UNEP adds Bobolink to its list of priority species

The Bobolink is one of seven new species to be added to the United Nations Environmental Program’s (UNEP) Conservation Migratory Species (CMS) list, with the aim of strengthening international conservation efforts.

More than 80 governments met from 20 – 25 November in Bergen, Norway, for the tenth Conference of the Parties to UNEP’s Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. The theme of the Conference “Networking for Migratory Species” was given prominence at the launch of a CMS report on ecological networks connected by migration corridors to ensure long-term survival of migratory wildlife. There was general consensus at the conference to initiate or implement actions to mitigate the most serious threats to migratory species and obstacles to animal migration, in particular relating to wind turbines, power lines, bycatch, climate change, wildlife disease and illegal hunting.

Migratory species threatened with extinction are listed on Appendix I of CMS, while species like the Bobolink that need or would significantly benefit from international cooperation are listed in Appendix II. Inclusion in the appendices grants greater protection to vulnerable species, such as conserving damaged habitats or mitigating obstacles to migration.

The CMS reports: “The Bobolink, which travels up to 20,000 km, performs one of the largest annual migrations of a grassland bird in the Western Hemisphere. The global population of this migrant has been declining since the 1960s. Threats include hunting, intensive agriculture as well as habitat loss within the breeding and wintering sites. The Bobolink is currently not protected by any inter-national instrument. Appendix II listing recommends habitat conservation, reduced hunting, improved management practices and awareness raising.”