Bonn Convention

The objective of the Bonn Convention is the protection and conservation of migratory animal species, which frequently migrate across political borders, on an international Level.

Since 2005 Austria has been a member to the Bonn Convention, in full “Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals” (CMS), with its headquarters in Bonn (Bonn Convention). Presently the Convention has 116 parties all over the world.

The Convention aims at establishing, on an international level, coordinated conservation measures for migratory animals, of which there exist an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 species on earth. In the course of their regular migration these species use various countries, continents, habitats and climate zones for different phases of their life. One generally known example is the annual migration of birds to regions of southern latitudes to bridge the food shortage during winter. But also bats, whales and dolphins, sea turtles, fish, and insects are migratory animal species. Trans-frontier protection is therefore vital for these species.