The 13th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS CoP13) is taking place in Gandhinagar, India, from February 15 to 22, 2020.

WCS has a long history of partnership with the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), which includes the signing of a formal Cooperation Agreement in 2007 and WCS’s signing on as a Cooperating Partner to the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks (CMS Sharks MOU) in 2016. WCS shares with CMS and the CMS Parties the common goal of conserving migratory species through enhanced and concerted actions at multiple levels and between all sectors and actors involved. WCS takes a science-based approach to the protection of wildlife and wild places, including many of the migratory species listed on the CMS Appendices. WCS works to study and conserve CMS-listed species and on other related issues, such as transboundary cooperation, spatial planning, and ecological integrity and connectivity, across several continents and in all of the world’s oceans.

WCS will have a strong presence at the convention and will be represented by a team of wildlife and policy experts. Dr. Susan Lieberman, WCS VP for International Policy, will be the keynote speaker at the opening stakeholder dialogue. In addition, WCS is holding several side events discussing jaguars, cheetahs, illegal wildlife trade of migratory species, and other issues. WCS will be especially focused on proposals affecting Asian elephants, jaguars, and oceanic whitetip sharks.

The WCS Position Statement presents our views on many of the documents before the Parties at CoP13, including proposals to amend the CMS Appendices, which are based on the best available scientific and technical information from our field and country programs around the world. We have not included recommendations for species we do not work on, or are found in countries where we do not work.

Decisions made by Party governments over the course of the meeting will have profound implications for the future of species conservation and sustainable development. We look forward to meeting with Parties and others during CoP13, and to advancing the conservation of migratory species. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding WCS, or our position on any agenda item to be considered during CoP13, please contact Dr. Susan Lieberman, Vice President for International Policy at slieberman@wcs.org.

MEDIA INTERVIEWS CAN BE ARRANGED BY CONTACTING MARY DIXON: mdixon@wcs.org; WhatsApp: +1 347 840 1242; Skype: mary.dixon111