The Thirteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP13) concluded in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Key highlights:
Logo: The Great Indian Bustard was the mascot of COP13. The CMS COP 13 Logo was also inspired by the traditional ‘KOLAM’ from southern India, which has a profound significance in the context of living in harmony with nature.
The theme for the CMS COP 13 was: “Migratory species connect the planet and together we welcome them home.”
Ten new species were added to CMS Appendices at COP13.
Seven species were added to Appendix I: Asian Elephant, Jaguar, Great Indian Bustard, Bengal Florican, Little Bustard, Antipodean Albatross and the Oceanic White-tip Shark.
Three species were added to Appendix II: Urial, Smooth Hammerhead Shark and the Tope Shark.
New and extended Concerted Actions with targeted conservation plans were agreed for 14 species.
CMS COP13 also adopted the Gandhinagar Declaration, which calls for the concept of ‘ecological connectivity’ to be integrated and prioritized in the new Framework, which is expected to be adopted at the UN Biodiversity Conference in October.
The first ever report on the Status of Migratory Species, presented to CMS COP13, shows that despite some success stories, the populations of most migratory species covered by CMS are declining.
Three CMS Ambassadors - for terrestrial, avian, and aquatic species - were named at the relaunch of the CMS Ambassadors Programme: Ian Redmond OBE (for terrestrial), Sacha Dench (for avian), and Indian actor Randeep Hooda (for aquatic).
Seven new Migratory Species Champions including the Government of India were named at a special high-level event organized on the sidelines of the conference.
India, as COP13 host, will assume the role of COP Presidency for the next three years.
The Conference kicked off “Super Year for Environment”, which will include a UN Summit in September and culminate in the UN Biodiversity Conference at the end of 2020, when a new global biodiversity strategy for the next decade will be adopted - the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
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