Nearly half of the species listed under the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) are showing population declines while more than one in five are threatened with extinction, a landmark UN report revealed Monday.
The first ever “State of the World’s Migratory Species” report was launched on Monday at the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS), hosted in Samarkand, Uzbekistan over Feb. 12-17.
“Today’s report clearly shows us that unsustainable human activities are jeopardising the future of migratory species – creatures who not only act as indicators of environmental change but play an integral role in maintaining the function and resilience of our planet’s complex ecosystems,” Inger Andersen, the UNEP executive director, said in a statement.
“The global community has an opportunity to translate this latest science of the pressures facing migratory species into concrete conservation action. Given the precarious situation of many of these animals, we cannot afford to delay, and must work together to make the recommendations a reality.”
The report mainly focuses on 1,189 animal species identified by CMS as requiring international protection and listed under the Convention Appendices as needing cross-border cooperation to address their conservation. It also includes an investigation of over 3,000 other non-CMS migratory species.
CMS has two appendices covering a wide variety of bird species, fish, terrestrial mammals, reptiles, aquatic mammals, and insects essential to preserving biodiversity. Elephants, bears, antelopes, bats, whales, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, rays, sawfish, and sturgeons are included in the lists.
The first appendice focuses on endangered species, while the second one includes all migratory species living in “unfavourable” conditions and requiring international agreements for their protection.
According to the analysis, 44% of migration species are facing a decrease in the population. Africa, Asia, Oceania, and Antarctica are among the most affected areas by the species’ decline in abundance between 1970 and 2017, with -66% on average in Asia and -27% on average in Africa.
“When considering the appendices separately, 82% of Appendix I species are threatened with extinction and 76% have a declining population trend,” the report said. “Meanwhile, 18% of Appendix II species are globally threatened, with almost half (42%) showing decreasing population trends.”
The report showed the alarming condition of nearly all CMS-listed species of fish, which are experiencing a high risk of extinction, with a population decline of 90% since the 1970s.
“The current situation and trajectory of CMS-listed fish is of particular concern, with nearly all (97%) of CMS-listed fish threatened with extinction. Indeed, on average, there has been a steep decline in the relative abundance of monitored fish populations over the last 50 years,” said the report.
Human activities are regarded as the main driver of migratory species loss. “Habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation (primarily driven by agriculture), and overexploitation (hunting and fishing, both targeted and incidental) represent the two most pervasive threats to migratory species and their habitats according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species,” the report showed.
KEY BIODIVERSITY AREAS
The report also showed that 51% of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) identified as necessary for CMS-listed migratory animals do not have protected status. Moreover, 58% of the KBAs identified as critical for CMS-listed species are experiencing “unsustainable levels of human-caused pressure”.
Preserving KBAs is crucial for meeting the 2022 Global Biodiversity Framework targets, aiming to protect at least 30% of the land and sea by 2030.
“When species cross national borders, their survival depends on the efforts of all countries in which they are found,” Amy Fraenkel, CMS executive secretary, said. “This landmark report will help underpin much-needed policy actions to ensure that migratory species continue to thrive around the world”.
The report also highlights 399 threatened species – mostly birds and fish – not currently covered by the Convention but that deserve greater attention. The CMS appendices are reviewed approximately every three years by the COP.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Parties at CMS are expected to strengthen their cooperation efforts to conserve migratory species and prevent the extinction of species categorised as critically endangered and endangered.
The report provides a set of priority recommendations such as:
- Increasing actions to “identify, protect, connect, and effectively manage essential sites for migratory species”
- Urgently addressing those species in most danger of extinction
- Scaling up efforts to tackle climate change, “as well as light, noise, chemical, and plastic pollution”
- Considering expanding CMS listings
“Actions under CMS will be crucial for achieving the global commitments set out in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework,” said Fraenkel.
“These include commitments to restore and establish well-connected networks of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, targets to halt human-induced extinctions and to ensure that any taking of wild species is sustainable, safe and legal, and targets to address climate change and pollution.”
By Giada Ferraglioni – giada@carbon-pulse.com
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