The world's second largest shark, a bird found in the Garden of Eden and Central Asia's only true deer were among 11 new species given the title of "endangered" by countries around the world on Friday.
NAIROBI — The world's second largest shark, a bird found in the Garden of Eden and Central Asia's only true deer were among 11 new species given the title of "endangered" by countries around the world on Friday.
Around 95 countries, members of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), agreed that several birds and mammals faced
increasing threats to their survival and needed more protection.
"The 11 species will join a listing of around 107 migratory animals which are considered endangered and thereby given special status by all member states," Marco Barbieri, CMS scientific officer, told journalists.
"This means countries will need to take concerted action to protect the species, such as conservation projects and protection measures," he said at the end of a CMS conference in the Kenyan capital.
!ADVERTISEMENT!
The CMS, a treaty signed under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), says migratory species are considered more vulnerable than others because of their patterns of regular movement across borders and countries.
U.N. wildlife experts say the Basking Shark, which can reach 10 metres in length, is found in the continental shelves of the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Oceans and the Mediterranean and is often caught in fishing nets or collides with boats in shallow waters.
The Basra Reed Warbler, a small brown and white bird which breeds in the Mesopotamian marshlands of southern Iraq, thought to be the original Garden of Eden, is also on the list.
Experts say the warbler's numbers have dwindled in Iraq because of heavy drainage of the marshlands under Saddam Hussein's rule. The global population is believed to be between 2,500 and 10,000.
Another species to be given special status is the Bukhara deer, which inhabits central Asia's arid zones, migrating across countries like Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Threatened by habitat destruction and possibly pesticide contamination, the Bukhara deer population is around 800 to 900.
Other species which made the endangered listing are Henderson's Petrel, a sea bird, the Malagasy Pond Heron, the Red Knot bird, the Balearic Sheerwater bird, the Spotted Ground Thrush and the Short-Beaked Common Dolphin.
Source: Reuters
Contact Info:
