By Matthias Samuel
Indian actor Randeep Hooda and Internationally renowned conservationist Ian Redmond OBE, who is a tropical field biologist and conservationist, were named CMS Ambassadors for Migratory Species until 2023 under the redesigned Ambassadors Programme launched at CMS COP13.
The requirement for this position is that Ambassadors can either be global celebrities who have expressed a desire to contribute to raising awareness of migratory species and the work of the convention, or prominent individuals from conservation, science, literature, or other fields who can mobilize attention for specific issues or species.
Ian Redmond is renowned for his work with great apes and elephants. For more than 35 years he has been associated with Mountain Gorillas, through research, filming, tourism and conservation work. He has served as Ambassador for the UN Year of the Gorilla in 2009 and for the UNEP Convention on Migratory Species since 2010. He said that “One of the most important things I can do in my role as an Ambassador for the UN Convention on Migratory Species is to talk about CMS, write about CMS and help to make documentaries and social media posts about what it does and which species it helps,” Redmond will represent terrestrial species for CMS.
Randeep Hooda is an award-winning film and theatre actor, as well as a professional equestrian. He has advocated for many environmental causes, including wildlife protection and animal welfare, and has generated public awareness for his beach clean-ups and other activities in Mumbai. He said that, “Migration is a part and parcel of the life cycle of many species. It is not only important for them but also important for our planet. They make this world a healthy and more diverse place. Many of them are under threat and we need to work jointly across the globe to protect them.”
