Dear colleagues,

We thank you for your signatures and support! With great pride we can announce that 402 organizations from 86 countries call for a clear commitment to safeguard river connectivity and free-flowing rivers around the world. In the email below we’ll explain how we have used the petition and what we suggest as next steps. 

 Convention of Biological Diversity 

We have forwarded the petition to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) to be used in the negotiations for the next COP15 (Conference Of the Parties) meeting about global biodiversity, hosted in the 3th quarter of 2022 in China. The CBD recently organized a preparation meeting in Geneva to negotiate the input for this next COP15 meeting. 

You can find the outcomes of the latest draft of the global framework for nature at https://lnkd.in/eddN7kXW. You will find that “CONNECTIVITY” is mentioned regularly in the GOALS and TARGETS. Also thanks to a recent petition organized by WWF, more focus has been brought on ‘FRESHWATER’ ecosystems. The next negotiations will be June 21-26. We will keep you updated. 

What can you do to help! 

To influence the next COP15 negotiations and to make sure that freshwater migratory fish, river connectivity and free flowing rivers will become a top global priority we ask you to contact your national CBD contact person. You can forward the results of this petition and explain why you have signed the petition and how your national CBD contact person can make a difference. 

Please use the petition outcomes to your own advantage. In the attachments you will find our Open Letter to the CDB and a press release (in Word). The press release can be edited. Feel free to add interesting facts from your organization and/or striking quotes. You can send the press release and the results to your local/regional/national press. 

Creating awareness on World Fish Migration Day 2022 

To enhance the awareness and commitment for migratory fish and healthy rivers in your country we ask you to host an event on the World Fish Migration Day on May 21, 2022. Events can range from outreach events, meetings, educational events, launching reports to hosting webinars. The outcomes of the petition can be used to strengthen WFMD events. The WFMD can be used as an umbrella to show that migratory fish are facing the same problems and that we need to work together to solve these problems, from local to global. The more events organized, the more we can show policy makers around the world that action should be taken! To host an event visit: www.worldfishmigrationday.com   

Thank you again for your energy and helping us creating urgency and awareness for connected rivers and an increase of biodiversity.  

Kind regards on behalf of the WFMF team

Fabian Paf
Coordinator Global Petition
World Fish Migration Foundation  

and 

Herman Wanningen 
Director 
World Fish Migration Foundation