Four Indian vulture species, among 15, get global protection
A multi-species action plan to conserve 15 vulture species, including four that are critically endangered in India, was adopted at a UN global wildlife conference in the Philippines on Saturday.
New Delhi:A multi-species action plan to conserve 15 vulture species, including four that are critically endangered in India, was adopted at a UN global wildlife conference in the Philippines on Saturday.
Likewise, the whale shark, a victim of over-fishing also in India, got global protection too.
"Multi-Species Action Plan to Conserve African-Eurasian vultures adopted at #CMSCOP12 in Manila!" the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) tweeted.
"WhaleShark gets full protection! CMS App I Listing adopted at #CMSCOP12 in Manila!"
In another tweet UNEP added: "All Resolutions on African Carnivores Conservation (joint CMS-CITES/Cheetah/WildDog/Lion) adopted at #CMSCOP12 in Manila!"
Announcements in this regard were made in Manila at the concluding session of the 12th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species, or CMS COP12, the only international treaty devoted exclusively to migratory animal species.
Delegates from over 120 countries, including India, had gathered there.
The multinational plan to thwart the sudden and severe decline in vultures across Africa, Asia and Europe, including three critically endangered Indian species, was presented at the summit.
Experts estimate the majority of African-Eurasian Vultures are critically endangered and at "very high risk" of extinction in the wild, mainly due to poisoning.
Unless effective conservation measures are implemented, there is a significant likelihood that several of these species will become extinct in the near future, they say.
Experts say widespread over-fishing is driving many shark species, including world's largest living fish whale shark, to extinction.
India is among 121 nations that are home to this species with continuing global population declines. The major threats to it are fisheries catches, bycatch in nets and vessel strikes.
Three countries -- the Philippines, Israel and Sri Lanka -- had jointly submitted a proposal in the summit for the inclusion of the whale shark, found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, in Appendix I of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) for its conservation.
The proposal has been adopted, a spokesperson for CMS COP12 told IANS.
Likewise, proposals for conservation of the blue shark, common guitarfish and development and management of marine protected area networks within Asean region have been adopted, the spokesperson said.
As per the action plans submitted by the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Africa's lions, wild dogs, leopards and cheetahs got increased protection to halt their serious decline.
Resolution on the African elephant action plan was also adopted.
Proposals submitted by Mongolia to protect two of Central Asia's rarest species, Przewalski's horse and the Gobi bear, also got nod.
