Coming up: High-level UN meeting in Uzbekistan to find solutions for endangered migratory species and protect global biodiversity
Member States of the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals will meet in Uzbekistan, 12-17 February 2024 to address issues of critical importance to the global biodiversity crisis. The most intense debate is expected to be on the controversial issue of deep-sea mining. OceanCare contributes to the convention’s work areas, including marine pollution and the protection of whales as well as other marine species, and promotes the creation of protected habitats for marine mammals.
PRESS RELEASE – 7 February 2024
Coming up: High-level UN meeting in Uzbekistan to find solutions for endangered migratory species and protect global biodiversity
- Member States of the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals will meet in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, 12-17 February 2024 to address issues of critical importance to the global biodiversity crisis.
- The most intense debate is expected to be on the controversial issue of deep-sea mining, where the International Seabed Authority, the UN body responsible for managing this activity, tries to discourage the CMS Parties from expressing concerns about the potential negative impacts of mining on migratory species, their habitat and prey.
- OceanCare contributes to the convention’s work areas, including marine pollution and the protection of whales as well as other marine species, and promotes the creation of protected habitats for marine mammals.
You don’t have to be a Lahille’s Bottlenose Dolphin, a Sand Tiger Shark, or a Peruvian Pelican to have high expectations of next week's high-level UN conference. The 133 member states of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) will gather in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from 12 February to address issues of critical importance to the global biodiversity crisis. These include important proposals to add further animals to the already long CMS list of 180 species “facing a very high risk of extinction” and another one of 1,129 species “in need of international agreements for their conservation”. The new proposals form just one of the many items on the agenda.
Nicolas Entrup , OceanCare’s Director of International Relations, points out:
“The world is facing a triple planetary crisis: climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. Marine species are among those severely threatened by human activities such as resource exploration and extraction, fishing, and shipping – as well as by pollution and climate change. At a time when many governments continue to cut budgets for multi-environmental agreements and conservation action plans, the importance of the work of CMS, as part of the United Nations Environment Programme, cannot be overstated.
“Beyond the important conservation efforts focused on endangered species, we also need a systematic focus on human-induced risks to natural habitats to prevent the acceleration of biodiversity loss. In addition to proposed decisions on marine noise pollution and ship strikes on endangered species, such as whale sharks, we expect controversial discussions on deep-sea mining in particular.
“We at OceanCare were astonished to learn that the Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority has sent a letter to the CMS Secretariat in an apparent attempt to discredit the Convention's concerns about the potentially harmful effects of deep-sea mining on migratory species. We urge governments to strongly reject this attempt to silence the relevant UN body with a mandate to protect migratory marine species and their habitats, including from powerful commercial interests pushing for intensive exploitation of the planet's natural resources”.
At the last CMS meeting in 2020, West African governments expressed their strong commitment to develop an action plan for the protection of wild aquatic species, including marine mammals, sea turtles, crocodiles and sharks. OceanCare and the Benin Environment & Education Society (BEES), with the support of the Beninese and German governments, organised a series of online workshops assisting to develop this Action Plan.
Maximin Djondo , OceanCare’s Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Specialist for West Africa, points out:
“For many years, marine fishers in West Africa have effectively balanced the harvest of coastal fisheries with the conservation of biodiversity. However, fish stocks in the region have been depleted by offshore fishing fleets mostly from China and Europe.
“As a result, traditional fishermen in the area have been forced to adopt novel harvesting practices targeting aquatic species such as manatees, crocodiles, sea otters and sea turtles. Harvested for traditional medicine, fishing bait and human consumption, many of these species are already threatened with extinction.
“OceanCare, the Benin Environmental Education Society and their local partners are strongly advocating the involvement of local communities in addressing this issue”.
The international marine conservation organisation OceanCare, as a recognised partner organisation of CMS, has been actively involved in the development, promotion and advancement of conservation measures and policies adopted by the Parties to the Convention since 2004. OceanCare policy and science experts Nicolas Entrup, Laetitia Nunny and Maximin Djondo will be present in Samarkand to participate in debates and support the drafting process at the meeting.
