Loggerhead Turtle © G R Hughes

The 2nd meeting of the Northern Indian Ocean Marine Turtle Task Force (NIO-MTTF) established by the CMS IOSEA Marine Turtle MOU took place 29-30 January hosted by the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Sri Lanka in Colombo. Opened by Secretary Douglas Nanayakkara of the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Wildlife, the meeting’s main aim was to reach agreement on concerted regional actions to conserve marine turtles.

• UN Bonn

African Wild Ass (Equus africanus) © Patricia D. Moehlman

We are happy to announce the publication of the Roadmap for the Conservation of the African Wild Ass (Equus africanus). The object of this Roadmap is to outline in broad terms the geographic range, population, habitat and ecology of African Wild Ass and the threats that they are facing. This Roadmap builds on information discussed at the Range State meeting held in March 2017 in Bonn, Germany, and a commenting process that followed.

• UN Bonn

The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC) has alerted barangay officials of this coastal town to take precautionary measures following the discovery of a great white sha

• UN Bonn

Bird migration

On 26 October 2017 in the margins of the CMS COP12 in Manila, Environment for the Americas (EFTA), the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), announced an innovative partnership to increase awareness of the plight of migratory birds around the world. The new partnership formally unites two of the world’s largest bird education campaigns, International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) and World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) in a bid to strengthen global recognition and appreciation of migratory birds and highlight the urgent need for their conservation.

• UN Bonn

200,000 Saiga Antelopes died in Kazakhstan in May 2015 © Sergei Khomenko

In May 2015, the world witnessed the unprecedented death of over 200,000 Saiga Antelopes in Kazakhstan. The mortality hit more than 80 per cent of the population in the Betpak-Dala region of the Central Asian country. Pasteurella multocida bacteria caused the catastrophic decline which left 200,000 animals of the Critically Endangered species dead. This corresponds to a 62 per cent crash in the global population within just three weeks.

• UN Bonn

© ISSD

After a long and distinguished career in the CMS Family, Lambertus “Bert” Lenten, the Deputy Executive Secretary of CMS has retired. Bert’s connection to CMS started when he was appointed interim Executive Secretary of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) in January 1996. Based in the Division for International Nature Conservation of the Directorate for Nature with the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture Nature and Fisheries in The Hague, Bert organized the first Meeting of the Parties, which took place at Somerset West, near Cape Town in 1999.

• UN Bonn