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The Bonn Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)

What is the Bonn Convention?

The Convention arose in 1972 from a recommendation by the United Nations "Man and the Environment" conference in Stockholm, and entered into force in November 1983. There are currently 92 parties (as of 1 August 2005) - the Convention, including most countries in Europe as well as the European Union, many African states and a growing presence in South America, Asia and Oceania. The United Kingdom ratified the Convention in July 1985 and it entered into force in the UK on 1 October 1985.

The Bonn Convention aims to improve the status of all threatened migratory species through national action and international Agreements between range states of particular groups of species. Conferences of the Parties to the Convention are held every three years. The seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties took place in September 2002 in Bonn. The Convention's Secretariat is based in Germany, at the UN Premises, also in Bonn.

In 1985 a Standing Committee was established to provide guidance on the implementation of the Convention between the tri-ennial conferences. It comprises two elected Parties from both Europe and Africa, and one Party from each of the other major geographic areas (Asia; Central and South America; and Oceania). The following members were elected to the Standing Committee in September 2002: the United Kingdom and Ukraine (Europe); Kenya and Morocco (Africa); Australia (Oceania); Chile (Central and South America) and Sri Lanka (Asia). The alternate members elected were Monaco, Hungary, Tanzania, Chad, New Zealand, Peru and Saudi Arabia.

At COP7, the United Kingdom was elected to the Chair of the Standing Committee. Professor Colin Galbraith of Scottish Natural Heritage was re-elected to the chair of the Scientific Council.

The UK's ratification of CMS includes the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey and the following UK overseas territories: Bermuda, British Indian Ocean territories, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falklands and Dependencies, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, St Helena/Ascension Island/Tristan da Cunha, Turks and Caicos Islands and the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus. In June 2005 in accordance with Article VI of the Convention, the Department submitted the:

The seventh session of the Conference of the Parties was held in Bonn, Germany in the "Bundeshaus" (the former Parliament building) from 18-24 September 2002, preceded by the 11th meeting of the Scientific Council and followed by the second meeting of the Parties to the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement. The Conference was attended by representatives of over 120 countries including delegations from most of the Convention's parties. Various other MEA Secretariats and NGOs also participated.

The key issues under discussion were proposals to add further species to the Convention's appendices, including a number of great whales and the great white shark tabled by Australia. Other subjects discussed were the effect of wind farms, oil pollution and overhead power-lines on migratory species, cooperation with other bodies, especially other MEAs and conservation bodies as well as the budget for the next three years and the implementation of the Convention's Strategic Plan.

The next COP will take place between 16-25 November 2005 in Nairobi, Kenya.

How Does it Work?

There are two appendices to the Convention, which lists migratory species that would benefit from conservation measures taken by 'Range States', the term used to describe countries that exercise jurisdiction over any part of a species' distribution.

Appendix I
Appendix I lists species which are in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant proportion of their range, and so are given full protection. Range States are required to prohibit the taking of these animals, with a few exceptions. The definition of "taking" includes such activities as hunting, fishing, capturing, harassing and deliberate killing. Range States of Appendix I species also aim to conserve their habitat, counteract factors impeding their migration, and control other factors that might endanger them. Appendix I species include the hawksbill turtle, white-tailed eagle, mountain gorilla and dama gazelle.

Appendix II
Appendix II species includes dolphins, seals, the monarch butterfly and many species of seabirds eg petrels and albatrosses and waterfowl. The Convention provides for two forms of Agreement for species listed in Appendix II:

1. Agreements intended to benefit migratory species, especially those with an unfavourable conservation status, over their entire range.
2. Agreements for populations of species that periodically cross national jurisdictional boundaries, but are not necessarily migratory under the definition provided by the Convention.

The Seventh Conference of Parties approved proposals to add to the Appendices a number of great whales, the great white shark, some South American birds and sea mammals and various Asian herbivores. The Sixth Conference agreed proposals to add 38 species to Appendices I and II of the Convention including petrels and various species of sturgeon.

