CONSERVATION OF MIGRATORY SPECIES (CMS)

Posted 15 Mar 2024

5 min read

Why in the News?

The Fourteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP 14) held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

About Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) or Bonn Convention.

Intergovernmental treaty under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Serves as a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats.
Introduced in 1979 and came into force in 1983.
Membership: 133 Parties from Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Europe and Oceania. India is its member (since 1983).
CMS Appendices:
- Appendix I: lists migratory species that are considered endangered (facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future).
- Appendix II: lists migratory species which have an unfavourable conservation status and require international agreements for their conservation and management.

India and CMS

It has signed a non-legally binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CMS on conservation and management of Siberian Cranes (1998), Marine Turtles (2007), Dugongs (2008), and Raptors (2016).
India hosted COP-13 of CMS in 2020 at Gandhinagar (Gujrat).
India is part of 2 of the Special Species Initiatives of CMS- Central Asian Flyway and Central Asian Mammals Initiative.
Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) for the first time compiled the list of migratory species of India under the CMS before the Conference of Parties (COP 13).

State of the World’s Migratory Species

Under CMS COP 14: the first-ever “State of the World’s Migratory Species” report launched.
Its Key-findings are: -
- Decline: Nearly 44% migratory species listed under CMS are showing population declines.
- Extinction: More than 22% of CMS-listed species are threatened with extinction.
- Fish: Nearly 97 % of CMS-listed fish are threatened with extinction.
- Lack of coverage: Globally, 399 migratory species that are threatened or near threatened with extinction are not currently listed under CMS.

About CMS COP 14

Conference of Parties (COP) to Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species:
- It is the principal decision-making body of the Convention.
- It meets once every 3 years and sets the budget and priorities of the following three years.
- It also decides on the amendment of the Appendices and considers reports submitted by the Parties.
Key-outcomes:
- A host of new measures to safeguard migratory species have been adopted.
- Slogan: "Nature knows no borders"
- Addition of 14 species to Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) Appendices including Eurasian Lynx, Pallas's Cat and Sand Tiger Shark etc.
- New Concerted Actions: For six species, including Chimpanzee, Straw-colored Fruit Bat, and Blue Shark etc.
- Single Species Action Plans (SSAPs): for aquatic species, such as the Atlantic Humpback Dolphin, the Hawksbill Turtle and the Angelshark.
- Agreement on Central Asian Flyway (CAF): Spanning 30 Range States of migratory birds. It includes the establishment of a coordinating unit in India.
- Global Partnership on Ecological Connectivity (GPEC) was launched.
  - It aims to ensure that ecological connectivity is maintained, enhanced, and restored in critical areas for migratory species.

About Migratory Species

Definition: A species of wild animals of which the entire population or any geographically separate part of the population cyclically and predictably cross one or more national jurisdictional boundaries.
- The word 'cyclically' relates to a cycle of any nature, such as astronomical (circadian, annual etc.), life or climatic, and of any frequency.
- The word 'predictably' implies that a phenomenon can be anticipated to recur in a given set of circumstances, though not necessarily regularly in time.

Initiative taken in India to conserve Migratory Species

National Action Plan for conservation of Migratory birds along the Central Asian Flyway (2018-2023)
- Objective: To arrest population, decline and secure habitats of migratory bird species.

Identification of Important Bird Areas (IBAs) programme
- By: Birdlife International
- Objective: To protect a global network of IBAs for conservation of the world's birds and associated biodiversity.
National Marine Turtle Action Plan (2021-2026)
- Objective: To conserve marine turtles and their habitats for maintaining a healthy marine ecosystem.

Way Forward

Protect, connect and restore habitats: Need to identify critical habitats and sites for e.g., Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs).
Tackle overexploitation: For e.g., implementation of the new Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty (sets up a procedure to establish large-scale marine protected areas in the high seas)
Reduce the damaging impacts of environmental pollution: Adoption of light pollution mitigation strategies, restrict the emission of underwater noise for marine species, phase-out of toxic lead ammunition, tackle the issue of plastic pollution etc.
Address the root causes and cross-cutting impacts of climate change: Help migratory species adapt to a changing climate through targeted ecosystem restoration efforts. For e.g., Kunming Declaration.
Ensure the CMS Appendices protect all migratory species in need of further conservation action:
- Consider migratory species threatened with extinction not yet listed in CMS.
- Prioritize research on ‘Data Deficient’ migratory species.