GS Paper III

News Excerpt

The 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP 14) adopted the Initiative for the Central Asian Flyway introduced by India.

More details on the news:

• Led by India, the proposal for the Central Asian Flyway was supported by conservation non-profit BirdLife International and 30 other governments from Russian Siberia to the Maldives. It committed to establish an initiative for the Central Asian Flyway under the CMS.
• The aim of the initiative is to restore and maintain favourable conservation status of migratory species populations and assisting their ecological connectivity in the flyway.

 Threat to Migratory Species of Wild Animals

• Populations of over 240 species of migratory birds are in decline in the Central Asian Flyway, with 48 species listed as Globally Threatened or Near Threatened.
• Several migratory birds in this flyway are also culturally important to the communities that have co-existed with them for hundreds of years — the White Stork in Uzbekistan, the Black-Necked Crane in Bhutan and the Steppe Eagle in Kazakhstan.
• BirdLife addressed key threats faced by migratory birds such as severe habitat loss, overexploitation and illegal killing.Other threats making these migratory species vulnerable are “rapid development of energy infrastructure”, causing collisions and electrocutions.

Significance of the Central Asian Flyway Initiative

• The Initiative for the Central Asian Flyway will act as a platform for capacity building, knowledge sharing, research and coordination among all range countries and will pave the way to conserve the populations of the 600+ species of migratory birds that use this flyway.
• The initiative will work to develop and enforce a Programme of Work aligning with the resolutions, decisions and plans agreed by the CMS.

Conclusion:

The adoption of the Central Asian Flyway Initiative at CMS COP14 is a crucial step towards conserving migratory bird species. Led by India, it fosters collaboration, research, and enforcement to address threats, ensuring a positive impact on biodiversity.

Prelims PYQ

Q. With reference to an organisation known as ‘Birdlife International’ which of the following statements is/are correct? (UPSC 2015)

1) It is a Global Partnership of Conservation Organizations.

2) The concept of ‘biodiversity hotspots’ originated from this organisation.

3) It identifies the sites known/referred to as ‘Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas’.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a)    1 only

(b)    2 and 3 only

(c)     1 and 3 only

(d)    1, 2 and 3