Giraffes, Lions, Leopards, Chimpanzees amongst Threatened Animals Proposed for Urgent Protection under Global Conservation Treaty

Bonn, Germany, 1 June 2017- Once abundant, these species are now threatened by unprecedented destruction of their habitat, poaching, climate change and pollution. Proposals to afford greater protection to 35 species will be made at what is expected to be the largest wildlife conference of the year, CMS COP 12, which is scheduled to take place 23-28 October 2017 in Manila, Philippines.

The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (also known as CMS) is a global treaty protecting wildlife moving across international borders.  At the 12th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP12) more than 125 governments are expected to negotiate and potentially agree on coordinated measures on how to reverse the impacts already being felt on these animals and to ensure the species’ survival.

The negotiations will revolve around placing these species on Appendix I of the treaty, which affords full protection and requires all countries to ensure that there is no taking or on Appendix II which foresees putting in place management strategies among countries for species that cross their borders.

The listing proposals come from all the continents: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania.  Thirty-five species in total have been proposed, including animals ranging from those that roam the steppes of Central Asia (e.g. the Asian Wild or Przewalski’s Horse), well-known majestic African mammals such as Leopards, Lions and Giraffes, birds known for undertaking vast migrations spanning continents and oceans (e.g. the Christmas Frigatebird) and sharks including the Whale Shark (the Planet’s largest fish) which are being overfished with no regulatory impunity to the point where they are now highly threatened...

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