Overview
Since 2006, the Convention has benefitted from the support of honourary Ambassadors - eminent personalities well known and respected for their work relating to wildlife conservation - who have helped promote the conservation of migratory species and their habitats by enhancing the CMS Family’s visibility, profile and global reach.
The Ambassador Programme was redesigned and launched in February 2020 at the 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CMS COP13).
Ambassadors are nominated by the CMS Executive Secretary every triennium to represent migratory species that run, swim and fly.
Ambassadors can either be global celebrities who have expressed a desire to contribute to raising awareness of migratory species and the CMS Family, or prominent individuals from conservation, science, literature, or other fields who can mobilize attention for specific issues or species.
Ambassadors for migratory species are entrusted with promoting the goals of the CMS Family through public advocacy; mobilizing resources for selected initiatives; participating in meetings and events; undertaking missions or targeted approaches to influence decision-makers or other stakeholders groups according to their specific skills and areas of activity.
Further information about Criteria of Selection and Ambassadors’ Responsibilities.
Ambassadors for Migratory Species 2020-2023
Ian Redmond
Ian Redmond, appointed to the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) of the British Order of Chivalry, is a tropical field biologist and conservationist.
He has led anti-poacher patrols, guided film crews into close encounters with gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, and elephants, and worked to support local conservationists during the civil wars of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He first served as Ambassador for the year of the Gorilla in 2009, during which he visited seven of the ten Gorilla Range States having previously persuaded the UN to take up the cause of the great apes. He was then appointed CMS Ambassador in May 2010. For more than 10 years he has been a spokesperson for animal species bringing to everyone's attention the challenges that threaten their survival.
For his passion and notable work with great apes and elephants, Mr Redmond has graciously accepted to continue in his role as Ambassador focusing on terrestrial migratory species, those that run!
“One of the most important things I can do in my role as an Ambassador for Migratory Species, is to talk about the CMS, write about the CMS and help to make documentaries and social media posts about what it does and which species it helps,” Ian said.
“I will continue to raise the profile of [conservation] issues to bring both political will and public interest to the cause of restoring connectivity and protecting migratory species, whose movements mark the seasons in so many human cultures and whose ecological role in globally important ecosystems benefit us all.”
Find out Ian’s contributions as Ambassador for migratory species:
Videos
- The gardeners of the forest | Ian Redmond | TED
- CMS 40th Anniversary message by Ian Redmond
- Statement by Ian Redmond to mark 2020 World Migratory Bird Day
Sacha Dench
Sacha Dench is an Australian biologist, conservationist, adventurer, champion sportswoman and motivational speaker.
Although she has a background as a turtle geneticist and she dedicated to many environmental causes, she is worldwide known as the ‘Human Swan’. During her recent record-breaking expedition the ‘Flight of the Swans’, Sasha flew a paramotor from Arctic Russia, across 11 countries, to the UK, following the migratory route of the Bewick’s Swan. This expedition has won her and her team awards for aviation, conservation and communication. Her dedication to raise awareness about the plight of the Bewick’s Swan and other migratory birds lead her to be appointed as an Ambassador for avian migratory species, those that fly!
With a 20-year professional journey as a conservationist working at organizations such as Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), Sasha has now established a new non-governmental organization named ‘Conservation without Borders’, set up to tackle the big issues of our time by looking at them through the eyes of migratory species. Through Conservation without Borders, Sasha is planning new conservation projects, including a new expedition called the ‘Flight of the Osprey’ where she will be flying 10,000km following the migratory journey of the Osprey from their summer home in Scotland to the winter sun of West Africa. The Osprey is a priority species for CMS and its Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia (Raptors MOU). The Flight of the Osprey expedition will focus on this bird as a flagship species to publicize the challenges faced by migratory birds along a flyway and highlights the actions needed to conserve these birds and other species within the framework of CMS and the Raptors MOU.
Sacha was asked to be an Ambassador for Migratory Species just weeks after losing her family home to Australia’s catastrophic bushfires: “Losing our home was devastating yet it’s a drop in the ocean compared to the impacts of man-made climate change and habitat destruction on migratory wildlife across the planet as we decimate their global 'flyways' and 'swimways',” she said.
“Migratory species are an integral part of the healthy functioning of the global ecosystem. They remind us of our connection to the finite resource that is our blue planet and how vital it is that each of us and our countries come together to manage it sustainably. I would like to motivate people around the globe into a kind of ‘mexican wave’ of action,” Sacha said.
Find out Sacha’s contributions as Ambassador for migratory species:
Videos
Previous CMS Ambassadors
In recognition of their commitment to the conservation of migratory species and their habitats, the CMS Family thanks and acknowledges the efforts and support received from previous CMS Ambassadors who helped build the foundation for other conservationists that will follow in this role.
Kuki Gallmann
Since her nomination as CMS Ambassador in 2006, Kuki helped to generate public awareness on endangered wildlife and the challenges they face for their survival. Among others, she played a key role in the launch of the World Migratory Bird Day which then became an established UN global awareness-raising campaign.
For more info visit: gallmannkenya.org
Stanley Johnson
Following his appointment as CMS Ambassador, Stanley participated in the production of numerous publications and articles, advancing CMS’s mission and helping to promote the conservation of migratory species. Among others, he authored the book “Survival: Saving Endangered Migratory Species” which is an informative warning against the threat faced by many species and a stunning celebration of their beauty.
Peter Johan Schei
As CMS Ambassador, Peter played a key role in the establishment of the Avian Influenza Task Force and contributed to many other processes by bringing his extensive technical knowledge of the subject, as well as the wealth of his experience in UN processes.