Nearly a quarter of migratory species listed under a global convention are at risk of extinction, and the number is only rising.
An interim update on the state of the world’s migratory species found that many animals are at higher risk than before, including 18 shorebirds, some of which pass through Aotearoa.
The update is being presented at the 15th UN meeting about the Conservation of Migratory Species, underway now in Campo Grande, Brazil.
The SMC asked NZ experts what they’re looking for at the meeting.
Graeme Taylor, Principal Science Advisor, Department of Conservation, comments:
“We’re paying close attention to proceedings around the migratory seabirds. New Zealand is known as the seabird capital of the world and some of the rarest seabirds in the world – including several gadfly petrel species – breed here. But seabirds, both nationally and internationally, are in serious trouble with multiple pressures including invasive species, habitat loss, bycatch, light and plastic pollution, and climate change, which affects food supplies.
“The migratory species proposed for listing in the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) appendices at COP15 forage widely across all the world’s oceans, visiting the seas around 63 countries. Flesh-footed shearwaters, for example, breed on islands around northern New Zealand and migrate to the seas off Japan, East Asia and Russia during our southern winter. New Zealand is working with other Parties to the CMS to get flesh-footed shearwater and 26 species of gadfly petrel listed. If these species are listed, opportunities can open up for international protection measures such as bilateral agreements, as well raising the profiles of these birds. The international cooperation created by these listing proposals is essential for their future conservation.
“At COP15 we’re also focusing on initiatives that propose to reduce key threats such as fisheries bycatch, marine and light pollution and we’re supporting ‘Concerted Action Plans’ to help Antipodean albatross – listed under the Convention in 2020 – and flesh-footed shearwater.”
Conflict of interest statement: No declaration received.