New measures to protect migratory species at the international level

At the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species, member states adopted several resolutions in favor of the protection of migratory species.

The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) is the only international agreement dedicated to the preservation of migratory species. Also known as the Bonn Convention, it was signed in 1979 and now has 133 member countries. The CMS aims to ensure the conservation of over a thousand migratory species, listed in the Convention’s appendices. While Appendix I imposes strict protection obligations for species recognized as critically endangered, Appendix II applies to species for which the conservation status requires specific measures to be taken between range states.

Every three years, the Conference of the Parties meets to adjust conservation priorities in line with the state of populations worldwide.

The 14th Conference of the Parties (COP14) was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan from February 12 to 17, 2024.

It opened with the unveiling of the long-awaited report on “The State of the World's Migratory Species”. The report makes an alarming assessment of the conservation status of migratory species, highlighting that one in five species listed on the Migratory Species List is critically endangered.

Based on this observation, COP14 saw the adoption of a number of resolutions in favor of the protection of migratory species. Thus, 14 new species were added to the convention's appendices, including the Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx), the Pallas's Cat (Felis manul), the Bull Shark (Carcharias taurus) and the Magellanic Plover (Pluvianellus socialis). In addition, the Parties have launched new protection actions for six species, including the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), the African spotted dogfish (Eidolon helvum) and the blue shark (Prionace glauca), as well as the continuation of actions already implemented for nine species, including the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), the Atlantic humpback dolphin (Sousa teuszii) and the Antipodean albatross (Diomedea antipodensis).

In addition to species protection, the Conference of the Parties also saw the launch of two new global initiatives, one on ecological continuity, the other on combating illegal wildlife harvesting. These two issues are major challenges for the preservation of migratory species. Aurelia Bouchez, French Ambassador to Uzbekistan, has already announced that France will contribute €200,000 to these two initiatives, through the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion and the French Biodiversity Agency (OFB).

As part of the French delegation, the French Biodiversity Agency played an active role at COP14, supporting the negotiations and contributing to France's environmental diplomacy.

In particular, OFB organized or contributed to several side events to raise participants' awareness of major conservation issues:

• preserving marine mammals in the high seas
• addressing sea turtle by-catch
• jaguar conservation
• the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas,
• the treaty on the protection of the high seas (BBNJ)
• the World Coastal Forum.

The next Conference of the Parties is scheduled to take place in Brazil, in the first half of 2026.