Highlights and images for 28 March 2026

Shaded from Mato Grosso’s baking sun, delegates at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) convened for additional work in the morning where they carefully endeavored to find agreement on outstanding matters before the final plenary session meets on Sunday.

Want to dig deeper into today's talks? Read the full Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.

Throughout the morning, negotiations during the Committee of the Whole (CoW) dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s of the outcome documents from the more in-depth deliberations that took place in dedicated working groups tasked to review items related to avian, terrestrial, aquatic, and institutional and crosscutting issues. The CoW succeeded in forwarding many of these to the COP, recommending them for adoption, including on resource mobilization.

Tensions rose as participants sat in on a volley of negotiations regarding the inclusion of language from the Rio Declaration in certain Conference Room Papers (CRPs). 

Following drawn out deliberations, compromise was eventually achieved over a package of CRPs, and these were submitted to the COP for adoption. 

The CoW further forwarded 11 proposals for new or renewed Concerted Actions (CA) for migratory species that are already listed on the CMS Appendices, or which have been proposed for listing at COP15. Participants readily agreed on the importance of these initiatives to galvanize action toward scaling up collaborative responses to the multiple threats these species face across their migratory ranges.

These species include the:

• Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) of the Eastern Tropical Pacific;
• Antipodean Albatross (Diomedea antipodensis);
• Peruvian or Humboldt Pelican (Pelecanus thagus);
• Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus); and
• Devil and Manta Rays (Mobulidae spp.).

Brazil also noted their intention to propose a CA for the Amazon River Dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) at COP16, which is currently listed on Appendix II. They pointed to the importance of engaging other countries in the Amazon basin that have not yet acceded to the Convention, and broadening partnerships under the CMS.

With only one outstanding in-session issue to be addressed, on the budget (2027–2029) and programme of work for the intersessional period between COP15 and COP16, delegates agreed to “keep this a happy COP” and resume on Sunday morning.

The afternoon saw participants engage in a grove planting activity in Campo Grande, in which a few hundred native saplings were put into the ground to eventually provide habitat for migratory and local species in the city.