An expert workshop on « the Impact of Climate Change on Migratory Species:
the current status and avenues for action » was convened from 6-8 June at the Tour du Valat research station in the South of France under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). This meeting allowed to make recommendations to assist migratory species in dealing with climate change.
Climate change is already having a significant impact on migratory species across the globe. Birds are starting to arrive and breed earlier, turtles are being observed at higher latitudes and some long-distance migrants are starting to decline due to climate change. Future predictions point to many more declines, extinctions and a total reshuffle of ecosystems as they stand today.
While the interactions between climate change and biodiversity are complex, there is a pressing need for governments to agree on joint activities to tackle the problem.
Experts of the seminar brought together ecological, genetic, climatic and legal insight in order to formulate a roadmap for action ranging from appropriate monitoring, identification of most vulnerable species and spatial planning to the role of local people and legal matters in this context.
The recommendations will become the heart of the climate change resolution, which will be tabled at the forthcoming Tenth Conference of the Parties (COP) in Bergen, Norway, for CMS Parties to adopt.
Did you know that ? A world day devoted to migratory birds
World Migratory Bird Day is a global, annual awareness campaign to promote the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats worldwide. It is organized by the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) – two international wildlife treaties administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
For more information please see: www.worldmigratorybirdday.org [1]