Efficiency analysis of transboundary conservation

strategies for migratory species.

Klaus Riede Zoologisches Forschungsinstitut &

Museum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK)

Adenauerallee 150-164

53113 Bonn, Germany

Millions of Animals on the Move!

• 5 billion passerine birds migrate to wintering grounds in tropical Africa

• Marine mammals (whales, dolphins, seals) migrate to marine zones of high productivity for feeding

• nearly 2,000 fish species migrate within oceans or between fresh- and saltwater (oceanodromous or diadromous)

• the Monarch butterfly is a famous insect migrant

Definitions:

• Migration: “the act of moving from one spatial unit to another“ (Baker 1978, p. 23)

• Political definition: 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“ (CMS 1979, Article 1)

• ‘true migration’ : “seasonal movement with return to starting point – the traveller needs a return ticket”(Dingle 1996)

• GROMS: true migration > 100 km (excl. local migrants)

CMS

Global Register of Migratory Species

Geo-database for Migratory Species:

• 4,344 vertebrate species • 5,600 references• 1,300 GIS maps

83 whales and dolphins 39 seals and sirenia

131 bats

45 terrestrial mammals298

migratory mammals

2,203 migratory birds

Travellers without Passport

10 reptiles (incl 7 sea turtles)

Chelonia mydasGreen Sea Turtle

1,926 migratory fishes 1,795 Actinopterygii 93 Elasmobranchii

Ganges shark Glyphis gangeticus

19 Petromyzontidae

Geo-Database on CD-ROM

http://www.groms.de

Ciconia ciconia - White storkSatellite telemetry data 1991-2003

Migratory species - connecting ecosystems and disciplines

• Elevated diversity of migrants in temperate zones

• Migrants will be lost if conservation is limited to Hot Spots

GIS-Analysis: Global Distribution of Migrants

Number of migratory species in several (890)

ecoregions of the world

Total: 846 migratory species

Multilateral Agreements affecting Migrants

• Benelux Convention on the Hunting and Protection of Birds. Brussels, 1970

• Agreement for the Establishment of a Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in North-West Africa. Rome, 1970

• Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat. Ramsar (Iran), 1970

• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Washington, 1973 (CITES)

•Agreement on Conservation of Polar Bears. Oslo, 1973

•Convention on Conservation of Nature in the South Pacific. Apia, 1976

•Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. Bonn, 1979 (CMS)

Multilateral Agreements especially for Migrants

• bi- and trilateral agreements such as Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 (USA, Canada); inclCanada / Mexico / United States Trilateral Committee• China and Australia Migratory Birds Agreement (CAMBA) and the Japan and Australia Migratory Birds Agreement (JAMBA)

•Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. Bonn, 1979 (CMS)

ASCOBANS, EUROBATS, WADDENSEA Seals+ 7 MoU (eg Great Bustard, African Turtles)

How do we measure efficiency of species conservation?

Catch data: Hunting, Whaling and Fishery

http://www.erin.utoronto.ca/~w3env100y/env/ENV100/hum/cod.htm

From: The Collapse of the Canadian Cod Fishery , WebCT Courses at University of Toronto

Canadian Cod (Gadus morhua, North Atlantic pop)s FisheryRed List: VU; CMS: NL

Measuring Efficiency using Red List Data• Global data (population totals per subspecies (mammals) or species (birds):

International Red List: http://www.redlist.org

•Extinct migrants: total of 8 spp

Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius),

digitised by GROMS, after Grzimek B (1980) From: Natureworks: Extinct North American Species http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/nwep16a.htm

International Red List CriteriaEX

EWCRENVU

DD

NE

threatened

Red-Listed Migrants: Summary

Latein Englisch CMS RL2K

N 2K N 2005

Balaena mysticetus Bowhead whale App I CR 54 1 LR, 1 EN (44 CR)Camelus bactrianus Bactrian camel App I EN 100 2 CR, 1 VU (90 EN)Vanellus gregarius Sociable plover App I & II VU 221 2 CR, 2 DD, 12 ENSaiga tatarica Saiga App II pop LR 166 1 CR, 2 EN, 7 VU (56 LR)Cervus elaphus Barbary stag App I pop DD 96 (93 DD)

Examples: Critically Endangered in 2005

Year 2000: 647 Red Listed 2000Year 2005: 683 Red Listed (at least), but 114 require case-by-case comparisons(taxonomic inconsistencies, assessment of subspecies)

Migratory Catfish (Pangasiidae) in the Mekong River

CMS: App. ICITES: IRed List: CR

Pangasius gigas (Pangasianodon gigas)

Courtesy: Zeb Hogan

Exploitation of formerly abundant migratory species:

Tragedy of the Commons

Courtesy: Zeb Hogan

Thanks to: ...all members of the GROMS Team, particularly

Eva Gerstner (GIS and Programming)

Birgit Gerkmann (White Stork satellite data)

Bedru Sherefa-Muzein (Data Entry)

Houssein Yamout (GIS consultancy)

all picture providers (as mentioned)

DIVERSITAS (Travel Grant to Klaus Riede)

The GROMS is hosted by the Museum Koenig, under the auspices of the CMS Secretariat, and with funds from the German Ministry of the Environment