Asian Elephants, Bengal Floricans from India among 10 to be on UN endangered list

New Delhi, Feb 13: Great Indian Bustard, Asian Elephant and Bengal Florican from India will be among 10 endangered species of migratory animals/birds from across the world which will be included in a special UN list for protection.

Their inclusion will be discussed at a triennial UN conference on conservation of migratory species of wild animals (COP13) in Gandhinagar from February 15 to 22 which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Environmentalists and wildlife conservation experts from 126 signatory parties across the globe will converge to discuss strategies on saving the endangered migratory species.

Special efforts are made for the conservation of migratory species included in the CMS appendix across countries which are part of this UN-inspired effort to save them, he said.

India will also try to get dolphins included in the list of protected species.

The Great Indian Bustard is among the heaviest flying birds. Once common on dry plains, as few as 150 of them were estimated to survive in 2018.

The Asiatic Elephant is found throughout the Indian sub-continent and South-East Asia. Since 1986, it has been listed as endangered as its population has declined by at least 50 per cent over the last three generations.

The Bengal Florican is native to the Indian subcontinent, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is listed as critically endangered because fewer than 1,000 birds were estimated to be alive as of 2017.