News
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Andy Raine - CMS Executive Secretary
Andy Raine - New Executive Secretary of CMS and ASCOBANS
Bonn, 1 June 2026 - Andy Raine has been appointed as Executive Secretary of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), effective Monday, 1 June 2026. In his role, Mr. Raine will also serve as the Executive Secretary of the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS).
Shark underwater at Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S., Mexico / Photo by Elianne Dipp
High Seas Treaty: A New Era for Migratory Species and Ocean Governance
The Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) has reached the threshold for entry into force. This historic milestone marks the beginning of a new era for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in the high seas—an area covering two-thirds of the world’s ocean.
Migratory Species and Wetlands: Insights from the Global Wetland Outlook 2025
Bonn, 21 July 2025 — Wetlands, which sustain life across the planet, are disappearing faster than any other ecosystem.
Investing in Biodiversity: Unlocking Greater Returns
The Liaison Group of Biodiversity-related Conventions (BLG), a long-standing network uniting the executive heads of the eight biodiversity-related conventions, met on 21 February 2025 at FAO Headquarters in Rome ahead of the resumed sessions of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP16). The group reaffirmed their collective support to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
Internship Opportunities in the Aquatic Species Team
Are you a university student or a recent graduate? Are you interested in aquatic migratory species? Are you interested in the work of a multilateral environmental agreement of the United Nations? If your answer is yes, maybe consider applying for an internship in our Aquatic Species Team! (ASCOBANS, CMS, Sharks MOU, IOSEA Marine Turtle MOU)
https://careers.un.org/jobSearchDescription/251445?language=en
Synth85, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Consuming Sea Turtle Meat: Health Risks and Conservation Impacts
In a recent tragic incident in the Philippines, three people lost their lives and over 30 others were hospitalized after consuming a stew made with marine turtle meat. This tragic event is not an isolated incident, with the consumption of sea turtle meat leading to over 2400 known cases of illness and 420 fatalities worldwide since 1900.
COP14 - What to Expect for Migratory Aquatic Species
Of the migratory species listed under the Convention on Migratory Species, 64 are aquatic mammals, 54 are fish, and 9 are reptiles, covering many diverse species such as whales, sharks, and turtles. Their migratory ranges include rivers, estuaries, beaches, seagrass meadows, coral reefs, coastal zones, the open ocean, deep-water trenches, and seamounts - to name but a few. They occur in all climatic zones, all oceans, and many inland water systems. The threats they face are manifold and include overexploitation, habitat loss and degradation, pollution, and climate change.
Governments of the Atlantic Coast of Africa Commit to the Effective Conservation of Marine Megafauna
Today, a historic series of meetings, the ‘CMS Marine Megafauna Week: Atlantic Coast of Africa’, came to a successful conclusion. In collaboration with the Regional Partnership for the Conservation of the Coastal and Marine Zone (PRCM), four meetings were held over the course of four days, bringing together government representatives, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, and scientists for detailed discussions on four draft action plans for marine species in this biodiversity-rich region.
New Review Finds the Consumption of Wild Meat of Aquatic Megafauna Protected Under CMS to be Widespread Throughout the Tropics
Published on 21 March was a review of the literature and overview of the contemporary use of aquatic megafauna (cetaceans, sirenians, chelonians, and crocodylians) in the global tropics and subtropics, for 37 species listed on the Appendices of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).
