The 15th meeting of the ASCOBANS Jastarnia Group has successfully concluded in Turku, hosted by the Finnish Ministry of the Environment and the Turku University of Applied Sciences. As well as reviewing progress under the conservation plans for the Harbour Porpoise in the Baltic Sea (the “Jastarnia Plan”) and in the Western Baltic, Belt Sea and Kattegat (WBBK), the meeting heard a presentation from a representative of the European Commission on the EU Technical Measures Regulation, which will replace Regulation 812/2004 governing bycatch mitigation.

The current ASCOBANS Bycatch Working Group will be replaced by ACCOBAMS/ASCOBANS Joint Bycatch Working Group (JBWG), created according to decision of and endorsement from the 24th Meeting of the ASCOBANS Advisory Committee and the 12th Meeting of the ACCOBAMS Scientific Council last year. The Working Group will be run by two Co-chairs, Dr. Ayaka Amaha Oztürk and Dr. Peter Evans, each with bycatch expertise from ACCOBAMS or ASCOBANS areas.

Inger Andersen of Denmark is the new Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme. Her nomination to the post by UN Secretary-General António Guterres was approved by acclamation by the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, 20 February.

CMS and its Family set the course for developing their contributions to the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework which is expected to provide a "New Deal for Nature" for the entire international community. Two years away from its adoption, the post-2020 framework presents the opportunity to raise the visibility of migratory wildlife and promote its conservation. Last week, the CMS Standing Committee (Bonn, 23-24 October 2018) endorsed the establishment of a Working Group (WG) on the development of CMS Family contributions to the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.