13th COP on Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals

The 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of wild animals (CMS), an environmental treaty under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme, was hosted by India from 17th to 22nd February 2020 at Gandhi Nagar in Gujarat.

• Theme: The theme of CMS COP13 was “Migratory species connect the planet and we welcome them home”. In the logo of CMS COP-13, Kolam (a traditional art form from southern India) was used to depict key migratory species in India like Amur falcon, humpback whale and marine turtles.
• Mascot: The mascot for CMS COP13 was “Gibi - The Great Indian Bustard” It is a critically endangered species that has been accorded the highest protection status under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
• The Indian sub-continent is also part of the major bird flyway network, i.e., the Central Asian Flyway that covers areas between the Arctic and Indian Oceans, and covers at least 279 populations of 182 migratory water bird species, including 29 globally threatened species.
• 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 meeting.