Conventions and Agreements

WCMC provides an information service to over twenty international agreements, including a data management service to CITES, the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme. WCMC also provides background reports and assessments to help scientific panels do their work, and analysis of achievements, gaps and priorities.

WCMC plays an important role in information systems planning especially for the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and for CITES.

Key work in this area involves studying the requirements of different biodiversity conventions and harmonising them, so that countries can make just one report to cover all their convention obligations. For example -"The Feasibility Study for a Harmonised Information Management Infrastructure for Biodiversity-related Treaties".

WCMC is also working with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and several contracting parties to develop methods for better assessment of implementation. We also assist the development of clearing-house mechanisms for the convention.