Migratory Species Protection Expanded as Nearly Half of Protected Species Decline

At CMS COP15 in Brazil, 132 nations agreed to extend safeguards to 40 additional migratory species including cheetahs, giant otters, snowy owls, hammerhead sharks, and thresher sharks, with many added to Appendix I requiring strict protection measures.

Nearly half of already-protected migratory species continue to decline, and 24% face extinction risk—the expanded protections address this urgent need but don't reverse existing population losses.