Context

• India will host 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• Representatives from 129 Parties and eminent conservationists and international NGOs working in the field of wildlife conservation are expected to attend the COP.

About

CMS and its role

• The Convention was signed in 1979 in Bonn (hence the name), and entered into force in 1983.
• It is an environmental treaty exclusively for migratory species under the aegis of United Nations Environment Programme.
• It provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats.
• It brings together the States through which migratory animals pass, the Range States, and lays the legal foundation for internationally coordinated conservation measures throughout a migratory range.
• CMS complements and co-operates with a number of other international organizations, NGOs and partners in the media as well as in the corporate sector.

Appendixes

• Migratory species threatened with extinction are listed on Appendix I of the Convention.
• CMS Parties strive towards strictly protecting these animals, conserving or restoring the places where they live, mitigating obstacles to migration and controlling other factors that might endanger them.
• Besides establishing obligations for each State joining the Convention, CMS promotes concerted action among the Range States (through which respective species migrate) of many of these species.
• Migratory species that need or would significantly benefit from international co-operation are listed in Appendix II of the Convention. For this reason, the Convention encourages the Range States to conclude global or regional agreements.

Is the convention legally binding?

• CMS acts as a framework Convention. The agreements may range from legally binding treaties (called Agreements) to less formal instruments, such as Memoranda of Understanding, and can be adapted to the requirements of particular regions.

Organisational structure of the convention

• The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the decision-making body of the Convention. It meets at three-yearly intervals.
• The Scientific Council meets between COP sessions to offer scientific advice and identify research and conservation priorities.
• The Secretariat is provided by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and is based in Bonn, Germany and has an out-posted office in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
• The Secretariat develops and promotes Agreements, services meetings, supports and supervises research and conservation projects and co-operates with governments and partner organizations.

India and CMS

• India is a signatory to the convention since 1983.
• During COP 10, the Ministry of Environment and Forests, WWF-India, Wetlands International and BNHS (Bombay Natural History Society) jointly organized a side event on Black-necked Crane urging the Range States for regional cooperation for conservation of this unique species found in the Himalayan high altitude wetlands.