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At a recent meeting in Uzbekistan, range states endorsed a new six‑year Programme of Work for the Central Asian Mammals Initiative. The plan identifies transboundary conservation hotspots and sets priorities for protecting 17 iconic migratory mammals across Central Asia. Delegates agreed to finalise the programme before the fifteenth Conference of Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species, to be held in Brazil in March 2026.
Background
The Central Asian Mammals Initiative was launched in 2014 at the eleventh Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (also known as the Bonn Convention). It provides a common framework for 14 Central Asian countries to cooperate on conserving migratory mammals whose ranges cross borders. The initiative currently covers 17 species:
- Argali sheep
- Asiatic cheetah
- Asiatic wild ass
- Bukhara deer
- Eurasian lynx
- Gobi bear
- Goitered gazelle
- Kiang
- Mongolian gazelle
- Pallas’s cat
- Persian leopard
- Przewalski’s horse
- Saiga antelope
- Snow leopard
- Urial (wild sheep)
- Wild camel
- Wild yak
The Convention on Migratory Species
Adopted in Bonn in June 1979 under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme, the Convention on Migratory Species is the only global treaty devoted exclusively to the conservation of migratory animals. It recognises that species often move across national borders and therefore require coordinated international action. The convention empowers member states to conclude legally binding agreements or less formal memoranda of understanding to protect endangered migratory animals and their habitats. Its decision‑making body is the Conference of Parties (COP).
Current priorities and challenges
The Programme of Work for 2021–2026 (adopted at CMS COP13) focuses on reversing population declines by mitigating habitat loss, poaching, infrastructure barriers and climate change impacts. The newly endorsed six‑year plan builds on this by mapping corridors that connect wintering and breeding grounds, encouraging community‑based conservation and promoting scientific research. Range states such as Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Iran, China, Russia and India must collaborate to ensure that migratory mammals can move safely across borders.
Source: Down To Earth