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CONVENTION ON Distr: General
MIGRATORY UNEP/CMS/Conf.9.18/Rev.1
SPECIES 22 September 2008

Original: English
NINTH MEETING OF THE
CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES

Rome, 1-5 December 2008
Agenda Item 14.0

PROGRESS REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CMS
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT PLAN (IMP)

(Prepared by the CMS Secretariat with support of UNEP-WCMC)

Introduction

1. Effective and efficient conservation action requires sound information on which to
base planning and decision-making. Recognising this, Resolution 6.5 of the sixth meeting of
the Conference of the Parties set out an Information Management Plan and determined the
priority actions to be implemented in the short, medium and long-term.

2. The availability of strategically relevant information continues to be a key challenge,
with which CMS has constantly been confronted throughout its existence. This is reflected
in the first of the four objectives of the Strategic Plan of the Convention for 2006-2011, “to
ensure that the conservation and management of migratory species is based on the best
available information”.

3, In this context, national reports produced by Parties to the Convention continue to be
the best available means to assess implementation of the Convention, and to guide priorities
for future action. As such, access to information used to prepare them, and the management
and effective use of those reports remain an important focus of the information management
activities of the Convention.

4. The objectives of the Information Management Plan continue to be as relevant
today, as when they were initially set out, nearly a decade ago. These include:

a) reviewing of information needs and initiating of actions to ensure improved future
access to information;

b) developing of information management tools to support the activities of the
Convention and Agreement Secretariats;

c) ensuring consistency and best practice in the compilation of information;

d) increasing access to information on migratory species already being collected by
secretariats and Parties; and

e) an increased use of the internet in delivering information services.

For reasons of economy, documents are printed in a limited number, and will not be distributed at the meeting.

Delegates are kindly requested to bring their copy to the meeting and not to request additional copies.

SD: Much progress has been made to date in the implementation of many of the priority
actions identified in Resolution Conf. 6.5. The CMS Information Management System
(IMS) emerged in the initial stage of IMP. IMS, available online through the website of the
Secretariat, brings together the information provided by the Parties to CMS through their
National Reports, the knowledge generated within CMS and other biodiversity agreements,
the electronic library, and the data from various expert organizations. This is demonstrated in
Annex 1: Schematic illustration of the CMS Information Management System (CMS IMS).

6. Further amendments to Resolution 6.5, as well as a summary of the progress
achieved in developing the IMP, were identified in Resolution 7.8. A key addition to the
Plan was the connection of the Global Register of Migratory Species (GROMS') to the
Convention. With regard to information access, a further aim was to populate the electronic
library, providing access to documents of relevance to the Convention that could be directly
accessible through the internet. In addition, the format of the National Reports changed on a
trial basis for COP7; the 26" meeting of the Standing Committee confirmed the adoption of
the new format.

Is Resolution 8.10 established additional priority actions to be carried out to improve
the implementation of the CMS IMP. A synoptic table of progress made on each priority
action is provided in Annex 2.

Reporting process

8. The conversion to an electronic format led to an improved reporting process. It
facilitated the provision of information updates as well as the analysis, accessibility and
exchange of the data in a clear and standardised manner. A further step towards improved
data management would be the launch of SONAR, which would not only provide easy
access through an online system but also strive towards harmonisation with other
biodiversity-related MEAs. Paper Conf 9.20 deals with the reporting by Parties in more
detail, while Conf. 9.33 includes a budget option for SONAR in 2009-2011.

Harmonization of national reporting

9. The UNEP-funded Knowledge Management project analysed the approach to
reporting that the human rights treaty system has been using. These treaties require Parties to
submit a core report of relevance to all the treaties, supplemented by smaller treaty-specific
reports. A framework for a joint core report for CMS, CBD, CITES, the Ramsar Convention,
AEWA and IOSEA was produced and presented to the Knowledge Management workshop in
March 2008. The document is available at the WCMS website at the following address
< http://www.unep-wemc.org/ conventions/ harmonization/projects.htm >.

10. Another outcome of the Knowledge Management project is a study on joint reporting
for CMS, AEWA and IOSEA (see the same web link as above). The report developed a
skeleton framework which would allow for national reporting by member Parties of any or all

' GROMS is an information system designed to satisfy the needs of CMS and its related Agreements concerning the

scientific information on migratory species and their populations. Originally based on an initiative by the CMS
Secretariat, it was launched in 1998 with financial support from the German Ministry of the Environment through the
Federal Agency of Nature Conservation. The rationale behind GROMS is mainly based on the fact that although many
databases include migratory species, scientific information on details about their migration behaviour, routes and seasonal
distribution was scattered. Therefore, summarising knowledge about migratory species within one information system
was among the main objectives of the GROMS information system, which should serve as a tool for fact finding and
decision making by CMS and its related Agreements.

of the three treaties. It is also structured in a way as to allow for expansion to include other
Agreements and MoUs under CMS, thus assisting the implementation of SONAR 2010 for
CMS and its Agreements and MoUs. The March 2008 Knowledge Management workshop
concluded therefore that joint and harmonized reporting is possible for CMS including of all
Agreements and MoUs.