For further information, see the Convention on Migratory Species' web-site at: The Convention on Migratory Species Website

Examples of Agreements

Four Agreements covering species in Europe have been concluded. These Agreements can be considered to be the most tangible successes of the Convention to date. Parties to these Agreements do not have to be Parties to the parent Convention. As well as species-specific Agreements, which are self-standing legally binding instruments in their own right, a number of "soft law" agreements - Memoranda of Understanding - have also been concluded.

Agreement on the Conservation of European Bats (EUROBATS)

37 species of bat are known to occur in Europe. These have undergone a long history of direct persecution, habitat transformation, misinformation and superstition. Their most immediate threats nowadays derive from habitat degradation, disturbance of roosting sites and certain pesticides. In view of their unfavourable conservation status, the First Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (Bonn, Germany, 1985) adopted a Resolution towards the development of an Agreement to protect all European bats.

The Agreement, originally known as the Agreement on the Conservation of Bats in Europe, was concluded in September 1991 in association with the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CMS. It opened for signature in December 1991, and entered into force on 16 January 1994. The aim of this agreement is to encourage co-operation within Europe to conserve all its species of bats. Parties to the Agreement agree to work through legislation, education, conservation measures and international co-operation towards the conservation of bats in Europe. The Parties fundamental obligations are to:

  • prohibit the deliberate capture, keeping or killing of bats except under permit from its competent authority
  • identify sites within its jurisdiction that are important to the conservation of bats and protect these sites from damage or disturbance
  • promote public awareness
  • promote research programs relating to conservation and management of bats
  • consider the potential effects of pesticides on bats, when assessing pesticides for use, and endeavour to replace timber treatment chemicals that are highly toxic to bats with safer alternatives.

An amendment altering the name of the Agreement to its current form came into effect in August 2001. The new title reflects more accurately the range covered and a list of the species to be protected was added.

There are 30 Parties to the Agreement: Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom established an interim secretariat in February 1992 to help promote the Agreement, and the Secretariat remained active there until the end of 1995. Following the first session of the Meeting of the Parties in July 1995, hosted by the United Kingdom, the Parties accepted an offer from the Government of Germany to establish a permanent Secretariat in co-location with the UNEP/CMS Secretariat in Bonn. The third session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Agreement was held in Bristol in July 2000 and agreed that on 1 January 2001, the Secretariat should be administratively integrated into the UNEP-CMS Secretariat.

For further information:

The fourth session of the Meeting of the Parties was held in Sofia, Bulgaria in September 2003.

Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (ASCOBANS)

This agreement, prepared by the CMS Secretariat originally in 1986-87 with expert advice from various sources, including members of a Scientific Council working group, was finally concluded as an Article IV Agreement in September 1991. The agreement opened for signature in March 1992 and it entered into force on 29 March 1994.The ASCOBANS agreement sets out measures to conserve over 30 species of small cetaceans. The word "cetacean" refers to the order of marine mammals that comprises whales, dolphins and porpoises.

There are nine Parties to the Agreement: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The Agreement Secretariat became operational on a provisional basis in June 1992, and was formally established at the first session of the Meeting of Parties in September 1994. The United Kingdom hosted the Secretariat for the first few years before it moved to Germany in the spring of 1998. The Secretariat, like those of AEWA and EUROBATS, is now provided by UNEP and is administratively integrated into the UNEP-CMS Secretariat.

The agreement's main provisions are:

  • reduction of pollution;
  • reduction of by-catch (i.e. the accidental entanglement in fishing gear);
  • assessing feeding requirements;
  • reduction of disturbance;
  • establishment of criteria to define protected areas;
  • monitoring status and population studies.

Forming part of the Agreement is a Conservation and management plan which requires Parties, in conjunction with other competent international bodies, to:

  • undertake habitat conservation and management by:

    a. preventing the release of substances which are a potential threat to the health of the animals,

    b. developing modifications of fishing gear and fishing practices in order to reduce by-catches and to prevent fishing gear from getting adrift or being discarded at sea,

    c. regulating activities which seriously affect the animals' food resources, and

    d. preventing other significant disturbance, especially of an acoustic nature.

