According to the first ever State of the World’s Migratory Species report by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), 44% of species listed under CMS are in decline and 22% are threatened with extinction.

Overexploitation and habitat loss due to human activity are the two greatest threats to migratory species, followed by habitat degradation, fragmentation, pollution and human disturbances.

In order to ensure the successful migration of species that benefit ecosystems and people around the world, IUCN works with partners that specifically target these threats through strategic approaches.

Stories from the field

Infectious diseases are a severe threat to Critically Endangered African Wild Dogs in Kenya’s Ewaso ecosystem. Being a migratory species, the risk for disease spread in the region is higher.

As domestic dogs are believed to play a role in spreading diseases that affect both Wild Dogs and humans, one of our partners led a campaign that vaccinated over 30,000 domestic dogs against rabies and canine distemper across the ecosystem. Our partner also educated over 26,000 local community members across different regions to prevent livestock depredation, enhancing and improving coexistence between humans and wildlife. This One Health conservation approach led to a significant decrease in Wild Dog mortality, and ultimately fostered more positive attitudes towards wildlife conservation.

Migration is a crucial aspect of the sturgeon’s life cycle, as many sturgeon species undertake long-distance migrations between freshwater and saltwater habitats for spawning and feeding. It is also when they are at their most vulnerable.

One of our partners is currently working to protect and minimise the human impact on threatened migrating sturgeons, such as the Stellate Sturgeon, the Ship Sturgeon, the Russian Sturgeon and the Beluga, along the Rioni river in Georgia. By raising awareness throughout the spawning season among the local communities and fishermen, the project is mitigating the threat of poaching on the Rioni. The project hopes to improve and address critical knowledge gaps in order to identify key habitats for preservation and prevent their degradation, while contributing to capacity building of local conservation actors to continue the needed research and monitoring.

IUCN at CMS COP 14

IUCN attended CMS COP 14 in Uzbekistan last February, where we participated in negotiations, and across working groups and events to advise Parties on conservation issues and priorities to implement the Convention.

To that end, IUCN and the CMS Secretariat signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to raise conservation funds and facilitate the implementation of the African Carnivore Initiative (ACI), a joint programme of work adopted by the CMS and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 2021.

As part of this MOU, IUCN Save Our Species will work with the Secretariat of the CMS to raise funds and facilitate frontline conservation action targeted at protecting and recovering threatened populations of Lions, Cheetahs, Leopards and African Wild Dogs. Habitat degradation, fragmentation, poaching and human-wildlife conflict are posing major threats to these apex predators, which are critical for healthy ecosystems.

Other highlights of CMS COP 14 include the launch of the new Global Partnership on Ecological Connectivity (GPEC), supported by the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas Connectivity Conservation amongst others, that aims to ensure ecological connectivity is maintained, enhanced, and restored in critical areas for migratory species. Elsewhere, the mandate on addressing bycatch and aquatic wild meat was strengthened, and three new action plans for the Atlantic Humpback Dolphin, the Hawksbill Turtle, and the Angelshark were introduced.

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