Brazil to host UN conference on migratory species
The city of Campo Grande, in Mato Grosso do Sul, will host the 15th United Nations Conference on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (COP15), starting on March 23. Over the course of a week, the event will be the center of global debates and decisions on conservation measures for animals that travel long distances, moving through different ecosystems.
Held every two months, the global meeting is expected to draw representatives from 132 countries plus the European Union – signatories to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). The international treaty was created in 1979 to protect this biodiversity and its migratory routes, as well as to reduce the negative impacts of pollution and climate change on species.
According to CMS Executive Secretary Amy Fraenkel, the main highlights at COP15 should be linked to the scientific findings of the first report on the status of the world’s migratory species, presented at COP14 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
According to Kelly Malsch, head of Nature Conservation at the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), these discoveries include the identification of a 24 percent decline in the conservation status of migratory species. In other words, one in four species listed by CMS in the global classification is threatened with extinction.
“This represents a [further decrease] of two percent since COP14 in 2024. Perhaps more alarming is the fact that the proportion of species with declining populations has risen from 44 to 49 percent. All of this information comes from an analysis of data from the IUCN [International Union for Conservation of Nature] Red List of Threatened Species, which provides the most comprehensive source of information on the conservation status of species worldwide,” she noted.
Action
These data, Amy Fraenkel pointed out, are being debated with a view to implementing policies in countries capable of addressing problems like the illegal, unsustainable, and accidental capture of migratory species, as well as tackling habitat destruction and fragmentation.
“There are also a number of specific measures, like species-targeted actions and conservation plans on a geographical scale. For instance, we’re analyzing infrastructure, both on land and in the oceans, and seeking ways to support the expansion of renewable energy while minimizing negative impacts on species. We’re also looking at all kinds of issues related to pollution and, of course, the impacts of climate change,” she reported.
New studies will also be presented to support decisions and improve the monitoring of migratory species, the executive secretary said. “In terms of scientific studies, in addition to this report [on the status of migratory species], we will have a new and important global report on migratory freshwater fish and also a report on deep-sea mining and its impacts on marine species,” she went on to say.
The two studies will be released at the opening of COP15 in Brazil, where debates should cover topics including adding 42 new species to the convention’s protection list and strengthening global measures already in place.
“There will be strong political leadership from the host government in Brazil. Our ambitious agenda boasts over 100 specific items up for consideration,” she stated.
The importance of the species
Brazil has been a party to the convention since October 2015 and is one of the countries where most of the animals protected by the treaty pass through. These total nearly 1,200 birds, terrestrial and aquatic mammals, fish, reptiles, and insects.
The movement of these species ensures the transport of nutrients, the dispersal of seeds, and is an indicator of the health of the ecosystems they move through. However, habitat loss and overexploitation pose a threat of extinction for many of them. As such, endangered species have been classified into a group within the CMS, which is listed in Annex 1 of the treaty. Annex 2 contains the list of species in an unfavorable conservation status.
