India assumes presidency of UN body on Migratory Species for 3 years
Conservation of wildlife and habitats part of the cultural ethos of India for ages: Prime Minister
India COP kicks off the super year of biodiversity
COP in India will mark the start of focused attention to migratory species and their habitats: Union Environment Minister
The Thirteenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species kicked off in Gandhinagar today in the presence of senior government officials, environment advocates, activists, researchers and biodiversity leaders from as many as 130 countries.
Inaugurating the key UN Summit via video conferencing Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modisaid that the CMS COP13 is of particular significance to India, which is known for its rich biodiversity and is one of the seven megadiverse countries in the world.
“India has four biodiversity hotspots – Eastern Himalayas, Western Ghats, Indo Myanmar landscape and Andaman and Nicobar Islands and home to as many as 500 species of migratory birds from across the globe”, said the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister stressed that his government is committed to championing sustainable lifestyle, conservation and a green development model. He further added that in India’s role as the COP President in the next three years, it will look at conserving the Central Asian Flyway. To achieve this, India has prepared a National Action Plan. He further added that India is keen to facilitate action plans of other countries in this regard and aims at taking conservation to a new paradigm with active cooperation from all.
As President, India shall also look at strengthening cooperation with ASEAN countries for Indo-Pacific activities and conservation of marine biodiversity. He also added that India has launched the Marine Turtle Policy and Marine Standing Policy to address pollution caused by micro-plastics in the marine ecosystem. Other areas that will be under focus include transboundary cooperation, establishment of eco-development committees etc.
The Conference kicks off ‘“Super Year for Environment”, which will include a UN Summit in September and culminate in the UN Biodiversity Conference at the end of 2020, when a new global biodiversity strategy for the next decade will be adopted – the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
India today assumed COP Presidency for the next three years with a focus on Collaborative Approach to tackle Biodiversity Issues. Assuming the presidency the Union Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar said that CMS is very important to India and is at an exciting moment of development and the COP in India will mark the start of focused attention to migratory species and their habitats.
“Migratory birds, mammals and aquatic species are increasingly in danger on their migration routes and countries need to work together to protect them. For India, caring about these species is part of our ethos to protect all animals and natural life on earth. India is very happy to host CMS COP13.”, said the Union Minister.
Stressing the urgency to take collaborative action towards conservation, CMS Executive Secretary Ms Amy Fraenkel said: “COP13 comes at a critical time for wildlife conservation, with continued downward trends of habitat loss and species decline.
Among others Chief Minister Shri Vijay Rupani and Minister of State for Environment and Forests Shri Babul Supriyo were also present at the opening ceremony.
The Convention on Migratory Species is the only multilateral treaty dedicated to addressing the needs of migratory species and their habitats on a global scale. The conference will set in motion actions needed to better protect migratory species that rely on multilateral cooperation for their survival.”
Migratory species of wild animals move from one habitat to another during different times of the year, due to various factors such as food, sunlight, temperature, climate, etc. The movement between habitats, can sometimes exceed thousands of kilometers/miles for some migratory birds and mammals. A migratory route will typically have nesting sites, breeding sites, availability of preferred food and requires the availability of suitable habitat before and after each migration.
India is home to several migratory species of wildlife including snow leopard, Amur falcons, bar headed Geese, black necked cranes, marine turtles, dugongs, humpbacked whales, etc.
Prime Minister inaugurates 13th Conference of Parties on Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals at Gandhinagar
India doubled the tiger population two years before the deadline: PM
India to launch Marine Turtle Policy and Marine Standing Management Policy to address pollution caused by micro plastics
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the 13th Conference of Parties on Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals at Gandhinagar through video conferencing.
Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister asserted that India is one of the most diverse countries of the world. He added that with 2.4% of the world’s land area, India contributes about 8% of the known global biodiversity. The Prime Minister stressed that for ages, conservation of wildlife and habitats has been part of the cultural ethos of India, which encourages compassion and co-existence. “Inspired by Gandhi ji, the ethos of non violence and protection of animals and nature have been suitably enshrined in the Constitution of India and is reflected in several laws & legislations,” he added.
The Prime Minister spoke of the increase in India’s forest cover, which currently stands at 21.67% of the total geographical area of the country. He mentioned how India has been championing the cause of “climate action” through conservation, sustainable lifestyle and green development model. In this context, he mentioned the push towards Electric Vehicles, Smart Cities, and Conservation of Water. He said India is one of the few countries whose actions are compliant with the Paris Agreement goal of keeping rise in temperature to below 2 degree Celsius.
The Prime Minister explained how focussed species conservation programmes have shown encouraging results. “India has achieved its target of doubling the number of tigers from 1411 in 2010 to 2967, two years before the committed date of 2022,” he observed. He called upon Tiger Range Countries present at the Conference, and also others, to come together to strengthen tiger conservation through sharing of benchmarking practices. He spoke of initiatives taken by India for conservation of Asian elephants. He also spoke at length of efforts to protect the Snow Leopard, the Asiatic Lion, the one-horned rhinoceros, and the Great Indian Bustard. He also noted that the mascot ‘GIBI – The Great’, is a tribute to the Great Indian Bustard.
He also observed that the CMS COP 13 Logo is inspired by the traditional ‘KOLAM’ from southern India, which has a profound significance in the context of living in harmony with nature. He said the mantra of “Athithi Devo Bhava”, has been reflected in the theme for the CMS COP 13: “Migratory species connect the planet and together we welcome them home.”
The Prime Minister elaborated on some of India’s priority areas, while holding the Presidency of this convention for the coming three years.
Noting that India is a part of the Central Asian Flyway for migratory birds, the Prime Minister said that with a view to conserve birds along the Central Asian Flyway and their habitats, India has prepared a ‘National Action Plan for conservation of Migratory Birds along the Central Asian Flyway’. “India would be happy to facilitate preparation of Action Plans for other countries in this regard. We are keen to take the conservation of migratory birds to a new paradigm with active cooperation of all the Central Asian Flyway Range Countries,” he added.
The Prime Minister said India proposes to strengthen its association with the ASEAN and East Asia Summit countries. This would be in sync with the Indo Pacific Ocean Initiative (IPOI), wherein India will be playing a leadership role, he added. India by 2020, will be launching its Marine Turtle Policy and Marine Stranding Management Policy, the Prime Minister asserted. He said this will also address the pollution caused by microplastics. Single use plastics have been a challenge for environment protection and we in India have been on a mission mode to reduce its usage, the Prime Minister said.
Mentioning that several Protected Areas in India share common boundaries with the Protected Areas of neighbouring countries, the Prime Minister said that cooperation in conservation of wildlife through establishment of ‘Trans boundary Protected Areas’, would lead to very positive outcomes.
Reiterating the Union Government’s commitment to the path of sustainable development, the Prime Minister mentioned the release of the Linear Infrastructure Policy Guidelines to tailor development in ecologically fragile areas.
The Prime Minister explained how, in the spirit of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas, Sabka Vishwaas”, millions of people living in vicinity of forest area in the country have now been integrated in the form of Joint Forestry Management Committees and Eco Development Committees and associated with the protection of forest and wildlife.