CMSCOP13: 3 Indian species in global wildlife agreement for strictest protection

Great Indian Bustard, Asian Elephant and Bengal Florican from India are among the ten wildlife species that were added to the global Wildlife Agreement on the concluding day of the 13th Conference of Parties to the Convention of Migratory Species (CMSCOP 13) here on Saturday. Another species included in the agreement is the critically endangered jaguar. Seven species, namely Asian Elephant, Jaguar, Great Indian Bustard, Bengal Florican, Little Bustard, Antipodean Albatross and the Oceanic White-tip Shark were made part of the appendix one, which provides strictest protection.

The Urial Ship, Smooth Hammerhead Shark and Tope Shark were listed for protection under Appendix II, which covers migratory species that have unfavourable conservation status and would benefit from enhanced international cooperation and conservation actions. New and extended 'concerted actions' with targeted conservation plans were agreed for another 14 species. Some of them are the scimitar-horned Oryx, Addax, Dama Gazelle, Slender-horned Gazelle, Dorcas Gazelle, Barbary Sheep, Irrawaddy Dolphin and South Asian River Dolphin.

"With COP13, the important role of CMS in protecting nature around the world has been strongly embraced. This conference has been very satisfactory as we have progressed on all the issues that we had taken up," said CMS Executive Secretary Amy Fraenkel. The CMSCOP13 adopted the Gandhinagar Declaration calling for 'ecological connectivity' for migratory species to be integrated and prioritized between the member parties. The Gandhinagar Declaration will send a message to the first negotiating session of the Open-ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework convening in Rome next week.

The first ever report on the Status of Migratory Species, presented to CMS COP13, shows that, despite some success stories, the populations of most migratory species covered by CMS are declining. "The initial status report has been a real wake up call for the Convention. CMS COP13 has given a clear mandate to prepare a flagship report on the status of migratory species which will give us a better idea of what is happening on the ground, and also provide a much needed tool for understanding where we need to focus,"Fraenkel added.

She added that COP also agreed on a number of cross- cutting policy measures to address threats to migratory species. These include integrating biodiversity and migratory species considerations into national energy and climate policy as well as promote wildlife-friendly renewable energy as electricity transmission lines and wind mills pose threat to migratory birds. The member parties agreed to strengthen initiatives to combat the illegal killing and trade of migratory birds and mitigate the impacts of linear infrastructure such as roads and railways on migratory species.

India, as COP13 host, will take over COP presidency for the next three years, Fraenkel said. She said she looked forward to work with India for greater conservation of wild life around the globe. Prime Minister Narendra Modi became first head of the government to inaugurate this conference and pledged to focus on the conservation of migratory birds along the Central Asian Flyway. He had announced the establishment of an institutional facility for undertaking research and assessment of the conservation of migratory birds and marine turtles, reduction of pollution from micro and single-use plastic, trans-boundary protected areas, and sustainable infrastructure development.