Convention on Migratory Species

The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (also known as CMS or the Bonn Convention) aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range. It is one of a small number of treaties concerned with the conservation of wildlife and wildlife habitats on a global scale. Since the Convention's entry into force on 1 November 1983, its membership has grown steadily to include 49 Parties from Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

Information Services on the WWW

For more than two years WCMC has been collaborating with the Secretariat to provide information on the Convention over the World Wide Web. The existing information service, which can be accessed at http://www.wcmc.org.uk/cms, has been developed by WCMC based on material provided by Secretariat staff. The Secretariat and WCMC have worked jointly on design and content, and are keeping use of the information under review.

Country Profiles

The Secretariat is attempting to identify the needs of future potential member states to the CMS Convention, in order to be able to provide the necessary argumentation for these countries to join CMS. In this regard, basic information is needed for each target country on:

the importance of the country for migratory species
potential value of migratory species to the country
possible negative impacts from migratory species and proposed means to minimise such impact within the framework of the CMS
the strategic importance of the country to, and its potential (or actual) role in regional conservation initiatives for migratory species
the country's participation in and contribution to other conservation instruments (e.g. Ramsar, CITES, etc.)
relevance of existing or potential CMS Agreements
the levels and effectiveness of current domestic protection measures for such species operating within the countries and any necessary changes to implement CMS
potential benefits to the country from joining the CMS

WCMC is working with the Secretariat to prepare such profiles for a number of countries.