11. | As mentioned above and further described in Annex 3, various opportunities have
been seized by the CMS Secretariat to implement some of the IMP priority actions in
conjunction with other multilateral treaties, therefore saving on resources and facilitating
the development of a more harmonised inter-organisational approach to information
management.

The Harmonisation Process of CMS with Other MEAs

12. The IMS is not yet a comprehensive system. The implementation of linking data
related directly or efficiently to knowledge and information generated within CMS with
other sources has not been established and should be a priority in the next triennium. The
sources comprise other information services (including GROMS), information from
technical experts and publications, or from other MEAs and international initiatives such as
the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) or the Encyclopaedia of Life (EOL)
and even the various CMS-related information resources available at UNEP-WCMC. IMS
provides a framework to enable information exchange and harmonisation with related
MEAs. However a proper integration of the available information into IMS - a gradual and
continuous process - is yet to take place.

13. | Agreements within the CMS Family have also taken significant steps in the strategic
management of information, and have developed, or supported the development of, related
tools to facilitate decision-making and support on-the-ground management throughout the
distribution range of species included in the Appendices of the Convention.

Objectives

14. Various other actions identified as priority by the CMS Information Management
Plan are yet to be implemented. Lack of implementation of some of those actions means that,
while the infrastructure is already in place, much of the information available to the CMS
Family remains fragmented and dispersed.

15. Implementation of remaining activities in the CMS Information Management Plan
would thus:
a) provide the basis for a continuous review of the Appendices (including information

tools for knowledge management by national focal points and the Scientific Council,
as well as information on CMS-relevant projects);

b) provide the means to monitor the effectiveness of the Convention and its contribution
to global processes, such as attainment of the WSSD target to reduce biodiversity loss
significantly by 2010;

c) enable the effective management and interlinking of information systems and

reporting within the CMS Family and with other biodiversity MEAs relevant to CMS
(in particular CBD, Ramsar and CITES); and

d) provide the information base for the implementation and assessment of the CMS
Strategic Plan 2006-2011, and for the identification of priority areas for the
Convention beyond 2011.

Action requested:

The Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of
Wild Animals is invited to:

a)

b)

c)

d)

e)

g)

h)

Note the progress made in the implementation of the CMS Information Management
Plan.

Acknowledge the primary role of IMP/IMS in Party report management.

Recognize that IMP/IMS work should in future be led by a strengthened Science, Data
and Marine Unit, part of a wider remit for scientific and conservation data
management and supported by other units, e.g. on website management and liaison
with other bodies.

Review the implementation of the Information Management Plan, in order to indicate
the priorities for further implementation during the forthcoming triennium, part of
which are new activities not necessarily included in the original Plan.

Request the Secretariat to continue to make progress in the implementation of the Plan
and related initiatives to facilitate the implementation of activities identified in
Objective 1 of the Convention’s Strategic Plan for 2006 - 2011.

Recommend Parties to migratory species treaties to encourage Secretariats of
multilateral agreements concerned with the protection of migratory species to pursue,
together with the CMS Secretariats, a common future report format, and a common
future online reporting system.

Further request the Secretariat to establish ways to incorporate GROMS into broader
databases in order to make use of its full potential for the CMS IMS and other
Conventions.

Recommend the continued implementation of the Knowledge Management project
particularly with regards to the development and interconnection of online reporting
facilities for the CMS family.

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Annex 3: Information synergies with biodiversity-related agreements

I. Background

IF Resolution 8.11 on ‘Cooperation with Other Conventions’ reiterated the importance and the need for enhanced
collaboration among biodiversity-related conventions to coordinate action towards the achievement of the goal of
significantly reducing biodiversity loss by 2010; and recalled target 4.3 of the CMS Strategic Plan 2006-2011 calling
for cooperative activities in pursuit of shared targets with relevant multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and
increased partners, and its operational principle (2) on close cooperation with relevant MEAs and key partners and
capturing synergies in pursuit of shared targets.

2: Resolution 8.11 also encouraged the Executive Secretary to continue to take an active part and role in the
activities of the Biodiversity Liaison Group (BLG) established under the aegis of the CBD; invited the Executive
Secretary, in collaboration with the BLG and UNEP, to advance work on the development and implementation of issue-
based modules for the coherent implementation of the biodiversity conventions; invited the Executive Secretary, in
collaboration with the BLG and UNEP, to advance the harmonization of reporting both within the UNEP-CMS ‘family’
of Agreements and between relevant conventions; and invited the Executive Secretary to assist with the establishment
of the Global Partnership for Biodiversity, where CMS will be a core member, to promote the objectives of the
Convention and contribute to the achievement of the 2010 target.

