IASNOVA
BONN CONVENTION/ Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
The Fourteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (COP14) is happening in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
- Intergovernmental Treaty: Part of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), commonly known as the Bonn Convention.
- Establishment: Signed in 1979 and came into effect in 1983.
- Membership: As of 1 March 2022, there are 133 Parties, including India which joined in 1983.
Aim of the Convention
- Conservation Goal: Aims to conserve terrestrial, marine, and avian migratory species across their entire range.
- Global Conservation Measures: Provides a legal foundation for implementing conservation measures on a global scale.
- Legal Instruments: Includes legally binding Agreements as well as less formal Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs).
Key Components
- Appendix I: Lists “Threatened Migratory Species” that are endangered and require high levels of protection.
- Appendix II: Features “Migratory Species requiring international cooperation” for their conservation.
India’s Participation in CMS
- Memoranda of Understanding: India has signed NON LEGALLY BINDING MoUs for the conservation and management of several species, including Siberian Cranes (1998), Marine Turtles (2007), Dugongs (2008), and Raptors (2016).
- Biodiversity Contribution: Despite having only 2.4% of the world’s land area, India accounts for about 8% of known global biodiversity.
- Migratory Species in India: Provides temporary refuge to various migratory species like Amur Falcons, Bar-headed Geese, Black-necked Cranes, Marine Turtles, Dugongs, Humpback Whales, among others.
Why in the News?
The first-ever State of the World’s Migratory Species report was launched by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), a UN biodiversity treaty, at the opening of a major UN wildlife conservation conference (CMS COP14). The landmark report reveals:
- While some migratory species listed under CMS are improving, nearly half (44 per cent) are showing population declines.
- More than one-in-five (22 per cent) of CMS-listed species are threatened with extinction.
- Nearly all (97 per cent) of CMS-listed fish are threatened with extinction.
- The extinction risk is growing for migratory species globally, including those not listed under CMS.
- Half (51 per cent) of Key Biodiversity Areas identified as important for CMS-listed migratory animals do not have protected status, and 58 per cent of the monitored sites recognized as being important for CMS-listed species are experiencing unsustainable levels of human-caused pressure.
- The two greatest threats to both CMS-listed and all migratory species are overexploitation and habitat loss due to human activity. Three out of four CMS-listed species are impacted by habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, and seven out of ten CMS-listed species are impacted by overexploitation (including intentional taking as well as incidental capture).
- Climate change, pollution and invasive species are also having profound impacts on migratory species.
- Globally, 399 migratory species that are threatened or near threatened with extinction are not currently listed under CMS.