  • Conduct surveys and research
  • Establish an efficient system for reporting and retrieving by-catches and stranded specimens and to carry out full autopsies in order to collect tissues for further studies and to reveal possible causes of death and to document food composition
  • Enforce legislation that prohibits the intentional taking and killing of small cetaceans and creates the obligation to release immediately any animals caught alive and in good health
  • Disseminate information and education to the general public and to fishermen in order to facilitate and promote the reporting of by-catches and the delivery of dead specimens to the extent required for research under the agreement.

The agreement has already stimulated a joint research programme to assess the population and distribution of small cetaceans in the North Sea and western Baltic Sea, as well as research, monitoring and awareness programmes in individual Range States.

There have been four Meetings of the Parties to date - in Stockholm, Sweden (September 1994), in Bonn, Germany (November 1997), in Bristol, UK (July 2000), and Esbjerg, Denmark (August 2003). The fifth meeting of the Parties is scheduled for the Netherlands 2006.

For further information: http://www.ascobans.org

Agreement on the Conservation of African - Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA)

This Agreement, the largest of its kind developed so far under CMS, was concluded on 16 June 1995, when representatives of over 66 countries met in The Hague, Netherlands. The AEWA Agreement entered into force on 1 November 1999 following ratification by 17 Range States or regional economic integration organisations. The countries that have ratified the Agreement to date (1 September 2005), are: Albania, Benin, Bulgaria, Congo, Croatia, Denmark, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahirya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, FYR of Macedonia, Mali, Mauritius, Moldova, Monaco, The Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Uzbekistan. The UK ratified the Agreement in February 1999. The Secretariat is located at the UN Premises Bonn within the CMS Agreement Unit.

The Agreement creates a legal basis for the conservation of all migratory waterbird species and populations, individuals of which migrate in the western Palearctic and Africa. It covers 235 species of migratory waterbirds, including many species of pelicans, storks, flamingos, swans, geese, ducks and waders. There are 117 countries (plus the European Union) that are range states to the Agreement including all of Europe, Africa, parts of Asia, North America and the Middle East. In fact, the geographic area covered by the AEWA stretches from the northern reaches of Canada and the Russian Federation to the southernmost tip of Africa.

The Agreement provides for co-ordinated and concerted actions to be taken by the Range States throughout the migration systems of the waterbirds to which it applies. Parties to the Agreement are called upon to engage in a wide range of conservation actions, which are described in a comprehensive Action Plan. This detailed plan is the product of extensive negotiations and discussions among governments, as well as interested conservation and user groups addresses such key issues as: species and habitat conservation, management of human activities, research and monitoring, education and information, and implementation.

The Second Meeting of the Parties took place in Bonn, 25 - 27 September 2002, in conjunction with the CMS COP (the first having been held in Cape Town, South Africa in November 1999 again in conjunction with the CMS COP). The main issues discussed at the meeting included the establishment of a Standing Committee to oversee the running of the Agreement between MOPs, the addition of a further 65 species to the Annex thereby extending the Agreement to all migratory waterbird species regularly occurring within the Agreement Area, consideration of the role of AEWA in developing a strategy for the Central and Southern Asian Flyway, setting a budget for the next three years and adopting a series of conservation guidelines and single species plans.

The third session of the Meeting of Parties will take place in Dakar, Senegal from 23-27 October 2005 where the issues for discussion will include the possible geographical extension of the AEWA agreement area and the AEWA implementation priorities for 2006-8. In August 2005, the UK submitted "The UK National Report to the third session of the Meeting of Parties to AEWA".

For further information: www.unep-aewa.org/

Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black and Mediterranean Seas (ACCOBAMS)

An important breakthrough for the conservation of cetaceans of the Mediterranean and Black Seas was achieved in Monaco from 19-24 November 1996 with the conclusion of an agreement aimed at reducing threats to cetaceans in these waters. In addition to the Black and Mediterranean Seas the waters westwards to Cape St. Vincent (Portugal) and Casablanca (Morocco) are within the Agreement's geographical scope.

Among other things, the Agreement will require signatories to protect dolphins, porpoises and other whales, and to establish a network of protected areas important for their feeding, breeding and calving. Representatives of over 20 Mediterranean and Black Sea countries, together with observers from numerous intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations participated in the signatory meeting.

