The Fifteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS COP15) has adopted a landmark Multi-species Action Plan (MsAP) to conserve all 26 species of bustards across 102 range states.
The newly adopted MsAP was developed by Bustards Without Borders through consultation with range states and contributions from researchers and conservationists, including members of the Eurasian Bustard Alliance. Proposed to CMS by the government of Hungary, the MsAP was co-sponsored by Eritrea, the European Union and its Member States, Iran, Mongolia and Nigeria. At CMS COP15, the proposal received additional oral support from the governments of Burkina Faso, Saudi Arabia, and Senegal, as well as the NGO “Association for Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan.”
The Bustards Multispecies Action Plan can be downloaded from the CMS website in English, French and Spanish. Note that Annex I represents the main text of the Action Plan and Annex II contains information tables specific to each range country.
A panel event at CMS COP15 promoted engagement in the implementation of the Bustards MsAP, focusing on the important roles of governments, the research community, and NGOs. A diverse coalition of actors will be required to tackle urgent threats to bustards, which include mortality from energy infrastructure, agricultural intensification, unsustainable take, habitat protection and restoration.
