National & International Organization for Environment, Climate Change & Bio-diversity

Environmental Organisation

International Union For Conservation Of Nature (IUCN)

IUCN has become the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it. The knowledge and the tools IUCN provide are critical for ensuring that human progress, economic development and nature conservation take place together.

IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, was established on 5 October 1948

in the French town of Fontainebleau. It changed its name to the International Union for

Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) in 1956 and was also known as the

World Conservation Union.

• The IUCN is the world’s oldest global environmental organization.
• Its headquarters are in Gland, Switzerland.
• As the first global environmental union, it brought together governments and civil society organisations with a shared goal to protect nature. Its aim was to encourage international cooperation and provide scientific knowledge and tools to guide conservation action.
• IUCN also played a fundamental role in the creation of key international conventions, including the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (1971), the World Heritage Convention (1972), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (1974), and the Convention on Biological Diversity (1992).
• In 1980, IUCN – in partnership with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) – published the World Conservation Strategy, a groundbreaking document which helped define the concept of ‘sustainable development’ and shaped the global conservation and sustainable development agenda.
• A subsequent version of the strategy, caring for the Earth, was published by the three organisations in the run-up to the 1992 Earth Summit. It served as the basis for international environmental policy and guided the creation of the Rio Conventions on biodiversity (CBD), climate change (UNFCCC) and desertification (UNCCD). 
• In the early 2000s, IUCN developed its business engagement strategy. Prioritising sectors with a significant impact on nature and livelihoods, such as mining and oil and gas, its aim is to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.
• Later in the 2000s, IUCN pioneered ‘nature-based solutions’ – actions to conserve nature which also address global challenges, such as food and water security, climate change and poverty reduction.
• Today, with the expertise and reach of its more than 1,300 Members – including States, government agencies, NGOs and Indigenous Peoples’ Organisations – and over 10,000 international experts, IUCN is the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network. It continues to champion nature-based solutions as key to the implementation of international agreements such as the Paris climate change agreement and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

There are various programs and initiatives of IUCN are given below: -

1. IUCN Red Data List

• Established in 1964, the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species.
• The IUCN Red List is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity. It provides information about range, population size, habitat and ecology, use and/or trade, threats, and conservation actions that will help inform necessary conservation decisions.
• The IUCN Red List is used by government agencies, wildlife departments, conservation-related non-governmental organizations (NGOs), natural resource planners, educational organizations, students, and the business community.
• The Red List process has become a massive enterprise involving the IUCN Global Species Program, the IUCN Species Survival Commission and partner networks who compile the species information to make The IUCN Red List the indispensable product it is today.
• Currently there are more than 105,700 species on The IUCN Red List, with more than 28,000 species threatened with extinction, including 40% of amphibians, 34% of conifers, 33% of reef building corals, 25% of mammals and 14% of birds.

2. Ecosystem Management Programme

The well-being of people all over the world depends on the various goods and services provided by ecosystems, including food, fuel, construction materials, clean water and air, and protection from natural hazards. Ecosystems, however, are under increasing pressure from unsustainable use and other threats including outright conversion. To address this concern, IUCN promotes the sound management of ecosystems through the wider application of the Ecosystem Approach – a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that places human needs at its centre, through the Ecosystem Management Programme.

The Ecosystem Management Programme works on five key programmatic areas for IUCN:

• Red List of Ecosystems, compiles information on the state of the world’s ecosystems at different geographic scales. Its central objective is to assess the risk of ecosystem collapse.
• Ecosystem based Adaptation, where the Initiative aims to include biodiversity concerns in adaptation and mitigation polices and practice, as well as furthering natural resource management strategies that help biodiversity and people to adapt to the impacts of climate change. The Initiative coordinates Climate Change work across IUCN's programmes, regions, Commissions and member organizations.
• Disaster Risk Reduction, where the programme aims to promote integration of ecosystem management, livelihoods, community vulnerability and climate change adaptation to disaster management.
• Drylands, where the programme demonstrates the high value of ecosystem services and shows how to adapt development and conservation approaches to the unique challenges of aridity and climatic uncertainty.
• Global Island Partnership, this is a voluntary partnership for all islands, regardless of size or political status, to take bold steps to build resilient and sustainable island communities through innovative partnerships. In addition, the Programme provides technical input on integrating wider ecosystem-scale biodiversity issues into IUCN’s programmes globally, regionally and nationally.

