Global declines in migratory species frame urgent talks at CoP15

As evidence mounts that migratory species are declining at an accelerating rate worldwide, governments gathered in Campo Grande, Brazil for CoP15 discussions this week are faced with growing pressure to deliver coordinated international action.

A recent report from the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals has underscored the scale of the crisis, finding that 49 per cent of migratory species populations are now in decline – up from 44 per cent just two years ago.

Meanwhile, nearly a quarter of species face a global risk of extinction.

Scientists have attributed these trends to intensifying habitat loss and fragmentation, overexploitation, and pollution – pressures that are increasingly transcending national borders.

Against this backdrop, 42 species proposals are under review at the summit, spanning a wide range of ecologically significant wildlife – from marine predators such as hammerhead sharks, to migratory birds including the snowy owl, and large terrestrial mammals such as cheetahs and the striped hyena. Freshwater species are also prominent, including the giant otter and surubim, a large Amazonian fish.

Brazil’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva, emphasised the transboundary nature of the challenge facing governments at the summit. “Species are not governed within fixed territories – they operate in flows,” she said. “Without cooperation and partnership, it becomes very difficult to protect both the species and their habitats.”

Highlighting the broader ecological significance of migratory wildlife, Silva added: “Migratory species are also bioindicators. They show us how vulnerable or preserved different regions are in supporting these ecological flows.”