Connectivity front and center at Convention on Migratory Species COP14

Meeting attendees sitting at banquette tables at plenary meeting

The Main Plenary Hall for CMS/CoP14 (credit CLLC/Gabriel Oppler)

They run. They fly. They swim. Migratory species from elephants to golden eagles to sea turtles cover vast distances and often cross borders to survive. In February 2024, CCSG leadership and members joined countries, partners, and experts in the ancient Silk Road city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, to increase commitments and contributions to conserve migratory wildlife and their habitats around the world. Under the motto “Nature Knows No Borders,” more than 1,000 participants attended the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS/CoP-14), the first to be hosted in a Central Asian country.

The conference centered around the 133 country “Parties” considering the endangered status and management of specific species—including fourteen new species, subspecies, and populations added to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Appendices—examining country reporting, setting priorities such as targeted conservation plans, and agreeing on a budget for implementing overall aims of the convention. CMS/CoP-14 built on momentum since adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) in 2022 and brought additional focus to the vital role that ecological connectivity—which allows wildlife to move more freely—plays in conserving species and habitats across migratory ranges.

Keeping connectivity a priority

People walking through Registan Square

Registan Square, one of Samarkand’s emblematic Islamic historical sites (credit CLLC/Gabriel Oppler)

The CCSG, in collaboration with its secretariat at the Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC), official NGO Observer to CMS, prepared and attended to promote and mainstream ecological connectivity as a central focus of the convention and its activities. Among the 52 agenda items considered under 25 thematic groups on crosscutting, terrestrial, avian, and aquatic issues, the conference adopted the Samarkand Strategic Plan for 2024-2032 with Goal 2 devoted to maintaining and restoring connectivity. This post summarizes the related activities and outcomes that CCSG leadership and collaboration supported while in Samarkand.

Launch of the State of the World’s Migratory Species Report

During a special event on February 12, the first-ever report on the State of the World’s Migratory Species was released by the Convention on Migratory Species. Available in English, French, and Spanish, the 88-page report reviews the status of migratory species and impacts of various threats to their survival. It includes a section on “Promoting ecological connectivity by removing barriers to migration” as a joint contribution of the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Center (UNEP-WCMC) and the Center for Large Landscape Conservation.

Among the findings, the report details that:

More than one-in-five (22%) CMS-listed species are threatened with extinction

Nearly all (97%) of CMS-listed fish are threatened with extinction

The two greatest threats to both CMS-listed and all migratory species are overexploitation and habitat loss due to human activity.

Connectivity-related side events

Speakers in the side event “New Frontiers for Ecological Connectivity – From Policy to Implementation”: Gabriel Oppler (International Policy & Partnerships Specialist, CLLC); Libuše Vlasáková (Ministry of Environment of the Czech Republic, CMS National Focal Point); Rafael Antelo (Wildlife Connect Initiative Leader and PACHA Coordinator, WWF); Frances Davis (Senior Programme Officer, UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre); Madhu Rao (WCPA Chair); Ronaldo Morato (General Coordinator at the Brazilian National Secretariat for Biodiversity, Forests and Animal Rights of the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change); Alyona Krivosheyeva (Conservation Director, Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity in Kazakhstan (ACBK); Koustubh Sharma (International Coordinator, Global Snow Leopard & Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP); Shirin Karryeva (CLLC Project Coordinator in Turkmenistan); Gary Tabor (CEO, CLLC and Chair, CCSG); Kate Newman (Vice President for Sustainable Infrastructure and Public Sector Initiatives, WWF); Aaron Laur (International Connectivity Program, Policy & Partnerships Manager, CLLC)

While formal negotiations feature prominently in daily proceedings of a CoP, side events are opportunities for gathering informally to learn about and discuss specific topics and projects. Prior to departing for Samarkand, CLLC and partners identified 27 side events addressing ecological connectivity in one way or another.

Foremost, CLLC led organization of the side event “New Frontiers for Ecological Connectivity: From Policy to Implementation,” where speakers highlighted efforts around the world moving ecological connectivity from discourse to implementation. Contributions included an overview of policy developments and presentations from governments and experts highlighting collaborative initiatives, projects, and activities that are advancing connectivity conservation at local to global scales. The event was supported by USAID and the ALIGN Project (Asia’s Linear Infrastructure safeGuarding Nature), and co-organizers included CCSG, CMS, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Climate Change, and the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF).

