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Disaggregation of Bird Families Listed on Cms Appendix Ii

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Disaggregation of Bird Families Listed on Cms Appendix Ii Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals 2nd Meeting of the Sessional Committee of the CMS Scientific Council (ScC-SC2) Bonn, Germany, 10 – 14 July 2017 UNEP/CMS/ScC-SC2/Inf.3 DISAGGREGATION OF BIRD FAMILIES LISTED ON CMS APPENDIX II (Prepared by the Appointed Councillors for Birds) Summary: The first meeting of the Sessional Committee of the Scientific Council identified the adoption of a new standard reference for avian taxonomy as an opportunity to disaggregate the higher-level taxa listed on Appendix II and to identify those that are considered to be migratory species and that have an unfavourable conservation status. The current paper presents an initial analysis of the higher-level disaggregation using the Handbook of the Birds of the World/BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World Volumes 1 and 2 taxonomy, and identifies the challenges in completing the analysis to identify all of the migratory species and the corresponding Range States. The document has been prepared by the COP Appointed Scientific Councilors for Birds. This is a supplementary paper to COP document UNEP/CMS/COP12/Doc.25.3 on Taxonomy and Nomenclature UNEP/CMS/ScC-Sc2/Inf.3 DISAGGREGATION OF BIRD FAMILIES LISTED ON CMS APPENDIX II 1. Through Resolution 11.19, the Conference of Parties adopted as the standard reference for bird taxonomy and nomenclature for Non-Passerine species the Handbook of the Birds of the World/BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World, Volume 1: Non-Passerines, by Josep del Hoyo and Nigel J. Collar (2014); 2. Resolution 11.19 requested the Scientific Council to consider the implications of adopting as a standard reference for passerine birds the Handbook of the Birds of the World/BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World, Volume 2: Passerines, which was published in late 2016; 3. The CMS Secretariat has undertaken an analysis of the implications of adopting the new taxonomic reference for passerine birds listed on the CMS Appendices, with the implications of adopting this reference for Appendix I passerines and Appendix II passerines presented in Annexes 1 and 2 respectively of UNEP/CMS/COP12/Doc.25.3. 4. CMS Appendix II lists migratory species which have an unfavourable conservation status and which require international agreements for their conservation and management, as well as those which have a conservation status which would significantly benefit from the international cooperation that could be achieved by an international agreement. At present, Appendix II includes a number of avian taxa (9 families and 2 genera) above the level of species, whereby it is understood that all the migratory species within that taxon could significantly benefit from the conclusion of agreements; 5. Parties that are Range States of migratory species listed in Appendix II are expected to endeavour to conclude agreements that benefit these species and should give priority to those species with an unfavourable conservation status. For Range States to conclude such agreements, they need clarity regarding the species listed on Appendix II; 6. Subsequent to the higher-level taxa being listed on Appendix II, there have been significant changes in taxonomy and nomenclature at the levels of orders, families, genera and species compared to the standard reference sources used at the time1; 7. Furthermore, the Guidelines for Assessment of Appendix I and II Listing Proposals (Annex to Resolution 11.33) consider that proposals for the inclusion of taxa above the species level should not normally be accepted unless all of the species within that taxon meet the requirements of the Convention. Additionally, the guidelines call for all the individual species within the higher taxon to be listed in the Appendices of the Convention rather than the higher taxon. 8. The first meeting of the Sessional Committee of the CMS Scientific Council identified the adoption of a new standard reference for avian taxonomy as an opportunity to disaggregate the higher-level taxa listed on Appendix II and to identify those that are considered to be migratory species and that have an unfavourable conservation status. 9. The current paper presents an initial analysis of the higher-level disaggregation using the Handbook of the Birds of the World/BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds 1 For taxonomy and nomenclature at the level of orders and families: Morony, J.J., Bock, W.J. and Farrand, J. (1975). Reference List of the Birds of the World. Department of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History, New York. For taxonomy and nomenclature at the level of genera and species: Sibley, C.G. and Monroe, B.L. (1990). Distribution and taxonomy of birds of the world. Yale University Press, New Haven. Sibley, C.G. and Monroe, B.L. (1993). A supplement to distribution and taxonomy of birds of the world. Yale University Press, New Haven. 