OTHER important International agreements

  • The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (also known as CMS) aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range.
  • Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (the Bonn Convention) aims to ensure the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats by means of cooperation between member States.
  • The World Heritage Convention links together in a single document the concepts of nature conservation and the preservation of cultural properties. The Convention recognizes the fundamental need to preserve the balance between people and nature.
  • The 1992 OSPAR Convention is the current instrument guiding international cooperation on the protection of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic. It combined and up-dated the 1972 Oslo Convention on dumping waste at sea and the 1974 Paris Convention on land-based sources of marine pollution.
  • The Convention on Wetlands – the Ramsar Convention www.ramsar.org is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
  • May 22nd is the International day of International Biodiversity. Each year a biodiversity theme is selected for special celebration. Water and Biodiversity was the theme in 2012, and Islands and Biodiversity will be the theme in 2014.