CAMPO GRANDE: Senior officials and delegates meeting in Brazil this week said migratory species that cross national borders face mounting threats from habitat loss, pollution, climate pressures and poorly planned infrastructure, as the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals opened in the city of Campo Grande. The March 23 to 29 meeting is being held under the theme “Connecting nature to sustain life” and has drawn more than 2,000 participants, with Brazil presiding over the conference for the first time.
The high-level segment adopted the Pantanal Declaration, which reaffirmed the convention’s role as a central framework for international cooperation on migratory wildlife and highlighted ecological connectivity as essential to the survival of species that move across continents, oceans and river basins. Brazil used the gathering to press for broader participation in the treaty and stronger cooperation among range states, while also stressing the role of Indigenous peoples and traditional communities in conserving habitats and migratory corridors.
The urgency of the debate was underscored by updated data released ahead of the meeting, showing that 49% of migratory species recognized by governments as needing protection now have declining populations, up from 44% two years earlier. The same update showed that 24% of CMS listed species are now threatened with extinction, compared with 22% previously, while 26 species moved into higher extinction risk categories and only seven showed improvement. Officials said the figures point to worsening pressure on species that depend on coordinated action across borders.
Protecting routes and species
Negotiators in Campo Grande are handling more than 100 agenda items, including illegal hunting, habitat fragmentation, bycatch, pollution and the effects of extractive activity on migratory routes. Under discussion are proposals to add 42 new species to the convention’s appendices, which cover animals threatened with extinction and species that require international cooperation for conservation. Brazil is leading or co-leading seven listing proposals, including freshwater fish, sharks and migratory birds, among them the pintado catfish from the São Francisco and La Plata basins.
Delegates are also focusing on the gap between identified critical areas and the level of formal protection. Updated data presented around the meeting showed that 9,372 Key Biodiversity Areas important for CMS listed species have been identified, but 47% of the total area of those sites remains outside protected and conserved areas. Officials have linked that gap to the need for stronger corridor protection and better coordination among countries sharing migratory routes, particularly where species move between terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems.
Brazil expands protected areas
Alongside the talks, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed decrees to expand the Pantanal Matogrossense National Park and the Taiama Ecological Station in Mato Grosso and to create the Corregos dos Vales do Norte de Minas Sustainable Development Reserve in Minas Gerais. The Brazilian government said the measures place more than 148,000 hectares under protection and are intended to strengthen biodiversity conservation, protect water resources and improve ecological connectivity in landscapes used by migratory species and traditional communities.
The conference is scheduled to end on March 29, when parties are expected to formally adopt decisions on species listings, conservation measures and cooperation mechanisms for the coming years. Brazil has also pointed to nearly two decades of regional cooperation with Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay on 11 migratory bird species as an example of the cross-border model under discussion in Campo Grande, where governments are weighing how to protect wildlife whose life cycles depend on movement across international boundaries – By Content Syndication Services.