Relevance: Prelims/Mains: G.S paper III: Environment
Why in news?
- India’s proposal to include Great Indian Bustard, Asian Elephant and Bengal Florican in Appendix I of UN Convention on migratory species was unanimously accepted at the 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) in Gandhinagar.
Asian Elephant:
- The Government of India has declared Asian elephant/Indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) as National Heritage Animal.
- Indian elephant is also provided highest degree of legal protection by listing it in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection)
Act, 1972. - The challenges confronting Asian elephant conservation in most elephant Range States are habitat loss and fragmentation, human elephant conflict, and poaching and illegal trade of elephants.
Great Indian Bustard:
- The Great Indian Bustard is a Critically Endangered species with a small population of about 100–150 individuals that is largely restricted to Thar desert in Rajasthan, India.
- The species has disappeared from 90% of this range; their population has reduced by 90% within 50 years (six generations); and their threats are expected to increase in future.
Bengal Florican:
- The Bengal Florican, a critically endangered species, exhibits transboundary movements. Its migration exposes it to threats such as land use changes and collision with power transmission line at boundary area of India-Nepal.
- As a result, populations have declined and the species no longer breeds outside Protected Areas in the Indian subcontinent, except in a few areas of Assam.
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