The snowy owl from Harry Potter and a giant Brazilian otter: 40 migratory species are now benefiting from international protection from more than 130 countries that are signatories to a UN convention on the conservation of these increasingly threatened animals. The inclusion of these new species was adopted on Sunday at the end of the 15th meeting (COP15) of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS), which took place in the Brazilian city of Campo Grande (central-west). Among them, the snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus), known to Harry Potter fans as Hedwig. This species has lost one third of its global population over the past three decades, according to the CMS. “Climate change and overexploitation are among the main causes of the decline in its population and highlight the vulnerability of the species despite its iconic status,” explains the UN convention in a statement. According to a report published just before this COP15, nearly half (49%) of all species listed by the CMS show population decline trends, and nearly one in four is threatened with extinction globally. – Legal obligation – Another particularly threatened species included in the new list is the hudsonian godwit (Limosa haemastica), a long-billed bird threatened with extinction that travels 30,000 km per year along the Americas, from the Arctic Ocean to Patagonia. The great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran) is also listed, as well as terrestrial mammals, such as the striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena), or aquatic ones, like the giant Brazilian otter (Pteronura brasiliensis). This otter lives mainly in the Brazilian Pantanal, one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet, located south of the Amazon, where the COP15 on migratory species took place. The Convention is legally binding, meaning these countries are legally obligated to protect species classified as threatened with extinction, to conserve and restore their habitats, minimize obstacles to their migration, and cooperate to ensure successful preservation. – Climate change – “We have made very significant advances, not only in terms of the approval of protected species, but also in concerted actions and the analysis of various topics affecting migrations,” said Joao Paulo Capobianco, president of this COP15, to AFP. According to him, these species suffer particularly from the degradation of their natural habitats, pollution, and climate change. “Some species change their migration period according to seasonal changes and they may not find certain food resources that should be available at this time of year,” explains Mr. Capobianco. A UN report released on Tuesday warned of the “collapse” of essential migrations for the survival of freshwater fish species such as eels, caused by habitat degradation, overfishing, or dams. “By crossing continents and connecting distant ecosystems, these species reveal that nature knows no boundaries between states,” said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during his opening speech at COP15 a week ago. “Protecting these animals means protecting the life of the planet,” he summed up. The next edition will take place in 2029 in Germany, to mark the 50th anniversary of the convention, founded by an international treaty adopted in 1979 in Bonn. Brazil had already hosted the UN climate conference (COP30) last November in the Amazonian city of Belem. This article has been published automatically. Sources: ats / afp.
