Proposals to protect two of Central Asia’s rarest species, Przewalski’s horse and the Gobi bear, are high on the agenda of the global wildlife summit beginning this week in the Philippine capital of Manila, it was announced on Sunday.
The government of Mongolia has submitted proposals regarding these species to the 12th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species, or CMS COP12, beginning on Monday.
If agreed, their resolutions will afford the highest protection status under CMS to these animals, whose numbers are critically low.
Over 120 countries, including India, will gather in the Philippines for smmit, the only international treaty devoted exclusively to migratory animal species.
A large number of proposals for greater protection under the Convention will be tabled for negotiation, including well-known species such as the chimpanzee, giraffe, leopard, lion and the whale shark.
Fifteen species of vultures in 128 countries, including four that are critically endangered in India, may also get a fresh lease of life with a 12-year, multi-species coordinated action plan to conserve them set to take wing at the summit.
The stoutly-built reddish-brown Przewalski’s horse is the only surviving species of wild horse that has not been domesticated.
They traditionally roamed the steppe, shrublands, and plains of western Mongolia and northern China, surviving in temperature extremes from 40 degrees Celsius in the summer and minus 45 degrees in the winter.
However, their population has dwindled, with the last confirmed sighting in the wild made in 1969.
Experts say that the horses’ demise is due to severe winters, limited habitat and resources, disease and lack of information and awareness.
In 2008, following a successful captive breeding programme, Przewalski’s horses were re-introduced into the wild in China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.
As of January 1, 2014, the number of living captive and reintroduced animals was 1,988.
Likewise, the smallish, light brown Gobi bear, which is regarded as a national treasure by Mongolians, is found only in the extreme environment of the Gobi Desert.
Population estimates indicate that fewer than 45 remain in the wild with none in captivity. The animals are a unique ecotype and are adapted to the low food availability and harsh environment of the Gobi Desert, where temperatures may vary between 46 degrees Celsius in summer to minus 34 degrees in winter.
If listed on Appendix I, the Gobi bear will fall under the CMS Central Asian Mammals Initiative (CAMI), which currently targets 15 species, and already includes Przewalski’s horse.
The Initiative comprises 14 countries, nine of which have ratified the Convention -- Afghanistan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan -- and five are non-Party States -- Bhutan, China, Nepal, Russia and Turkmenistan.
