State of the World’s Migratory Species

This report, the first ever State of the World’s Migratory Species, provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of the conservation status of migratory species. It summarizes their current status and trends, identifies the key pressures they face, and highlights illustrative examples of the efforts underway to conserve and promote the recovery of these species. It aims to improve conservation outcomes for migratory species, by providing support for evidence-based decision-making by CMS Parties, and more broadly, by raising awareness of the challenges and success stories in the conservation of migratory species. The available evidence suggests that the conservation status of many CMS-listed species is deteriorating. One in five CMS species are threatened with extinction and a substantial proportion (44%) are undergoing population declines. When considering the Appendices separately, 82% of Appendix I species are threatened with extinction and 76% have a declining population trend. Meanwhile, 18% of Appendix II species are globally threatened, with almost half (42%) showing decreasing population trends. The current situation and trajectory of CMS-listed fish is of particular concern, with nearly all (97%) of CMS-listed fish threatened with extinction. Indeed, on average, there has been a steep decline in the relative abundance of monitored fish populations over the last 50 years.