3. Red List of Ecosystems

The Red List of Ecosystems evaluates whether ecosystems have reached the final stage of degradation, whether they are threatened at Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable levels, or if they are not currently facing significant risk of collapse (Least Concern). It is based on a set of rules, or criteria, for performing evidence-based, scientific assessments of the risk of ecosystem collapse, as measured by reductions in geographical distribution or degradation of the key processes and components of ecosystems.

A) The Red List of Ecosystems will be of great value to a number of different sectors, including:

• Conservation: to help prioritize investments in ecosystem management and restoration, reform resource use practices, and reward good and improved ecosystem management.
• Natural resource management: to illustrate ecosystem risks under different land use/development scenarios, and offer insights into ecosystems that provide services such as clean water, soil productivity and the availability of natural products.
• Macro-economic planning: to highlight both the economic costs of reduced ecosystem services and potential economic benefits of improved ecosystem management.
• Improvement of governance and livelihoods: to inform development of governance systems that improve ecosystem management, livelihood security and social outcomes.
• Global environmental reporting: to inform governments and the global community on progress towards achieving international environmental targets.
• Private sector: to assess potential environmental and social benefits and costs of alternative designs of future development projects, as well as monitor and report on environmental impacts.
• Public sector: to inform the public about the current state of ecosystems and their future prognosis.

B) Red List of Ecosystems objectives and goals

• A global assessment of the ecosystems of the world by 2025.
• Technical support will be provided for stakeholders to carry out finer scale assessments at national and regional levels. These may be led by government agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, IUCN national and regional offices and their networks of collaborators.
• The Red List criteria may be applied to assess individual ecosystems of particular interest to stakeholders.

C) Ecosystem red lists have the potential to complement the policy successes of species red lists in several ways.

• Ecosystems may more effectively represent biological diversity as a whole than individual species.
• The eco-systemic scale includes fundamental abiotic components that are only indirectly included in species assessments.
• Decline in ecosystem status may be more apparent than extinctions of individual species.
• Ecosystem-level assessments may be less time consuming than species-by-species assessments.
• Red lists of ecosystems may suggest areas in which extirpation are likely to result from extinction debt in response to loss and fragmentation of species’ habitats, because decline in the extent and status of an ecosystem may precede the loss of its species.

D) Red List of Ecosystems Categories and Criteria

The IUCN Red List of Ecosystems protocol includes five criteria for assessing the risk of ecosystem collapse:

• Reduction in geographic distribution
• Restricted geographic distribution
• Environmental degradation
• Disruption of biotic processes or interactions
• Quantitative analysis that estimates the probability of ecosystem collapse

4. Global Drylands Initiative

A) Drylands are found in tropical and temperate latitudes and account for 41.3% of the global terrestrial area.

• They can be classified into four types - dry sub-humid, semi-arid, arid and hyper-arid lands - encompassing a variety of ecosystems.
• The goal of the Global Drylands Initiative is to restore, sustainably manage and protect dryland ecosystems for multiple environmental, economic and social benefits.
• The Initiative supports countries to adapt ecosystem management policy and practice to the unique conditions of the drylands and to the evolving challenges that the drylands face

B) The Global Drylands Initiative aims to:

• Generate evidence for targeting and monitoring of dryland conditions and trends through adapted assessment approaches that operationalize current understanding on nonequilibrium dryland ecology.
• Strengthen governance for sustainable land management by strengthening of resource rights, establishment of institutional mechanisms for ecosystem management, and development of enabling conditions for policy implementation and revision.
• Promote policy implementation for dryland ecosystem management by enhancing the knowledge and capacity of various stakeholders to adapt policies and investments to the unique conditions of the drylands.