Other areas of marine conservation interest to be discussed at the meeting include bycatch, Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) as a source or marine debris, the identification of Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) and Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs), marine pollution – including ocean noise, light pollution, plastic pollution, and chemical pollution – tourism, ship strikes and climate change.
ENDS
Media contact
- Dániel Fehér, Strategic Communications Lead OceanCare: +49 176 81434026; dfeher@oceancare.org
Notes to editors
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (also known as the Bonn Convention or CMS) is an international environmental agreement that coordinates the protection of migratory animals and their habitats. Currently 133 countries are parties to the Convention.
OceanCare has been active within the CMS since 2004 and has been an official partner organisation since 2016. OceanCare is particularly involved in the issues of underwater noise, plastic and other pollution, the protection of aquatic mammals and aquatic wildlife.
CMS is the only global convention focused on the conservation of migratory species, their habitats and migratory routes. It brings together the countries through which migratory animals pass (the ‘Range States’) and provides the legal basis for internationally coordinated conservation measures throughout the range of migratory species and populations. The decision-making body of CMS is the Conference of Parties (CoP) and it also has a Scientific Council and other administrative bodies.
Endangered species
Migratory species threatened with extinction are listed in Appendix I to the Convention, and CMS Parties endeavour to protect them strictly, to conserve or restore their habitats, to reduce obstacles to migration and to control other factors that may endanger them, including the prohibition of their taking.
Migratory species and populations that require or would significantly benefit from international cooperation are listed in Appendix II of the Convention, and CMS encourages range states to conclude global or regional agreements for these animals.
From a marine perspective there are two important regional agreements in which OceanCare is heavily involved are ACCOBAMS, the regional agreement for the protection of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoise) in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, and ASCOBANS, the regional agreement for the protection of small cetaceans in the North and Baltic Seas, the North-East Atlantic and the Irish Sea. There are many other regional subsidiary agreements and regional cooperation initiatives covering a wide range of marine species.
Deep-sea mining
Deep sea mining is the process of extracting mineral deposits from the deep seabed. Deep-sea mining is a relatively new activity and emerging threat. While its impacts are still quite poorly understood, what we do know is cause for concern.
Exploration of deep-sea habitats is challenging, and scientific research on deep-sea species and ecosystems is just beginning to reveal what we stand to lose if this destructive activity is allowed to proceed. Fragile deep-sea ecosystems already face multiple threats, including climate change and pollution, including underwater noise. Deep-sea mining could destroy habitats, wipe out species and cause potentially unavoidable widespread and permanent damage to ecosystems and biodiversity. It may potentially adversely affect migratory species, including whales, as well as their habitats and prey.
Ocean noise
Anthropogenic ocean noise is a major threat to many marine species. A distinction is made between continuous noise emissions, mainly from commercial shipping, and intense impulsive noise emissions from seismic exploration, sonar technologies, especially from military activities, and many industrial activities, all of which contribute to ocean noise. Ocean noise has the potential to affect all marine life, from the smallest krill to the largest whales. Ocean noise can disrupt or disturb migrating species, displace them from their habitats, mask communication or even cause physical harm and stress. Some impulsive sounds are so loud that they can directly kill marine life.
The proposed draft decisions include a request to Parties to apply Best Available Technology (BAT) and Best Environmental Practice (BEP) for mitigating three noise sources - shipping, seismic airgun surveys and pile driving - and bring them to the attention of regulatory authorities involved in marine spatial planning and licensing processes for underwater noise-generating activities.
Vessel strikes
The impact of ship strikes on marine mammals, sea turtles, sharks and rays is a growing concern as the ocean is increasingly used by commercial, recreational and other vessels. Ship strikes can cause serious or even fatal injuries to marine animals. When a large ship is travelling at high speed, it can be difficult for marine animals to avoid it.
Whales, dolphins and porpoises are vulnerable to ship strikes in areas where they feed and breed. Manatees and dugongs are slow-moving marine mammals that regularly come to the surface to breathe, making them vulnerable to ship strikes. Sea turtles are vulnerable to ship strikes when they surface to breathe. Turtles are at risk when migrating through shipping lanes and in coastal areas where there is increased vessel traffic. Large sharks and rays, especially filter feeders such as basking sharks, whale sharks and mobilids, which spend much of their time at the surface feeding, are particularly vulnerable to ship strikes.
