India to Host CMS COP 13 in 2020 | 09 Feb 2019

The 13^th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) will be hosted by India during 15th to 22nd February, 2020 at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.

• Great Indian Bustard (GIB) will be its mascot for the 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the UN Convention on the conservation of migratory species (CMS).
• Representatives from 129 Parties and eminent conservationists and international NGOs working in the field of wildlife conservation will attend the COP.
• Hosting of COP would give India an opportunity to showcase its conservation initiatives for wildlife species.
• It will provide a global platform for deliberations on the conservation and sustainable use of migratory wild animals and their habitat.

Migratory Species in India

• Migratory species are those animals that move from one habitat to another during different times of the year, due to various factors such as food, sunlight, temperature, climate, etc.
• The movement between habitats can sometimes exceed thousands of miles/kilometers for some migratory birds and mammals.
• A migratory route can involve nesting and also requires the availability of habitats before and after each migration.
• India is a temporary home to several migratory animals and birds. The important among these include Amur Falcons, Bar-headed Geese, Black-necked cranes, Marine turtles, Dugongs, Humpbacked Whales, etc.
• The Indian sub-continent is also part of the major bird flyway network, i.e, the Central Asian Flyway (CAF) that covers areas between the Arctic and Indian Oceans, and covers at least 279 populations of 182 migratory waterbird species, including 29 globally threatened species.
• India has also launched the National Action Plan for the conservation of migratory species under the Central Asian Flyway.

Convention on the conservation of migratory species of wild animals (CMS)

• It is an environmental treaty under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme, CMS (also referred to as the Bonn Convention) provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats.
• CMS brings together the States through which migratory animals pass, the Range States, and lays the legal foundation for internationally coordinated conservation measures throughout a migratory range.
• It is the only global convention specializing in the conservation of migratory species, their habitats and migration routes.
• India has been a Party to the CMS since 1983. The Conference of Parties (COP) is the decision-making organ of this convention.
• India has also signed non legally binding MOU with CMS on the conservation and management of Siberian Cranes (1998), Marine Turtles (2007), Dugongs (2008) and Raptors (2016).