Snowy owl, hammerhead sharks among 40 species gaining CMS protections

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Snowy Owl, Perched on snow (Photo by: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Cheetahs, snowy owls and hammerhead sharks are among the dozens of animal species on the cusp of extinction that will receive greater conservation protections. 

Big picture view:

Giant otters, striped hyenas, and several shorebird species are also among the 40 animals added by the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) to its lists of species in danger of extinction (Appendices I) or in need of coordinated international action (Appendices II). 

Why you should care:

With these latest additions, the number of unique species on at least one of those two lists has eclipsed 1,200, the organization said. Additionally, key indicators are trending downward for many of the animals already on the list, CMS stated, citing new findings presented at its recent meeting in Brazil.

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What they're saying:

CMS attributed the negative trend to factors including habitat loss, overexploitation, and infrastructure barriers that are harming those species’ populations.

"The conference also highlighted a growing need to address threats such as deep-sea mining, climate change, plastic pollution, underwater noise, illegal wildlife killing, fisheries bycatch, and marine pollution," CMS explained in its statement. 

The backstory:

CMS is based on a United Nations environmental treaty. It is designed to allow countries to coordinate the conservation and sustainable use of animals that migrate across national borders. Over 130 nations and the European Union were part of last week’s agreements on new or increased coordinated conservation efforts. 

Beyond the expansion of the Appendices I and II , the nations agreed on 16 new concerted actions involving chimpanzees, giraffes, and all devil and manta ray species, as well as ten species-focused action plans and a new initiative on the illegal taking of migratory species.

List of 40 species added to CMS Appendices I and II

Terrestrial Species

• Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) — Added to Appendix I and II — Zimbabwe’s cheetah population, estimated at 150 to 170 individuals. Other populations were already listed on Appendix I.
• Striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) — Added to Appendix I and II

Avian Species

• Gadfly petrels (genera Pterodroma and Pseudobulweria) — Added to Appendix I and II — 16 added to Appendix II (15 species, plus two subspecies); 9 added to Appendix I.
• Snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) — Added to Appendix II
• Flesh-footed shearwater (Ardenna carneipes) — Added to Appendix II
• Iberá seedeater (Sporophila iberaensis) — Added to Appendix II
• Hudsonian whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus hudsonicus) — Added to Appendix I
• Hudsonian godwit (Limosa haemastica) — Added to Appendix I
• Lesser yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) — Added to Appendix I

Aquatic Species

• Giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) — Added to Appendix I and II
• Patagonian narrownose smoothhound (Mustelus schmitti) — Added to Appendix II
• Spotted sorubim (Pseudoplatystoma corruscans) — Added to Appendix II
• Pelagic thresher shark, bigeye thresher shark and common thresher shark (Alopias pelagicus, Alopias superciliosus, Alopias vulpinus) — Added to Appendix I (while maintaining status under Appendix II)
• Scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) — Added to Appendix I (while maintaining status under Appendix II)
• Great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran) — Added to Appendix I (while maintaining status under Appendix II)