Transboundary implementation is integral to the CMS Family instruments due to the migratory nature of the species that they cover. Effective implementation, therefore, must result from cooperation and coordination between multiple nations that are relevant to a specific migratory species. Through liaising and communication, NFPs are important actors in promoting transnational cooperation. Several cooperative programmes have been developed for the management of shared resources of migratory species or the conservation of individual species.

Sub-regional consultation processes are extremely helpful to enhance the exchange of information between different stakeholders that would otherwise not interact with one another.

Other MEAs provide useful examples of sub-regional cooperation. For instance, the Ramsar and the World Heritage Conventions encourage their Member States to designate specific sites through which individuals, communities, and nations work to protect habitats. For the CMS Family, identifying migratory corridors across countries needs strong cooperation. The objective would be to link protected area networks potentially beyond national jurisdiction and across international boundaries through the establishment of migratory corridors.* Transboundary collaboration is again a key tool to support the aims of the CMS Family instruments. At the same time the establishment of migratory corridors could help raise public and governmental awareness as is the case with the Ramsar Convention does when a site is designated.

 

*See e.g. the decision VII/28, annex, activity 1.3.7 of the programme of work on protected areas under the CBD.