Additional contributions by CCSG leadership included:

Gary Tabor, CCSG Chair presented at the event led by Climate Change association titled “Ecological Connectivity: An Integrated Opportunity to Address Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss, and Desertification”;
Gary Tabor also spoke at the event “Asiatic Wild Ass (Kulan): Status, Threats, and Future Conservation Needs” hosted by the IUCN-SSC Equid Specialist Group, co-chaired by Dr. Patricia Moehlman;
Aaron Laur, CCSG Executive Officer provided a presentation on “Building the Foundation of Policy and Law for Ecological Connectivity” for an event led by the organization Law of the Wild; and
Gabriel Oppler, CCSG Program Officer presented on the work of the Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group and its publications, resources, and activities.

Special Event: Launch of a new Global Partnership on Ecological Connectivity

Gary Tabor presenting award to H.E. Aziz Abdukhakimov

Gary Tabor presents the IUCN Connectivity Guidelines to H.E. Aziz Abdukhakimov, Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of Uzbekistan (Credit CLLC/Gabriel Oppler)

The Global Partnership on Ecological Connectivity (GPEC) celebrated its launch at a special event on February 14. GPEC aims to strengthen and facilitate efforts to address key priorities for ecological connectivity, identify and address gaps, scale-up efforts at national-levels, and drive transboundary and international connectivity conservation policies and activities. The launch was attended by approximately 100 people and members of the media, and is summarized in this press release. Initiated by CMS, the partnership is joined by several organizations, including the Center for Large Landscape Conservation and IUCN as core partners.

Policy resolutions and decisions to advance ecological connectivity conservation

Among the many official decisions reached by close of CoP-14, Parties to the convention adopted policies that serve to update and focus efforts for more efficient and effective ecological connectivity conservation. Included among the “In-Session Documents” in English, French, and Spanish, they include:

ECOLOGICAL CONNECTIVITY, including enhancement of the definition to “[…] ecological connectivity (hereafter “connectivity”) is the unimpeded movement of species, connection of habitats without hindrance and the flow of natural processes that sustain life on Earth”;
IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND MIGRATORY SPECIES, including passages such as asking Parties to include migratory species when revising legal requirements for impact assessment and when generating considerations for screening criteria, including the construction of barriers such as fences and walls when these might be an impediment for ecological connectivity;
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT AND MIGRATORY SPECIES with passages directed to Parties, the Scientific Council, and the Secretariat including requesting more comprehensive cooperation on specific actions such as identifying existing, planned, and foreseen development; and taking into account ecological connectivity and ecological restoration”;
CMS CONTRIBUTION TO THE KUNMING-MONTREAL GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FRAMEWORK, including supporting and applying the monitoring framework agreed under the CBD for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework including promoting the status of migratory species as measurement of progress towards achieving the ecological connectivity and integrity elements of the framework;
SAMARKAND STRATEGIC PLAN FOR MIGRATORY SPECIES 2024-2032, including Goal 2 on “The habitats and ranges of migratory species are maintained and restored, supporting their connectivity”; and Target 3.2. “By 2032, the direct mortality of migratory species caused by human-made infrastructure is significantly reduced to levels that are not harmful to species’ viability.”;
INITIATIVE FOR CENTRAL ASIAN FLYWAY spanning 30 Range States for migratory birds, alongside the establishment of a coordinating unit with financial support from the Indian Government;
REDUCING THE RISK OF VESSEL STRIKES FOR MARINE MEGAFAUNA including encouraging Parties “to propose core aggregation zones and known migration corridors of vulnerable marine megafauna, where there is a significant risk of vessel strikes”;
INITIATIVE FOR THE JAGUAR to develop a comprehensive program of work encompassing all aspects of jaguar conservation, including paragraph 6(e) agreeing to focus on adopting actions that allow and ensure connectivity between Jaguar populations (including the creation and official designation of biological corridors), as well as effective handling of protected areas, indigenous territories, and other effective area-based conservation action;

