Syllabus Section- Environment and Ecology
Why in news?
The two-day Asian Waterbird Census-2020 commenced in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday under the aegis of experts from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), covering at least two dozen sites, including Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, Kolleru Lake and Krishna Sanctuary.
About
• Every January, thousands of volunteers across Asia and Australasia visit wetlands in their country and count waterbirds. This citizen science programme is the Asian Waterbird Census (AWC).
• The AWC is an integral part of the global waterbird monitoring programme, the International Waterbird Census (IWC), coordinated by Wetlands International.
• The IWC is a monitoring programme operating in 143 countries to collect information on the numbers of waterbirds at wetland sites.
• Wetlands International is a global not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the conservation and restoration of wetlands.
• It runs in parallel with other regional programmes of the International Waterbird Census in Africa, Europe, West Asia, the Neotropics and the Caribbean.
India& AWC:
• The AWC is jointly coordinated by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and Wetlands International.
• BNHS is a pan-India wildlife research organization, which has been promoting the cause of nature conservation since 1883.
• A reference list of internationally important AWC sites and wetland IBAs in India has been prepared.
• India has 42 Ramsar sites, the latest one included is Tso Kar Wetland Complex of Ladakh.
• Ten new species were added to CMS Appendices at COP13. Seven species were added to Appendix I (provides the strictest protection) including the Asian Elephant, Jaguar, Great Indian Bustard, Bengal Florican, etc.
• India submitted its Sixth National Report (NR6) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in December 2018.
• BirdLife's Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) Programme identifies, monitors and protects a global network of priority sites for the conservation of birds and other wildlife. India has more than 450 sites.
• The 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP13) concluded in Gandhinagar, Gujarat in February 2020.
Source- Indian Express