Number of contracting parties to the major multi-national environmental agreements

Data from websites of the Conventions

There are more than 500 international treaties that concern the environment (http://www.ecolex.org). The big five, in terms of global reach and core importance to birds and biodiversity conservation, are:

• the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
• the World Heritage Convention (WHC)
• the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and its agreements: Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) and African–Eurasian Waterfowl Agreement (AEWA) 
• the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and
• the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention).

In addition, there are three other international treaties that are crucial in managing and reducing humanity’s impact on the planet’s biosphere:

• the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol
• the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and
• the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The three ‘Rio conventions’ (CBD, UNFCCC and UNCCD) rapidly achieved almost universal acceptance, while the other conventions have large gaps in their geographical coverage (see figure). Although the ratification rate of the CMS has accelerated in recent years, a stronger commitment to the conservation of migratory birds and other animals is needed, particularly in the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific. The Convention on Wetlands needs more contracting parties in the Americas, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. A number of countries in Asia and the Middle East, where significant international commercial trade in wild birds occurs, have yet to join CITES.