30th Anniversary of the Bonn Convention (UNEP/CMS)

Bonn, 23rd June 1979 - 2009. Representatives of over 100 countries as well as many intergovernmental agencies and non-governmental organisations met in Stockholm, Sweden in June 1972 to discuss the state of the world’s environment at the UN Conference on the Human Environment. One major outcome of the Conference was the decision to establish the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The Conference also recognized the special threats faced by migratory species on their often arduous journeys across political boundaries. The delegates agreed that an international instrument to protect migratory species was necessary.

In 1974 the German Government, through the then Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry (the predecessor of the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Protection and Nuclear Safety) was mandated by UNEP to prepare an appropriate draft text of a Convention. The German Government enlisted the support of the legal experts of the IUCN‘s Environmental Law Centre. After long consultations with potential Parties, the IUCN ELC produced a text which formed the basis of negotiation.

The final version of this text was signed on 23rd June 1979, in the Bonn district of Bad Godesberg. In November 1984 a Secretariat was established in Bonn at the invitation of the German Government. It is provided by UNEP and, therefore, is sometimes known as the “UNEP/CMS Secretariat”.

The Convention on Migratory Species had a membership of 15 when it entered into force on 1st November 1983. Membership reached 50 when Peru acceded in 1997 and at the time of the Sixth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties in Cape Town in 1999, there were 65 contracting parties. Yemen became the 100th Party on 1st December 2006. Further accessions, most recently that of Montenegro, have since taken the total to 111 (as of 1st March 2009).

A number of countries participate in regional Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding despite not being Parties to the parent Convention; this phenomenon is particularly evident in Asia and Africa

On 23rd June 2009 the Bonn Convention, concluded under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme, will celebrate its 30th Anniversary. The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) aims to conserve and manage avian, marine and terrestrial migratory species as well as their habitats throughout their range.

Countless animal species migrate. Some of them do not get very far. They swim, fly or travel long distances and they cross borders without a passport. They are hunted or they perish as a result of by catch in the nets of fishermen. Their habitats are being destroyed. However, there is hope and progress in the worldwide conservation of migratory species.

The Bonn Convention stands for the worldwide protection of these species. CMS plays a major role in the conservation of migratory species and their habitats on a global scale. Nature conservationists in 111 member states know the work and the outcomes

The 30th Anniversary of CMS is an excellent opportunity to analyse what has been achieved until now and how the Convention might operate in future. Cooperation with other organizations and initiatives from all over the world improve the conservation status of migratory species. On the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of the Bonn Convention the City of Bonn and UNEP/CMS will organize a reception in the Old Town Hall of the City of Bonn.

The artist, Manuel Merino, has produced a poster commemorating the Convention’s thirtieth anniversary. The poster depicts thirty species protected by agreements concluded under the Bonn Convention.

CMS invites you to celebrate in our 30th Anniversary! Happy Birthday Bonn Convention.