Living Planet: Connected Planet

The loss of a single critical migration corridor or passage point may jeopardize the entire migrating population

subsequent impacts on the entire ecosystem network, including on other grazing animals, big cats and the vegetation upon which they all depend. Similar major infrastructure projects include the Qinghai-Tibetan railway, the Golmud-Lhasa highway, and the Ulaanbaatar-Beijing railroad and veterinary fences in Southern and Eastern Africa blocking migrations of wildebeest and zebras. Just as important are the numerous smaller piecemeal develop- ments encroaching onmany of the seasonal habitats of ungulates worldwide, from the Arctic to the tropics. These include the ex- pansion of livestock in Argentina-Chile impacting the guanacos and vicunãs, to numerous livestock, cropland and infrastructure projects in the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia and Australasia. The vast expanding networks of pipelines, wind farms, power lines, roads and dams are blocking migrations and restricting movements of free-ranging wildlife in every corner of the planet. In the oceans, accidental capture and entanglement in fish- ing gear threatens numerous migratory marine mammals, turtles, sharks and seabirds around the world. Marine mam- mals not only have to avoid entanglement in fishing gear, they are also exposed to accelerating noise pollution from naval so- nars, ships and infrastructure development for tens and even hundreds of kilometres. These large scale oceans industries are displacing massive numbers of marine animals every year, threatening migrations and the survival of whole species. The proposed development of a large iron mine on Baffin Island in Canada’s High Arctic, with associated extensive shipping in the middle of the beluga whale migration channel may become a major threat to this species’ east-west migration.

per cent in the last century, and many of these are critical to the long migrations of these species. Coastal development is rapidly increasing and is projected to have an impact on 91 per cent of all temperate and tropical coasts by 2050 and will con- tribute to more than 80 per cent of all marine pollution. This will have severe impacts on migratory birdlife. The value of productive tidal flats as staging and refuelling sites has been clearly understood within the Dutch-German-Danish Wadden Sea cooperation. This area is a key hub on the East Atlantic Flyway and the Wadden Sea Secretariat has been one of the driving forces initiating international cooperation along the entire flyway with the goal to create large-scale marine pro- tected area networks. Similar international cooperation to protect such crucial hubs is urgently needed along other flyways as well. Along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, the most important intertidal mud- flats of the Yellow Sea are under severe human pressure and require urgent attention. For all migratory species, ecological networks are essential for their free movement and survival. It is critical that an in- ternational framework has the highest number of signatories to ensure the best possible management of these networks. Currently 116 countries are Parties to CMS, and including all agreements under the Convention the number reaches 150. But large parts of crucial migration routes in the circumpolar re- gion, the Americas, Eurasia, and South-East Asia are currently not covered, comprising over one-third of the global land area. Closer collaboration with non-Party countries in these regions is urgently needed to help ensure the survival of the world’s transboundary migratory species.

For migratory birds and bats, habitat loss is the greatest threat. Breeding, feeding and resting sites have declined by over 50

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