Snowy owl, hammerhead shark and cheetah among 40 new species given global protection, UN says
The UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) on Sunday approved the listing of 40 new species for global protection, including snowy owl featured in the Harry Potter saga.
This decision came at the end of the COP15 conference on migratory animals in Campo Verde, Brazil, which brought together representatives from 132 countries and the European Union.
It is one of the most important meetings in the world for wildlife conservation.
Also on the new protection list along with the snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) are the Hudsonian godwit (Limosa haemastica) — an endangered long-billed shorebird — and large shorebirds. hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran).
The new list featured land mammals such as the striped wolf (Hyaena hyaena) and cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and other aquatic wildlife such as the giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis).
“From cheetahs and striped wolves to snowy owls, giant crocodiles and giant hammerhead sharks, CMS teams have supported strong international action as new evidence shows that many migratory species are nearing extinction,” CMS said in a statement on social media.
Countries that are part of the CMS have a legal obligation to protect endangered species, preserve and restore their habitats, prevent barriers to migration and cooperate with other states.
Campo Verde is located in the biodiversity-rich Pantanal wetlands of Brazil, south of the Amazon.
According to a report released ahead of the conference, nearly half (49 percent) of all species listed by CMS are showing signs of decline, and nearly one in four are threatened with extinction worldwide.
“We came to Campo Grande knowing that the population of half of the species protected under this agreement has declined,” CMS Executive Secretary Amy Fraenkel said in a statement. “We are going with strong defenses and very ambitious plans but the brands themselves are not waiting for our next meeting.”
Another major UN study, published on Tuesday as the conference opened, warned that freshwater migratory fish are vital to river health and sustaining the livelihoods of millions of people who are endangered and at risk of collapse.
Habitat destruction, overfishing and water pollution from the Amazon to the Danube threaten the very survival of hundreds of species whose famous journeys along the world’s great rivers are invisible.
Last November, Brazil hosted the tournament COP30 climate conference in the Amazonian city of Belem. Leaders from nearly 200 countries attended the conference, but they came from the world’s three largest emitters of greenhouse gases – China, America and India. Beijing and New Delhi sent high-level delegations to the two-week summit. However, the White House said no senior US officials will attend this year’s COP. President Trump has repeatedly dismissed human-caused climate change as a “hoax.”
