News

CMS and its Family set the course for developing their contributions to the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework which is expected to provide a "New Deal for Nature" for the entire international community. Two years away from its adoption, the post-2020 framework presents the opportunity to raise the visibility of migratory wildlife and promote its conservation. Last week, the CMS Standing Committee (Bonn, 23-24 October 2018) endorsed the establishment of a Working Group (WG) on the development of CMS Family contributions to the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

The Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia (Raptors MOU) celebrates its tenth anniversary today. The MOU aims to promote internationally coordinated actions to achieve and maintain the conservation status of migratory birds of prey throughout their ranges in the African-Eurasian region and to reverse their decline when and where appropriate.

An award-winning documentary entitled The Migrant - Sooty Falcons in Oman was screened last evening at the Manarat Al Saadiyat cultural centre in Abu Dhabi to mark World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) 2018. Produced by an Omani-German team, the film documents efforts to study and conserve this long-range migratory bird.

A multi-authored scientific paper on the state of the world’s birds of prey and owls was published last week in Biological Conservation and is now freely available online. According to the research, 18% percent of raptors are threatened with extinction and 52% of raptors have declining global populations.

International experts met in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, to develop a strategy for the Arabian Peninsula to monitor the region’s waterbirds and their threatened wetland habitats. The regional strategy aims to build capacity to monitor coastal waterbirds and important wetland sites in all countries of the Arabian Peninsula.

Vultures are a vital component of the environments they inhabit. These avian scavengers clean up carcasses and organic waste in the environment, providing critically important ecosystem services. Unfortunately, over the years vulture populations have drastically declined and some of the species face extinction. The population declines have mainly occurred due to direct and indirect poisoning, persecution, electrocution and collision, and reduced food availability. International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD) offers an opportunity to spread awareness on the need to conserve vultures and to highlight vulture conservation initiatives such as those led or supported by the CMS Raptors MOU.

Everyone can observe live moments from the life of the endangered Egyptian Vultures and their dedicated care for their young chicks. This is a unique opportunity to access such a rare species through modern technology: the camera enabling observation of wild Egyptian Vultures’ nest online is the only of its kind in the world.

The “Eyes on the Flyways” Conference, held at the Natural History Museum in Brussels on 24 May, was the concluding event of the LIFE EuroSAP project which set out to tackle the threats facing sixteen endangered bird species in Eurasia. Funded by the EU, LIFE EuroSAP involves 13 partners and covers 16 species the populations of which have been in continuing decline.

The Coordinating Unit of the Raptors MOU is seeking a consultant to provide Strategic Planning Support covering three areas of work: to lead the development of a Strategic Implementation Plan for the Multi-species Action Plan to Conserve African-Eurasian Vulture (Vulture MsAP); to review the Action Plan of the MOU; and, to develop a National Report Form for Signatories.

A four-day summit concluded in Abu Dhabi on 26 April, at which many of the key players in global bird conservation participated representing NGOs, the scientific community, governments and the CMS Family. The main item under discussion was how migratory birds can be better protected at every point of their arduous journeys along the flyways.