CMS COP15 delivers progress for migratory species, including jaguars, sharks, marine turtles, and birds

WWF welcomes significant conservation gains at the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), where governments agreed on new measures to reduce bycatch, expanded protections for several threatened species, and reinforced commitments to advance ecological connectivity across land and sea.

The Parties adopted a strong new resolution on bycatch and added several important species to the Appendices, including the striped hyena, thresher sharks, and the snowy owl. They also renewed and strengthened their commitment to advancing ecological connectivity across both land and waters and adopted a new resolution on Important Marine Turtle Areas helping deliver on WWF’s partnered Blue Corridors for Turtles initiative.

The meeting reaffirmed a strongly precautionary position on deep-seabed mining and launched a new initiative to address the illegal and unsustainable take of CMS‑listed species. And they agreed on measures to strengthen co cooperation on jaguar conservation in the region.

Colmán Ó Críodáin, WWF’s head of Wildlife Policy, says: “The decisions taken to strengthen ecological connectivity and to safeguard migratory corridors represent vital steps for both people and nature. Agreements on ‘blue corridors’ for turtles and ‘flyways’ for birds aid species recovery while conserving the ecosystems essential to sustaining local communities. Yet with only four years left to deliver on the global mission to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, there is no room for complacency. Progress towards global nature targets will be assessed later this year, with current indications suggesting countries are not on track. WWF urges all countries to build on the advances made in Campo Grande and accelerate action.”

Mariana Napolitano, WWF-Brazil’s Conservation Director, highlights: “Hosting the COP15 in Brazil helped advance concrete proposals and strengthen regional cooperation on migratory species. At the same time, it made clear that the next step is turning this ambition into real implementation. We already have the diagnosis and the direction – what is at stake now is the ability to implement, with cooperation and resources, aligning ambition and financing to ensure tangible results.”

This is the first time the CMS COP is hosted in Brazil, and at the gates of the Pantanal region Campo Grande lies at the edge of the Pantanal, the largest and one of the most diverse wetlands in the world, and home to jaguars, capybaras (the world’s largest rodent) and Victoria giant lilies (a water lily with the largest leaves of any plant in the world).

During COP15, WWF organized several events to showcase projects developed with partners, including the Convention Secretariat. These highlighted work on blue corridors for both large cetaceans and marine turtles, jaguar conservation efforts, and a report on freshwater fish species that could be considered for future listings.

Notes:

Approximately two-thirds of the world’s sovereign countries (133 in total) are parties to the CMS Convention, whose aim is to facilitate the international cooperation that is required to conserve species that migrate between one country and another.

The Convention has two Appendices: Appendix I lists those species that require strict protection, including a prohibition on take in almost all circumstances; and Appendix II lists species for which international cooperation is required to ensure their conservation, such cooperation can take the form of formal agreements, memoranda of understanding, action plans or other measures.