The whale shark is the largest fish in the world. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species worldwide. It is listed in CMS Appendices I and II. Whale sharks can spend 50% of their time in the top 20m of the water column, making them vulnerable to ship strikes. They are most at risk in major shipping lanes and at specific hotspots where large numbers of whale sharks congregate. Whale sharks are also at high risk from shipping during their migrations.
Fish aggregating devices (FADs)
A fish aggregating device, or FAD, is a floating structure made of any material used to aggregate fish (which tend to swim underneath floating objects) so that they can be captured. FADs may be anchored or drifting. Drifting FADs are used extensively in industrial tuna fisheries, for example.
Marine mammals, sharks, sea turtles and other wildlife can become entangled in FADs, which often have trailing ropes or even nets. The material used in FADs can end up as marine debris, with associated negative impacts on wildlife and marine and coastal habitats.
The proposed draft decisions on FADs include a request to Parties to ensure that FADs are non-entangling and that they are designed and deployed in such a way as to reduce the likelihood of their being lost. FADs should be marked, monitored, maintained, and retrieved by fisheries. They should be disposed of appropriately when no longer needed.
OceanCare’s role in CMS
OceanCare has been involved in the work of the Convention since 2004 and, in 2016, it became an official partner organisation of CMS. This partnership gives the organisation the opportunity to closely collaborate with the CMS Secretariat and Parties on issues such as underwater noise, plastic and other pollution, marine mammal conservation and aquatic wildmeat in order to better protect aquatic migratory species.
Important successes in recent years include the commitment of Parties through a series of key resolutions agreed at their meetings providing the technical foundations to address underwater noise and plastic pollution, as well as efforts to better involve civil society in the processes of the Convention. Since 2013, OceanCare has provided leadership and support via individual experts to the CMS, ACCOBAMS and ASCOBANS joint working group on underwater noise. It has also made a significant contribution to the inclusion of threatened species in the CMS Appendices, such as the polar bear in Appendix II and the Mediterranean populations of the Cuvier’s beaked whale and the common dolphin in Appendix I, to name just a few.
CMS is also leading the world in its work on the protection of animal cultures and OceanCare has been assisting in this important new conservation theme. The Bonn Convention has also been instrumental in endorsing and promoting the science-based concept of identifying Important Maine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) and Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs) and recommends Parties making use of such sites when developing and imposing area based conservation action.
OceanCare has been instrumental in the progress of other important areas including the development of plans to address aquatic wild meat in Africa, the conservation of aquatic mammals (especially the development of the relevant programme of work), climate change – especially in the context of the linkages between this threat, ocean noise and shipping – and plastic and other marine pollution.
Further information
- Website of CMS/Bonn Convention
- IMMA website: Important Marine Mammal Areas
- ISRA website: Important Shark and Ray Areas
- Environmental Justice Foundation: Critical Minerals and the Green Transition – Do We Need To Mine The Deep Seas?
- OceanCare Publication: Untangled: The plastics treaty’s critical role in tackling fishing gear
OceanCare experts present at the 14th Conference of Parties of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS):
- Maximin Djondo, Aquatic Wild Life Conservation Expert, Western Africa
- Nicolas Entrup, Director of International Relations (Head of Delegation)
- Laetitia Nunny, Science Officer
About OceanCare
OceanCare is an international marine conservation non-governmental organisation, founded in Switzerland in 1989. The organisation pursues the protection and restoration of the marine environment and marine wildlife with a strong policy focus, combining research, conservation projects and education. OceanCare’s remit includes marine pollution, climate change, marine mammal hunting and the environmental consequences of fisheries. Its work is supported by a team of scientific, legal and policy experts, and involves strategic collaboration with civil society organisations and coalitions around the world. OceanCare is an officially accredited partner and observer to several UN conventions and other international fora. www.oceancare.org --
OceanCare Dániel Fehér, Strategic Communications Lead Gerbestrasse 6, P.O.Box 372 CH-8820 Waedenswil - Switzerland +49 176 81434026 dfeher@oceancare.org www.oceancare.org