2 UNEP/CMS/ScC-Sc2/Inf.3 of the World Volumes 1 and 2 taxonomy, and identifies the challenges in completing the analysis to identify all of the migratory species and the corresponding Range States. 10. Migratory species status was provisionally assigned to each species following the BirdLife International/IUCN Species Information Service listings2. However, this listing follows a strictly biological definition of migration, irrespective of whether a species crosses national jurisdictional boundaries. Furthermore, the listing does not distinguish between full migrants and partial migrants (those species for which only a geographically separate part of the overall population is migratory; or a significant proportion but not the whole population is migratory). 11. The preliminary results are presented in Table 1 and can be summarized as follows: The eight families of Non-Passerines listed on Appendix II are now recognized in 11 families, while the species in the 1 family of Passerines (Muscicapidae) on Appendix II are now recognized in 50 families. Of the 11 families of Non-Passerines, there are 71 migratory species of conservation concern (in 8 families). Of the 50 families of Passerines, there are 37 migratory species of conservation concern (in 10 families). 12. Two genera of Gruidae (Antigone and Grus) are listed on Appendix II, and while the 4 species of Antigone remain the same (3 of which are migratory), 4 species formerly recognized in Grus are now recognized in different genera (2 of which are migratory) while 5 remain as Grus (all 5 of which are migratory). 13. A full listing of the migratory species per family is provided in Annex I. 14. Significant additional work remains to: i. Differentiate between full and partial migrant species (and the geographic range of partial migrant populations). ii. Identify those species / populations that fulfill the CMS definition of migration (“the entire population or any geographically separate part of the population of any species or lower taxon of wild animals, a significant proportion of whose members cyclically and predictably cross one or more national jurisdictional boundaries”). iii. To harmonise the definitions with biogeographic populations for waterbird species as adopted by the Ramsar Convention based on Waterbird Population Estimates (Wetlands International 20123) and being used for identification of 1% thresholds of populations for designation of sites of international importance under the CMS West/Central Asian Flyway Site Network, the East Asian – Australasian Flyway Site Network, the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network and the Ramsar Convention. 2 The BirdLife/IUCN SIS definition of migrants is as follows: Nomadic -- The species moves in response to resources that are sporadic and unpredictable in distribution and timing. Nomadic species may congregate, but not predictably in terms of location and timing. This excludes “environmental response migrants” i.e. species that are largely resident but move opportunistically in response to irregular environmental conditions such as rainfall, fire, locust eruptions, etc. Migratory -- A substantial proportion of the global or regional population makes regular or seasonal cyclical movements beyond the breeding range, with predictable timing and destinations. This includes species that may be migratory only in part of their range or part of their population, short-distance migrants and migrants that occasionally may respond to unusual conditions in a semi-nomadic way. Seabirds which disperse widely as immatures and non-breeders are not classified as migratory unless adults of the species make regular cyclical movements. Excluded are “rains migrants/arid migrants” i.e. species which move with unpredictable timing and destination in response to irregular rainfall patterns, “nutrition migrants/post-roost dispersers” i.e. species that disperse daily from roosts to forage, “post-breeding dispersers” which may not make cyclical movements i.e. dispersers that may not return to the same breeding area, and “environmental response migrants” i.e. species that move opportunistically in response to irregular environmental conditions such as rainfall, fire, locust eruptions, etc. Altitudinal migrant -- Regularly/seasonally makes cyclical movements to higher/ lower elevations with predictable timing and destinations. 3 Wetlands International 2012. Waterbird Population Estimates. Fifth Edition. www.wpe.wetlands.org 3 UNEP/CMS/ScC-Sc2/Inf.3 Once this has been completed, the Scientific Council will be able to provide a complete listing
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