Countries under the international treaty to protect migratory animals have proposed increasing protections for 42 species. These include numerous seabirds, the snowy owl, several sharks, the striped hyena, and some cheetah populations.
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) aims to protect species ranging from butterflies and fish to birds and mammals that cross national borders for food and reproduction. Species listed in the convention’s Appendix I are considered to be in need of strict protection across their range countries, while those in Appendix II are thought to benefit from international cooperation.
The CMS published its first ever report on the state of the world’s migratory species in 2024, noting that 399 species are globally threatened or near threatened but not yet listed under the CMS.
Parties to the CMS recently proposed listing 42 such species and one subspecies in Appendix I or II.
Zimbabwe proposed including populations of cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia — considered part of the Southern African transboundary cheetah population — in Appendices I and II. Other cheetah populations are already included in Appendix I.
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan proposed including the striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena), which undertakes wide-ranging movements across arid and semiarid environments, in Appendices I and II.
Thirty-one species and one subspecies of birds have also been proposed for listing. These include Norway’s proposal to include the snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) in Appendix II, noting that the owl has lost a third of its population in the last three decades.
Other proposals cover several migratory seabird and shorebird species, including 26 species of petrel, from the genera Pterodroma and Pseudobulweria, and the flesh-footed shearwater (Ardenna carneipes).
Three shorebirds — the Hudsonian whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus hudsonicus), Hudsonian godwit (Limosa haemastica) and lesser yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) — have been proposed for inclusion in Appendix I, while the Iberá seedeater (Sporophila iberaensis), a wetland bird, is a candidate for Appendix II inclusion.
Among other aquatic animals, France has proposed the giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), the world’s largest river otter species, endemic to South America, in Appendices I and II. (France, in Europe, is technically a range country for the species through its “overseas department” of French Guiana, which hosts about 200 individuals, according to the proposal.)
Several migratory shark species are proposed for listing too. Panama proposed including the pelagic thresher shark (Alopias pelagicus), bigeye thresher shark (Alopias superciliosus) and common thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus) in Appendix I.
Brazil proposed including two sharks, the Patagonian narrownose smoothhound (Mustelus schmitti) and angular angelshark (Squatina guggenheim), and a catfish, the spotted sorubim (Pseudoplatystoma corruscans), in Appendix II.
Meanwhile, Ecuador proposed the inclusion of the scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) and the great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran) in Appendix I.
Decisions on the proposals will be taken at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CMS, to be held in Campo Grande, Brazil, in March.
Banner image: A snowy owl in flight. Image courtesy of Bert de Tilly.
This story first appeared on Mongabay
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