Conservation Of migratory Species – COP 13 At Gandhinagar – Free PDF Download

Migratory species

• Migratory species are those animals that move from one habitat to another during different times of the year.
• Reason for movement could be due to various factors such as food, sunlight, temperature, climate, etc.
• The movement between habitats, can sometimes exceed thousands of kilometres for some migratory birds and mammals.
• A migratory route can involve nesting and also requires the availability of habitats before and after each migration.

Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)

• The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
• In order to protect the migratory species throughout their range countries.
• It has been in force under the aegis of United Nations Environment Programme.
• Also known as Bonn Convention
• The CMS Secretariat is provided and administered by the United Nations Environment Programme
• The Secretariat has based in Bonn, Germany.
• Secretariat also maintains an out-post office in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
• The CMS acts as a framework convention and encourages its States Parties to conclude global or regional agreements

1. Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP)
2. Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS)
3. Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA)
4. Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS)
5. Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats (EUROBATS)
6. Agreement on the Conservation of Gorillas and their Habitats (Gorilla Agreement)
7. Agreement on the Conservation of Seals in the Wadden Sea (Wadden Sea Seals)

The Convention

• It provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats and brings together the States through which migratory animals pass, the Range States, and lays the legal foundation for internationally coordinated conservation measures throughout a migratory range.
• The convention complements and co-operates with a number of other international organizations, NGOs and partners in the media as well as in the corporate sector.
• It is the only global convention specialising in the conservation of migratory species, their habitats and migration routes.

India and CMS

• India has been a Party to the CMS since 1983
• India is temporary home to several migratory animals and birds.
• The important among these include Amur Falcons, Bar headed Geese, Black necked cranes, Marine turtles, Dugongs, Humpbacked Whales, etc.
•  The Indian sub-continent is also part of the major bird flyway network, i.e, the Central Asian Flyway (CAF) that covers areas between the Arctic and Indian Oceans, and covers at least 279 populations of 182 migratory water bird species, including 29 globally threatened species.
• India has also launched the National Action Plan for conservation of migratory species under the Central Asian Flyway.

The Appendices

Appendix I – Threatened Migratory Species

• Migratory species threatened with extinction are listed on Appendix I of the Convention.
• Parties that are Range States to Appendix I species are obliged to afford them strict protection.
• CMS Parties strive towards strictly protecting these animals, conserving or restoring the places where they live, mitigating obstacles to migration and controlling other factors that might endanger them.
• CMS promotes concerted action among the Range States of many of these species.

Appendix II – Migratory Species requiring international cooperation

• Migratory species that need or would significantly benefit from international co-operation are listed in Appendix II of the Convention.
• These species, either individually or by taxonomic group, are the basis for establishing instruments – regional or global – under CMS.
• For this reason, the Convention encourages the Range States to conclude global or regional Agreements.

COP 13 , INDIA

• The Conference of Parties (COP) is the decision-making organ of this convention.
• The 13^th  COP of the Convention is being hosted by India from 15^th to 22^nd February, 2020
• Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
• The theme of the conference is “Migratory species connect the planet and together we welcome them home”.
• Representatives from 129 Parties and eminent conservationists and international NGOs working in the field of wildlife conservation are expected to attend the COP.
• Proposals to add 10 new species for protection under the CMS.
• These include the Asian Elephant, the Jaguar, the Great Indian Bustard, and the Smooth Hammerhead Shark.
• Parties will also discuss the adoption of dedicated concerted actions for 12 different species, including the Giraffe and the Ganges River Dolphin.
• Urial, a wild sheep from Central Asia, is being proposed for inclusion under Appendix II.
• Gobi Bear and Persian Leopard are being considered for inclusion under the Central Asian Mammals Initiative (CAMI), a 14-country regional initiative that currently covers 15 species.

CMS Ambassadors for Migratory Species

• Three newly appointed Ambassadors (till 2023)

1.  Ian Redmond, conservationist
2.  Sacha Dench , environmentalist
3. Randeep Hooda , equestrian 

• They will promote the conservation of terrestrial, avian and aquatic migratory species respectively.

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