Bonn Convention UPSC

Bonn Convention

The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals --more commonly abbreviated to just the Convention on Migratory Species conference—aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range.

It is an international treaty, concluded under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme, concerned with the conservation of wildlife and habitats on a global scale.

The Convention was signed in 1979 in Bad Godesberg, a suburb of Bonn (hence the name), and entered into force in 1983. 

The CMS is the only global and UN-based intergovernmental organization established exclusively for the conservation and management of terrestrial, aquatic and avian migratory species throughout their range.

The CMS Family covers a great diversity of migratory species. The Appendices of CMS include many mammals, including land mammals, marine mammals and bats; birds; fish; reptiles and one insect.

Appendix I – Threatened Migratory Species

Migratory species threatened with extinction are listed on Appendix I. Parties that are Range States to Appendix I species are obliged to afford them strict protection.

CMS Parties strive towards strictly protecting these animals, conserving or restoring the places where they live, mitigating obstacles to migration and controlling other factors that might endanger them. 

Appendix II – Migratory Species requiring international cooperation

Migratory species that need or would significantly benefit from international co-operation are listed in Appendix II of the Convention. These species, either individually or by taxonomic group, are the basis for establishing instruments –regional or global – under CMS. For this reason, the Convention encourages the Range States to conclude global or regional Agreements.

Agreements

In this respect, CMS acts as a framework Convention. The Agreements may range from legally binding treaties (called Agreements) to less formal instruments, such as Memoranda of Understanding, and can be adapted to the requirements of particular regions. The development of models tailored according to the conservation needs throughout the migratory range is a unique capacity to CMS.

Several Agreements have been concluded to date under the auspices of CMS. 

They aim to conserve:

• Populations of European Bats (EUROBATS)

• Cetaceans of the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS)

• Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS)

• Seals in the Wadden Sea (Wadden Sea Agreement)

• African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA)

• Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP)

• Gorillas and Their Habitats (Gorilla Agreement)