The agreement is the first of its kind to bind the countries of the two subregions to work together on a problem of common concern. It calls on its members to implement a comprehensive conservation plan and to enforce legislation to prevent the deliberate taking of cetaceans in fisheries by vessels under their flag or within their jurisdiction, and to minimise incidental catches. Governments also undertake to assess and manage human-cetacean interactions; to carry out research and monitoring; to develop information, training and public education programmes; and to put in place emergency response measures.

The Agreement entered into force on 1 June 2001 having been ratified by the required five Mediterranean and two Black Sea states. The Agreement is open to membership of non-coastal States whose vessels are engaged in activities that may affect cetaceans. The countries that have ratified the Agreement so far are Bulgaria, Georgia and Romania from the Black Sea and Albania, Croatia, Malta, Monaco, Morocco, Spain and Syria from the Mediterranean. The Government of the Principality of Monaco serves as Depository for the Agreement, the official text of which is available in the Arabic, English, French, Russian and Spanish languages.

  • The First Meeting of the Parties to ACCOBAMS took place in Monaco from 28th February to 2nd March 2002. The permanent secretariat was established in Monaco. The UK attended as an observer country and announced a voluntary contribution of €10,000 for the work of the Agreement.
  • The First Meeting of the Scientific Committee of ACCOBAMS was held in Tunis between 3 and 5 October 2002.
  • The Second Meeting of the Parties to ACCOBAMS took place in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, from 9-12 November 2004. The UK attended as an observer country and announced a voluntary contribution of €10,000 for the work of the Agreement.

For further information: http://www.accobams.mc

Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP)

The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) was ratified by the UK on 2 April 2004.

Albatrosses and petrels are among the most threatened bird groups on the planet. Threats on land include the introduction of predators to their breeding islands and in some cases habitat degradation and disturbance. However it is at sea where the greatest threat comes from interactions with fisheries. Birds may be caught on hooks or collide with the wires used to tow trawls. These birds are also some of the greatest travellers on the planet and many could interact with fisheries in different jurisdictions during their lives. It is for this reason than an international agreement is needed. The species are found in the southern hemisphere and the UK’s Overseas Territories in the south Atlantic – the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory, and Tristan da Cunha – are important breeding sites for many of them.  The UK’s ratification of ACAP extends to these territories.

Currently there are eleven Parties to ACAP. In addition to the UK, they are: Argentina, Australia, Chile, Ecuador, France, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Spain and Peru. Australia provides the Secretariat, which is based in Hobart, Tasmania.
ACAP covers 19 albatross and seven petrel species at present; though the facility exists to add further species should the Parties so decide. Decisions on ways forward are made by meetings of officials and scientists from the Parties.

The First Session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP) took place in November 2004 in Hobart, Australia, with the second in Christchurch, New Zealand in November 2006. The MOP is due to meet again (in Norway) in 2009. Three meetings of ACAP’s Advisory Committee have been held so far: in Hobart in July 2005, in Brasilia, Brazil in June 2006, and in Valdivia, Chile in June 2007. A fourth meeting (AC4) takes place in Cape Town, South Africa in August 2008. Four working groups have been established by the Advisory Committee: on Breeding Sites, Seabird Bycatch, Status and Trends and Taxonomy; and have held several meetings, as well as working intersessionally.

Reports, documents and information papers for all these meetings may be found on the Agreement’s web site at www.acap.aq.

Memoranda of Understanding (MoU)

MoUs have been concluded for the following species: the Slender-billed Curlew (Numenius tenuirostris) , the Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus), the Great Bustard (Otis tarda), the Bukhara deer (Cervus elephus bactrianus), marine turtles of the Atlantic coast of Africa, marine turtles of the Indian Ocean and South East Asia, and the Aquatic Warbler (Acrcephalus paludicola). The MoU for the Aquatic Warbler was the most recent to be signed by the UK, in Belarus on 29th April 2003.

For further information on the MoU for marine turtles of the Indian Ocean and South East Asia please visit their website at http://ioseaturtles.org.

Page last modified: 8 July 2008
Date published: 17 July 2000

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs