Members of the Energy Task Force, including the CMS and AEWA Secretariats, BirdLife International, and the German Ministry for the Environment (BMUB) joined forces at the UNFCCC Bonn Climate Change Conference to raise awareness of the importance of reconciling migratory species conservation with the deployment of renewable energy and power lines globally.

The Coordinating Unit of the Raptors MOU, in collaboration with BirdLife International, Vulture Conservation Foundation and the IUCN Vulture Specialist Group, has today launched a month-long Public Consultation Exercise on the 2nd draft of a Multi-species Action Plan to Conserve African-Eurasian Vultures (Vulture MsAP).The consultation period runs until 16 April 2017.

An overarching workshop to develop a Multi-species Action Plan to Conserve African-Eurasian Vultures (Vulture MsAP) took place from 16 to 19 February in the historic city of Toledo, Spain, at the kind invitation of the Spanish Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha.

The fourth of a series of regional workshops to develop a Multi-species Action Plan to Conserve African-Eurasian Vultures (Vulture MsAP) took place from 6 to 9 February in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The workshop was held as a part of the 18th Sharjah International Conservation Forum for Arabian Biodiversity (SICFAB), at the generous invitation of the Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA) of Sharjah.

The third Regional Workshop to develop a Multi-species Action Plan to Conserve African-Eurasian Vultures (Vulture MsAP) took place from 29 to 30 November in Mumbai, India. This Workshop covered nine of the fifteen species of Old World vultures, a term used for vultures that occur in the continents of Africa, Asia and Europe; a region collectively referred to as the Old World.

“Healthy vultures, healthy people” is the title of a Green Room Event on vultures convened by BirdLife International on 25 May at 15.00 hrs in the margins of the second session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) taking place from 23 to 27 May in Nairobi. The UNEP Regional Office Africa, CMS, IUCN and several NGOs will participate in the event tohighlight the importance of vulture conservation to the delivery of the three pillars of sustainable development.

The Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) and Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) committed themselves to advancing their cooperation to conserve migratory species of wild animals, by the UAE’s recent accession to CMS as its 123rd member state, and the extension of the long-standing financial and in-kind support of CMS Office - Abu Dhabi by EAD on behalf of the Government of the UAE.

A further eighteen birds of prey species have been listed at an international meeting of government representatives and experts this week in Trondheim, Norway. Seven of these species under threat are critically endangered according to the IUCN Red List.