do not cross borders are not included in the CMS, for example aquatic organisms which migrate vertically within the water column.
According to the UN report, the decline of migratory species is primarily driven by human activities. One of the main threats to these animals is habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, induced for instance by urban sprawl, infrastructure development or agriculture. Migratory species are also threatened by overexploitation, such as excessive hunting or overfishing. On top of these two main causes, climate change, pollution, invasive species and diseases also greatly affect migratory animals.
“Migratory species face a cocktail of threats because they are moving through different habitats,” Dr Rob Cooke from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology told the BBC.
The UN report presented a worrying analysis on the state of migratory species but also provided recommendations for priority actions which served as scientific basis for the decisions taken during the conference.
More Species Listed for International Protection
One of the key outcomes of COP14 was the addition of new species to the CMS Appendices, extending international protection to various threatened animals.
The CMS applies to species listed in two Appendices.
Appendix I lists migratory species which are in danger of extinction and require strict, mandatory protection from the Parties, while Appendix II covers migratory species that have an unfavourable conservation status and require international agreements for their protection as well as those which would significantly benefit from international cooperation. Some species can be listed in both Appendices.
In total, 14 new species, subspecies, and populations were added to the CMS Appendices following COP14. Among these, ten were added to Appendix I, such as the Balkan lynx and the Magellanic plover, and eleven to Appendix II, like the guanaco and Palla’s cat. Some of them were added to both Appendices, like Lahille’s bottlenose dolphin, the Peruvian pelican, and the sand tiger shark. Adding these species to the CMS Appendices should increase international cooperation and encourage specific conservation efforts for them.
In addition, Concerted Actions were initiated for six species, and existing ones were extended for nine. Concerted Actions are priority conservation measures, projects or institutional arrangements taken to address the threats and challenges faced by selected CMS-listed species.
Other Action Plans were adopted for the protection of specific species, including Atlantic humpback dolphins, hawksbill turtles, angel sharks, and African elephants. Multispecies Action Plans were also endorsed for migratory landbirds in the African-Eurasian region and several other bird species.
New Regional and Transboundary Initiatives
Several regional and multi-country initiatives were introduced to foster collaboration between range states, the countries in which a migratory species lives in or migrates through.
After nearly two decades of negotiations, a new agreement was reached on an Initiative for a Central Asian Flyway spanning across 30 countries to safeguard migratory birds in the region and strengthen coordination across the species’ ranges in Central Asia, while taking the needs and livelihoods of local communities into consideration.
Other new range, state-wide projects include the Sahelo-Saharan Megafauna to protect critically endangered large mammals native to the arid landscapes of northern Africa, and the Transboundary Jaguar Initiative, a tool to coordinate regional efforts for the conservation of this predator.
Marking the occasion of the COP being held in Central Asia, three regional players – Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan – jointly signed the CMS Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia, bringing the membership of this instrument to 64 signatories. MOUs are non-legally binding agreements between countries which focus on specific species or groups.
Similarly, Argentina signed the MOU on the Conservation of High Andean Flamingos and Their Habitats. The CMS and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) also signed a MOU to support the priorities of the African Carnivores Initiative, a project in collaboration between two global treaties mandated to conserve wild species, the CMS and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITIES).
From Deep-Sea Mining to Animal Culture: New Resolutions on Cross Cutting Issues
Beyond these action plans and initiatives concerning specific species and regions, COP14 also considered many cross cutting issues affecting migratory animals globally.
A resolution was adopted on the highly controversial subject of deep-sea mining, urging parties “not to engage in, or support, deep-seabed mineral exploitation activities until sufficient and robust scientific information has been obtained” to ensure no harm is done to migratory species, their prey, and their ecosystems. This decision also requests the CMS Scientific Council to develop a state-of-knowledge report on the impacts of deep-sea mining on migratory species.
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The CMS is also the only biodiversity-related convention to account for animal culture in its decision-making. Animal culture encompasses “information or behaviours that are shared within a group or community and are acquired through social learning” rather than purely passed on through genes. Many animals display signs of culture, from sperm whales and chimpanzees to passerine birds and coral reef fish. Cultural processes can make species more resilient to rapid changes but they can also impact their response to conservation initiatives.
The subject was discussed at COP14, and a decision was taken requiring the Scientific Council to investigate the conservation implications of animal culture and social learning by considering varied sources, including traditional knowledge from local communities and Indigenous Peoples.
A wide array of other subjects were reviewed, leading to updated or new resolutions for instance on light pollution, infrastructure, ecotourism, plastic pollution, marine noise, vessel strikes, and bycatch. COP14 also addressed priorities in the illegal and unsustainable taking of migratory species and discussed the impacts of pastoralism and livestock on biodiversity and zoonotic diseases.
A resolution on climate change was adopted, recognizing the catastrophic impacts of climate on migratory species and strongly urging Parties to take both climate change mitigation and adaptation actions. A decision was also taken on renewable energy, requesting parties to integrate biodiversity conservation needs into national energy and climate policy and action plans to minimise negative impacts on migratory species.
Finally, a new Global Partnership on Ecological Connectivity was launched to ensure that ecological connectivity is maintained, enhanced, and restored in critical areas for migratory species worldwide. Ecological connectivity, defined by the CMS as “the unimpeded movement of species and the flow of natural processes that sustain life on Earth,” is particularly important for migratory species which need to move throughout ecosystems. Human activities, by modifying or fragmenting habitats, have disastrous impact on connectivity, affecting migratory animals and biodiversity in general.
The Limited Scope of the Convention
The CMS COP14 showed encouraging signs of international collaboration and commitments for migratory species conservation. The conference ended with landmark agreements, several multi-country action plans and new listed species, representing a significant step forward.
However, these positive outcomes represent only a part of a larger effort needed to protect migratory animals. New species being listed under the CMS is not in itself a conservation success but rather a sign that these species are under threat.
The aforementioned UN report shows that populations are declining among CMS-listed species.
Scientists at the summit even stressed that, considering the accelerating rate of biodiversity loss, “by the time CMS can list a species… it may already be too late.” The criteria for being listed in the CMS Appendices is mostly based on unfavourable conservation status. Instead, listing species early, before they are threatened, could help protect them before they become critically endangered.
The report also estimates that in total, 4,508 species are considered to be migratory, have had a global IUCN Red List assessment, and live in multiple range countries. Of these, 74% are not currently listed in the CMS, and 399 are globally threatened or near threatened species. These numbers make the 14 newly listed species rather insufficient.
But the CMS faces other challenges, too. Many of the resolutions adopted during the COP are not legally binding, and therefore rely on the goodwill of states to implement them. Turning resolutions into concrete actions also requires adequate funding and effective enforcement mechanisms at the national level. Besides, several extremely important states for global conservation are not parties to the Convention, such as the United States, Russia, China, Japan, and Canada.
Nature, indeed, knows no borders. Carbon emissions, floating plastics, and warming temperatures have little regard for territorial boundaries, just like wild animals. COP14 did a great job at recognizing the key threats that face them, and showed that international collaboration on the subject is not only necessary, but possible.
However, tackling the root causes of these issues goes beyond the scope of the CMS. Habitat loss, overexploitation, climate change, and pollution are all induced by human activities. Without questioning our economic systems and production methods, we have little chances of effectively protecting migratory species and biodiversity in the long run. We urgently need to rethink the ways we move, build, eat, consume, work, live, and interact with nature so that birds and beasts can continue travelling across the Earth for many more years to come.
Featured image: Sergey Dereliev
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