Protections for Birds Worldwide Advanced by Successful COP15

New commitments for strengthening protections for migratory birds and other species worldwide was the outcome of a one week meeting late last month, where governments, non-governmental organizations, Indigenous Peoples representatives, international organizations and others met in Campo Grande, the gateway to Brazil’s Pantanal wetland, for the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) .  

Watched over by  Blue-and-yellow Macaws,  Burrowing Owls, and more local birds, delegates worked long into the night debating which migratory species required enhanced protections due to population declines and threats, how to address risks including poisoning and unintentional seabird bycatch from commercial fishing, and how to strengthen coordination and cooperation along the world’s avian flyways.  

Audubon’s delegation worked with government officials and BirdLife Partners to ensure attention to Audubon’s priorities, including strengthening protections for migratory birds worldwide and advancing cooperative action along America’s flyways, and to advance two critical partnerships that will deliver results for birds across the Americas.  

We were successful. The highlights of the week include:  

Consolidating support in Brazil for Conserva Aves  

Through a well-attended public event and a technical working session, Audubon, BirdLife International, and Brazilian partners SAVE Brasil and FUNBIO positioned Conserva Aves as a proven model with strong potential for creating, expanding, and implementing protected areas that safeguard bird habitat in Brazil.  

The Brazilian government is enthusiastic about Conserva Aves, with officials offering access to technical and spatial data, discussing relevance to Brazil’s policy objectives and national programs, and expressing strong support for the initiative. The Conserva Aves partners will now work to finalize the design phase, seeking to optimize opportunities for birds in the megadiverse country of Brazil.  

Strengthening cooperation along America’s flyways 

The governments present in Campo Grande decided to work towards the creation of CMS’ Americas Flyways Initiative, strengthening the institutional framework for conservation and coordination of actions along the flyways of the Americas. The new initiative will be open to all governments, as well as other stakeholders. This important step, made possible by the leadership of governments from Brazil, Costa Rica, and Uruguay, was captured in a COP15 Resolution and Decision. The offer by Audubon and BirdLife International to provide support for the coordination and implementation of the initiative was warmly welcomed. The new initiative presents an important opportunity to strengthen government and stakeholder action to protect migratory birds, and conserve their habitats, and to better coordinate efforts across entire flyways. 

Advancing protections for migratory birds worldwide  

Additional CMS Resolutions and Decisions undertook by the attending parties focused on steps to strengthen protections for migratory species, encourage conservation measures, and address risks. This included the “listing” of a number of species of conservation concern, including the Lesser Yellowlegs, Hudsonian Godwit, and Hudsonian Whimbrel—shorebirds that are the focus of conservation actions by Audubon and its partners across the Americas. Listing effectively recognizes that additional protections are needed to ensure the survival of these species.  

Marine flyways were also recognized as a priority during COP15. Language referring to bycatch from fisheries was broadened to refer to “migratory” species, which will promote the inclusion of seabirds within national measures intended to reduce accidental catch by fishing boats. And parties encouraged greater coordination across marine flyways, including through efforts such as the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels.  

Though the nights were late and text negotiations might have seemed esoteric, CMS COP15 demonstrated that policymakers, scientists, and other experts can come together to shape a better future for migratory species. Now we must continue to work together to deliver for the Lesser Yellowlegs, Hudsonian Godwit, Hudsonian Whimbrel, and all the other migratory birds depending on us for their futures.