Core partners celebrate the launch of the Global Partnership for Ecological Connectivity. L-R: Gabriel Oppler, International Policy & Partnerships Specialist, Center for Large Landscape Conservation; Aaron Laur, International Connectivity Program, Policy & Partnerships Manager, Center for Large Landscape Conservation; Frances Davis, Senior Programme Officer, UNEP-WCMC; Ingrid Coetzee; Director, Biodiversity, Nature & Health, ICLEI Africa and Global Cities Biodiversity Center; Senator Ronan Dantec, President, Climate Change Association; Rafael Antelo (Ph.D.) Wildlife Connect Leader and PACHA Coordinator, WWF; Madhu Rao, Chair, IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas; Dr Musonda Mumba, Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands; H.E. Aziz Abdukhakimov, Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of Uzbekistan; Amy Fraenkel, CMS Executive Secretary; Gary Tabor, CEO, Center for Large Landscape Conservation; Fernando Spina, CMS COP-appointed Councilor for Ecological Connectivity, Katharine Newman, Vice-President sustainable infrastructure; WWF US. © Anvar Zokirov

Final note on marine connectivity

Many migratory ocean species undertake amazing journeys in search of patchy and localized food resources, e.g. around seamounts and upwellings. Hopefully, this work can complement studies of the distribution and migration of other marine animals and can be integrated into such work as refining Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas and proposing Marine Protected Areas. It can also broaden studies of marine connectivity and contribute to the work of the Marine Connectivity Working Group and Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group.

What comes next?

Although many species-specific and crosscutting decisions were reached throughout the week, extinction risk levels continue to rise across CMS-listed species, and climate change and habitat loss continue unabated. These challenges combine with chronic underfunding of the convention and a new budget that does not allow for even modest growth. The implementation of ongoing and new mandates will require strong, combined efforts across governments, organizations, and experts. The CCSG and its partners look forward to advancing ecological connectivity conservation as an innovative way for many multilateral environmental agreements to achieve their individual and joint objectives in a more comprehensive, efficient, and effective manner to stop fragmentation, reverse biodiversity loss, and increase resilience to climate change.

State	Year	Policy	Description
New Hampshire	2026	SB592	Enables regional, conservation, and energy resource planning for habitat strongholds and wildlife corridors
New Hampshire	2019	SB200	Requires the New Hampshire Department of Transportation to consider fish and wildlife crossings and mitigation measures in all future road and culvert projects
New Hampshire	2016	SB376	Requires the fish and game department to identify existing and needed wildlife corridors connecting wildlife habitats in the state and to make recommendations for legislative changes

State	Year	Policy	Description
Maine	2023	LD258	Appropriates $7.5 million to Department of Transportation to improve roadways with potential adaptations for wildlife
Maine	2023	LD1881	Establishes compensation fee program relating to fish and wildlife habitats and associated corridors, including compensation paid by solar energy development
Maine	2023	LD508	Requires Department of Environmental Protection to review its permitting laws concerning climate change, habitat connectivity, ecological resilience, and coastal environments

State	Year	Policy	Description
New Jersey	2025	S3618	Directs state agencies to develop a Wildlife Corridor Action Plan
New Jersey	2024	S3916/A5486	Expands eligibility for existing wildlife fencing programs by including farmers leasing farmland
New Jersey	2007	NJAC7:13	Requires the state to incorporate wildlife crossings or a natural bank for terrestrial threatened and endangered species and/or species of concern when a new bridge or culvert project would cause habitat fragmentation

State	Year	Policy	Description
New Mexico	2023	SB72	Appropriates money to new Wildlife Corridors Fund for implementation of wildlife crossing projects under New Mexico Wildlife Corridor Action Plan
New Mexico	2022	HB 2	Allocates funding for projects to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and allows the Department of Transportation and Department of Game to implement their Wildlife Corridors Action Plan
New Mexico	2019	SB 228	Requires the creation of a Wildlife Corridor Action Plan that includes comprehensive guidance to agencies for identifying, prioritizing and maintaining important areas for wildlife movement

State	Year	Policy	Description
Washington	2023	HB1216/SB5196	Requires Department of Ecology to prepare environmental impact statements for clean energy projects that consider impacts to habitat connectivity and wildlife migration corridors
Washington	2022	SB5689	Provides funding for US 97 Wildlife Crossing Improvements project
Washington	2019	SEO 1031.02	Recognizes the effect of roadways in creating barriers to wildlife movement, breeding, and migrations; the Washington State Department of Transportation will promote and support Practical Solutions and Planning and Environmental Linkages to integrate habitat connectivity and biodiversity plans; will make use of the highway prioritization map known as Habitat Connectivity Investment Priorities; and will corporate and coordinate with other agencies involved in wildlife habitat protection, specifically along highways

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