A new interim State of the World’s Migratory Species report (2026) indicates a sharp decline in migratory birds (CMS-listed populations) from 44 to 49 per cent.
About 24% of species now face extinction.
The report was tabled at the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) also known as COP15, of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), which is well underway, in the Brazilian city of Campo Grande.
The meeting is expected to continue until the 29 March 2026.
The venue is in the Brazilian Pantanal, home to the world’s largest tropical wetland area and flooded grasslands.
The Pantanal is shared among three Latin American countries -Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay.
The South African delegation include representation from Willie Aucamp, Minister of the Department of Forrestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), Flora Mokgohloa, the Deputy Director-General (DDG).
Mumba Musondam, the Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands, delivered a keynote address at the High-Level segment on the eve of the official opening of the COP.
In her address, she highlighted the role of wetlands in ecological connectivity, and reinforcing their central role in global biodiversity, climate and sustainability agendas.
Various research and tertiary institutions from South Africa, are also part of the meeting, including Chief Scientist at the University of Pretoria -Dr Els Vermeulen, who is participating at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Campo Grande.
Picture: SA delegation at COP15