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The 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP-13) was held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India, from 15-22 February 2020. The meeting convened under the theme "Migratory species connect the planet and together we welcome them home", which highlights the need for international action to protect migratory species across the planet.
Migratory species are vulnerable to a wide range of threats, including habitat shrinkage in breeding areas; excessive hunting along migration routes; and degradation of their feeding grounds. As a result of international concern over these threats, CMS was adopted in 1979 and entered into force on 1 November 1983. CMS, also known as the Bonn Convention, currently having 130 Parties (129 States and the EU), provides a global platform for the conservation of terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species, their habitats and migration routes. CMS brings together the States through which migratory species pass and lays the legal foundation for internationally coordinated conservation measures. As the only global convention specialising in the conservation of migratory species, CMS complements and cooperates with other international organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and partners in the media and the corporate sector.1
Migratory species threatened with extinction are listed on Appendix I of the Convention. CMS Parties strive towards strictly protecting these species; conserving or restoring the places where they live; mitigating obstacles to migration; and identifying and controlling factors that might endanger them. Migratory species that need, or would significantly benefit from, international cooperation are listed in Appendix II of the Convention which encourages the range States to conclude global or regional agreements to promote these species' protection. In this respect, CMS acts as a framework Convention. The agreements may range from legally binding treaties to less formal instruments, such as Memoranda of Understanding, and can be adapted to the requirements of particular regions.
The COP is the principal decision-making body of the Convention. It meets once every three years and sets the budget and priorities of the following triennium. It also decides on the amendment of the Appendices; and considers reports and proposals submitted by the Parties, the Scientific Council and the international instruments established under the Convention.
COP-132 was the largest meeting in the history of the...