II. Collaboration with other multilateral environmental agreements

Sh The Biodiversity Liaison Group (BLG) consists of the heads of the secretariats of the six biodiversity-related
conventions (Convention on Biological Diversity, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora, Convention on Migratory Species, International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and World Heritage Convention). Since the 8" meeting of the
Conference of the Parties, the BLG met twice. The fifth meeting of the BLG was held in September 2006 in Gland,
Switzerland, and the sixth meeting in May 2008 in Bonn, Germany. The reports are available at
http://www.cbd.int/cooperation/BLG-S-rep-final-en.doc and http://www.cbd.int/cooperation/BLG-6-rep-final-en.doc,
respectively. The CMS Secretariat participated in both meetings and hosted the sixth meeting. Both meetings addressed
a range of issues of relevance to the CMS, including the 2010 biodiversity target and indicators for measuring its
achievement, sustainable use of biodiversity, protected areas, cooperation among scientific bodies and development of
scientific advice, knowledge management for MEAs, capacity development and technical support for achieving the
2010 target, harmonization of nomenclature and taxonomy, review of the effectiveness of the BLG, preparation of the
third edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook, the 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership, and celebration of the
International Year of Biodiversity 2010.

4. Since the last Conference of the Parties, the Secretariat actively participated in the following meetings of the
other biodiversity-related conventions: eighth and ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD, fourteenth
meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES, (30%, 31% and 32" session of the World Heritage Committee]. It
also participated in the eighth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification (UNCCD), and the 12" session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

III. Knowledge management for biodiversity-related agreements

5. The Secretariat participated in a UNEP-funded project on knowledge management, implemented by UNEP
Division of Environmental Law and Conventions (UNEP DELC) and UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre
(UNEP-WCMC), in collaboration with the secretariats of CMS, CBD, CITES, Ramsar Convention, AEWA and
IOSEA. This project created an internet portal allowing access to key information from those agreements, including the
articles of the agreements; resolutions and decisions of their governing bodies; strategic planning documents; lists of
Parties; and national focal point information. The portal is available at www.inforMEA.org. A workshop with the
participating secretariats, including CMS, AEWA and IOSEA, was held in March 2008 in Cambridge, UK, and
concluded that the portal should be further developed as a tool for interoperable information management for the
biodiversity-related conventions and agreements.

6. Under the same Knowledge Management project, UNEP worked with the secretariats of conventions and
agreements to develop an online reporting tool, including for CMS and AEWA. The tool includes not only the option

for Parties to produce their national report online but also a generator that allows for easy creation of other online
reporting tools or questionnaires for any convention and agreement. It was made available to the CMS and AEWA
Secretariats and presented at the above-mentioned knowledge management workshop, which concluded that in a
follow-up project it should be further developed to allow for easy analysis and synthesis of the reported information.
The workshop included a training session for technical officers of secretariats in the use of the online reporting
generator.

7. As a member of the Steering Committee of the UNEP/IUCN [makes it sound like IUCN ispart of UNEP]
Tematea - Issue-based Modules for Coherent Implementation of Biodiversity-related Conventions, the Secretariat has
been actively involved with the development of the modules. These are web-based tools that provide a logical, issue-
based framework of commitments and obligations from regional and global biodiversity-related agreements. They are
based on existing articles, decisions, recommendations and resolutions from different agreements on issues that are a
priority for biodiversity. The following six issues are currently covered: Access and benefit-sharing, biodiversity and
climate change, inland waters, invasive alien species, protected areas, and sustainable use. The modules are available at

www.tematea.org.

8. The use of the Issue-based Modules is further supported at the country level to promote national cooperation
and communication across sectors and conventions. This builds capacity among national governmental and non-
governmental experts to evaluate and improve their existing national implementation of biodiversity-related
commitments in a coherent way.

IV. Harmonization of national reporting

©), The Knowledge Management project suggested two joint reporting frameworks on thematic issues: inland
waters for CBD and Ramsar Convention, and drylands for CBD and UNCCD (see _http://www.unep-
weme.org/conventions/harmonization/projects.htm. Although not directly relevant for CMS, these studies demonstrate
another possible way forward for harmonizing reporting between biodiversity-related conventions, through choosing
themes within the remit of two or more agreements on which Parties would report once, covering the information needs
of all agreements involved. The Knowledge Management workshop in March 2008 asked for the exploration of further
opportunities for recommending clustering of reporting questions along the lines of such modular frameworks.

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