Save the Migratory Species in 2020 - 4

A side event on the proposal to better protect the 'nut-cracking' chimpanzees of west Africa

The full panel at the side event

A remarkably empty great hall during a session of the CoW.

Over the next three days the COP meets as the COW (the Committee of the Whole) - which is a massive working group (meeting in the big plenary hall) - here all proposals receive their first assessments before being proposed for adoption at the closing plenary at the very end of the meeting.

A number of big working groups - on terrestrial, marine and avian proposals are also being held to give detailed attention to some proposals.

Over the course of the next couple of days, a whole series of proposals are agreed by the CoW. These include:

• Mainland Asian Elephant/Indian Elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) added to Appendix I
• The jaguar (Panthera onca) added to Appendices I and II
• The antipodean albatross (Diomedea antipodensis) added to Appendix I
• Oceanic White-tip Shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) added in Appendix I.
• Smooth Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna zygaena) listed on Appendix II
• The Tope Shark (Galeorhinus galeus) added in Appendix II

Alokparna Sengupta of HSI India

The Indian Delegation

A view of the meeting on the big screen in the middle of the room

Chris Wold, legal adviser to the secretariat

A vote takes place

A signing ceremony as two NGOs become partners to CMS

Fernando Spina, Chair of the CMS Science Council 

On the big screen - part of the UK delegation: Jamie and Donna

The redoubtable CoP-Appointed Councillor for marine mammals, Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara talking about protected areas for marine mammals.