CMS: Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals

The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), also referred to as the "Bonn Convention", is an international agreement that aims to protect species that migrate across national boundaries. The species covered by the convention are listed in its appendices, and include terrestrial as well as marine species. The convention also aims to promote cooperation and capacity building to support Parties in preventing migratory species from becoming endangered. The CMS is a framework convention that provides the basis for more specific agreements to be made for particular species and regions. Several additional agreements, protocols, and memorandums of understanding have been adopted under the CMS, including some that relate to marine species (cetaceans, turtles, and seabirds). These include the 2008 Memorandum of Understanding concerning the Conservation of the Manatee and small Cetaceans of Western Africa and Macaronesia; the 1992 Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas; the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding concerning Conservation and Management of Marine Turtles and their Habitats of the Indian Ocean and South East Asia; the 2006 Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region; the 2007 Memorandum of Understanding concerning Conservation Measures for the Eastern Atlantic Populations of the Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus); the 2001 Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels; the 2007 Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Dugongs (Dugong dugon) and their Habitats throughout their Range; the 1999 Memorandum of Understanding concerning Conservation Measures for Marine Turtles of the Atlantic Coast of Africa; the 2010 Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks; the 1996 Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area; and the 1990 Agreement on the Conservation of Seals in the Wadden Sea. The implementation of the CMS is coordinated by the CMS Secretariat, hosted by UNEP and headquartered in Bonn, Germany.