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title: "The Convention on Migratory Species adds 26 gadfly petrel taxa to its Appendices"
---

# The Convention on Migratory Species adds 26 gadfly petrel taxa to its Appendices

![COP15](https://www.acap.aq/images/COP15.jpg) The Governments of New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Cook Islands, Dominican Republic and Fiji jointly submitted a proposal ([UNEP/CMS/COP15/Doc.30.2.5/Rev.1](https://www.cms.int/document/3025-proposal-inclusion-gadfly-petrels-pterodroma-sp-appendix-i-and-ii-convention)), to list 26 species, subspecies and geographic populations of gadfly petrels in the genera *Pterodroma* and*Pseudobulweria*on either [Appendix I or II](https://www.cms.int/species/appendix-i-ii-cms) to the Fifteenth Meeting of the Conference of Parties ([COP15](https://www.cms.int/cop15)) of the Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals ([CMS](https://www.cms.int/)) that met last week in Campo Grande, Brazil.

 The proposed petrels include single-island endemics and poorly known taxa.  They are mainly of low-latitude and tropical islands in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.  Four gadfly petrels are already listed on CMS Appendix I.  They are the Bermuda *P. cahow*, Galapagos *P. phaeopygia*, Hawaiian *P. sandwichensis* and Henderson *P. atrata* Petrels.

 New Zealand introduced the proposal to list the gadfly petrels, noting they are “some of the rarest, most endangered, and poorly understood seabirds in the world.”  Many Parties attending COP15 [expressed strong support](https://enb.iisd.org/conference-parties-convention-migratory-species-wild-animals-cms-cop15-daily-report-26mar2026?fbclid=IwY2xjawQzgWBleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF5VlphWFhFbUs0d0tFa2czc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHn1iYmJqMz3n8rGTkSSKlaTFAjedTz2tb3vt426w-H44teoObhfSWG-GFV5s_aem_K2M5js41HSTO4hNBCy4f4A) in the Committee of the Whole (CoW).  The proposal was then submitted for adoption by the Conference of Parties, which [formally adopted](https://www.cms.int/news/40-migratory-animal-species-receive-new-or-upgraded-protection-close-un-meeting-brazil?fbclid=IwY2xjawQ20JxleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFkM0JuYzZSYURwUEtQTXExc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHoCfIYsD-Ywy0dKrMJ4jKpvk5_hJzEpqcv--EVPDfu-4AlqLSyGVykXGrjGo_aem_izZKU680yjqq0RJ0ptrAKA)all the proposed taxa onto its Appendices on 30 March, the closing day of COP15.

 ![40 species](https://www.acap.aq/images/40_species.jpg)The gadfly petrel proposal is available in English, French and Spanish ([click here](https://www.cms.int/document/3025-proposal-inclusion-gadfly-petrels-pterodroma-sp-appendix-i-and-ii-convention)).

 The Albatross and Petrel Agreement held a [workshop](https://www.acap.aq/advisory-committee/ac10/ac10-meeting-documents/2882-ac10-doc-14-workshop-on-pterodroma-and-other-small-burrowing-petrels/file) in Wellington, New Zealand in 2017 with the objective of advancing understanding about best approaches for international cooperation in the conservation of *Pterodroma* and other small burrowing petrel species.

 *John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses* *and Petrels, 30 March 2026*