fishing and world-wide tourism suchaswhale andbird watching. with theirdroppings andhelpplants germinate, andtheirmovement loosens which fragment habitats andalter migration patterns. To cross expanding sustain multi-billion dollar economic activities such as large-scale commercial suchaslarge-scale sustain multi-billiondollareconomic activities search offood, shelter andsafe places to breed, asfertilizers, pollinators theyact Habitats underthreat Prolonged drought isa leadingtokey threat desertification species to dryland advances, speciesare migratory vanishing. ensures involvement theactive activities ofcommunities onthe onehandand theyprovide.and hamperstheecosystem services thesoil Animals fertilize and seeddistributors. They provide food for otheranimals, andsomeare useful theyareand theyface someofthehighestratesBecause integral ofextinction. the sustainable use of natural resources on the other. However as desertification the soil to increase vegetation productivity. They consume biomass and so to multipleecosystems, aseffective indicators speciesserve of migratory Migratory speciesmakeMigratory many contributions to ecosystem structure andfunction. therefore especiallyvulnerable to landdegradation andclimate change, On land,On by moving between areas theyinhabitat different timesofthe year in environmental changes. Over ten thousandspeciesnumberingmillionsofanimalsmigrate year, every deserts, migratory birds migratory deserts, must embark on increasingly long non-stop Migratory animalsdepend onseveralMigratory habitats alongtheirjourneyandare people move into alternative livelihoods suchasranger, farmingortourism contributepurposes, alleviation. efforts whileconservation Helping to poverty reduce fireloads. Many ruralrely ontheannual communities inthedrylands predators (e.g. by consuming species agricultural pestslikeMigratory insects). influx wildlife of migratory for basic subsistence, and recreational and spiritual desertification speciesand Migratory Hoare B. (2009)Animal Migration. Journeysinthewild. Remarkable animals are onthemove At any moment somewhere intheworld millionsofmigratory worldwide. theirdiverse But habitats are threatened by landdegradation anddesertification. snakes . Whether theirjourneycrosses thousandsofkilometers, orjust afew, speciesplay migratory essential roles inecosystems speciescomeMigratory inallshapesandsizes, from andbirds tiny to insects large buffaloandelephants, to sharksanddolphinsor The drylands offer important refuge offerfor many important species. migratory OftenThe vast drylands species flights. The limited energy stores birds are able to accumulate might not Combating andsaving migratory desertification species aswell aspeople, andeachishostto biodiversity. Inregions provided areservices by surrounding oftenAreas undervalued. drylands like adjusttospecies can cope to someextent. For instance inCentral Asia, For wildanimals, migratory ecological networkshabitat ofcritical sites are animals, forcing themto compete for fewer resources. Lower rainfall, Kulan andArgali Mountain Sheep. Globally, populations ofmany migrating the Saiga Antelopethe Saiga endure can severe temperature fluctuations ranging dryland regions are productivedryland onlybiologically duringthewet season. desertification. can endangerentireThis inturn migrations, many because forests andwoodlanddryland patches provide seasonalrefuge for migratory higher temperatures exacerbates andunsustainableirrigation further grounds, preventing the recovery populations, of Saiga Mongolian Gazelles, overgrazing by livestock, andfences that deny access feeding to important ungulatesMigratory inCentral face Asia many threats, suchasover-hunting, have fallenby 35-90percent over thepastdecade. urgently strategies, Connectivity neededfor theirsurvival. wildlife corridors, protected areas andbuffer zones, all contribute to ecological networks.Other mammals includingelephants, wildebeest, rhinos, guanacos andantelopes resources, valuable stops for migrating species. However theecosystem between -50to +50°Candcover several hundred kilometres inasingleday. be enoughfor themto accomplish theselongjourneys. migratory Some like has theSahel,reduced desertification habitat ranges for migrating landscapes, theyare interspersed withwetlands, oases, andotherwater UNCCD thematic fact sheetseries No. 6

Saker Falcon © Tony Hisgett United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

efforts, such as research and conservation projects, ranging from population At the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de counts and identification of migration routes, to the improvement of habitats Janeiro in 2012, the international community recognized the economic and and the reduction of threats, protect migratory species. Also, assessing the social significance of good land management and agreed to “strive to achieve impacts of infrastructure projects on migratory species before their construction a land-degradation neutral world in the context of sustainable development.” can result in changes to mitigate or avoid their negative effects. Setting an ambitious global target on land use will strengthen ecosystems, and also help protect migratory species. The destructive forces of desertification, climate change and biodiversity loss reinforce each other, but they can be reversed with targeted action. Sustainable land management can improve people’s lives while restoring biodiversity and The role of the UNCCD and the CMS maintaining safe havens for migrating species. The Badia herders of the Syrian The habitats of a significant number of migratory species listed as endangered by steppe, for example, are rehabilitating vegetation in nearly three million hectares the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) are found in drylands. The successful of rangelands. They control animal grazing, taking seasonal conditions into implementation of regional, sub-regional and national plans and programmes account, and have reported up to a tenfold increase in the average productivity to combat land degradation are essential for the survival of these species. The of the land. This has also led to the return of birds, insects and other wildlife. 195 Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Maintaining the functionality and sustainability of dryland systems requires are furthering their efforts to maintain and restore the land’s productivity, and sustainable land management over large areas. Through seasonal migrations, mitigate the effects of drought, which greatly contribute to the protection of people, livestock and wildlife have influenced the structure, composition, migratory wildlife. Also, the Parties of CMS are making efforts to adopt strict distribution and dynamics of natural habitats in large territories, and contributed protection measures to conserve the populations and habitats of migratory to the creation of unique landscapes. Since ancient times, herders in dryland species, and cooperate with neighboring countries to protect the cross-border regions have developed mechanisms of mutual aid and collective management ranges of these species. Everyone can play their part in working towards the of natural resources. Land is often used communally, with community-wide conservation of migratory wildlife and to improve the conditions of ecosyetems access to grazing, water for agriculture, and harvesting in grasslands and forests. affected by land degradation. These communal arrangements are central to sustaining ecosystem services, enabling sustainable livelihoods in the drylands and, ultimately, conserving biodiversity.

The map below shows the vast extent of some animals’ ranges which can cross numerous countries:

They run... Selected migratory ranges for ungulates

Migratory ranges Chiru Saiga antelope Mongolian gazelle Bactrian camel Caribou and reindeer Bison, pronghorn, elk Guanaco and Huemul Wildebeest, zebra, eland Kob antelope Source: UNEP/CMS; Harris, G., et al., Aggregated migrations of terrestrial Dorcas gazelle and other mammals, Endangered Species Sahelo-Saharan antelopes Research, vol 7, 2009.

Riccardo Pravettoni, UNEP/GRID-Arendal

This fact sheet was prepared in cooperation with the Convention on Migratory Species

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