Abu Dhabi: India became the 56th State signatory of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) by inking the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia, Raptors MoU here.
Ambassador of India to the United Arab Emirates TP Seetharam signed the MoU in the CMS Office here in Abu Dhabi Monday, a (WAM) news agency report said Tuesday.
Dr. Sheikha Al Dhaheri, Executive Director, Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity Sector, Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD), and Dr Salim Javed, Acting Director, Terrestrial Biodiversity, EAD attended the signing ceremony.
The Raptors MoU will enter into effect in India on April 1, 2016.
A Coordinating Unit, funded and hosted since 2009 by EAD on behalf of the Government of the United Arab Emirates, supports the Raptors MoU.
Over fifty species of migratory raptors listed in the Raptors MoU frequent India.
For instance, the India's north-eastern State of Nagaland represents an internationally important stop-over site for at least a million Amur Falcons (Falco amurensis) annually.
These small falcons are long-distance migrants on their way to wintering areas in southern Africa from breeding grounds in China and Russia. This represents the largest concentration of any species of bird of prey, anywhere in the world.
The Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change already has a track record of taking decisive action to protect migratory birds of prey.
When scientists discovered that the veterinary drug Diclofenac was the primary cause of the Asian Vulture Crisis, the India banned use of the drug for veterinary purposes in 2006.
QNA