5. Mangroves for the Future

• MFF is a unique partner-led initiative to promote investment in coastal ecosystem conservation for sustainable development.
• Co-chaired by IUCN and UNDP.
• MFF provides a platform for collaboration among the many different agencies, sectors and countries which are addressing challenges to coastal ecosystem and livelihood issues.
• The goal is to promote an integrated ocean-wide approach to coastal management and to building the resilience of ecosystem-dependent coastal communities.
• MFF builds on a history of coastal management interventions before and after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. It initially focused on the countries that were worst affected by the tsunami -- India, Indonesia, Maldives, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Thailand. More recently it has expanded to include Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Vietnam.
• Mangroves are the flagship of the initiative, but MFF is inclusive of all types of coastal ecosystem, such as coral reefs, estuaries, lagoons, sandy beaches, seagrasses and wetlands.
• Each country manages its own MFF programme through a National Coordinating Body which includes representation from government, NGOs and the private sector. MFF addresses priorities for long-term sustainable coastal ecosystem management which include, among others: climate change adaptation and mitigation, disaster risk reduction, promotion of ecosystem health, development of sustainable livelihoods, and active engagement of the private sector in developing sustainable business practices.
• The emphasis is on generating knowledge, empowering local communities and advocating for policy solutions that will support best practice in integrated coastal management.
• MFF will increasingly focus on building resilience of ecosystem-dependent coastal communities by promoting nature-based solutions and by showcasing the climate change adaptation and mitigation benefits that can be achieved with healthy mangrove forests and other types of coastal vegetation.

6. The Restoration Initiative (TRI)

The Restoration Initiative unites 10 Asian and African countries and three Global Environment Facility agencies – IUCN, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, and the UN Environment Program – in working to overcome existing barriers to restoration and restore degraded landscapes at scale, and in support of the Bonn Challenge. A growing global movement of political and community leaders, farmers, scientists, businesses and investors is taking action to restore degraded landscapes. One significant outcome of this support is the Bonn Challenge – a global effort to bring 150 million hectares of deforested and degraded land into restoration by 2020, and 350 million hectares by 2030. To date, 57 governments and private sector entities have pledged 170 million hectares towards the Bonn Challenge target.

For each partnering country, project interventions will include work in four key areas:

• Policy development and integration enhancing the in-country enabling environment for FLR;
• Implementation of restoration programmes and complementary initiatives providing direct support for implementation of integrated landscape restoration work, and providing scalable models for wider uptake;
• Capacity building and finance mobilisation supporting efforts to unlock and mobilise additional funding for FLR, and to strengthen and enhance the abilities of countries, institutions, and people to plan and manage FLR; and
• Knowledge sharing and partnerships providing support for the capture and sharing of innovative experiences and best practices, raising awareness of FLR needs and opportunities, and developing and strengthening critical partnerships.

7. The Bonn Challenge

• The Bonn Challenge is a global effort to bring 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested land into restoration by 2020 and 350 million by 2030.
• The 2020 target was launched at a high level event in Bonn in 2011 organized by the Government of Germany and IUCN, and was later endorsed and extended to 2030 by the New York Declaration on Forests of the 2014 UN Climate Summit. To date, 56 governments, private associations and companies have pledged over 168 million hectares to the Challenge.
• The Bonn Challenge is an implementation vehicle for national priorities such as water and food security and rural development while simultaneously helping countries contribute to the achievement of international climate change, biodiversity and land degradation commitments.
• The restoration of 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested lands in biomes around the world – in line with the forest landscape restoration (FLR) approach – will create approximately US$ 84 billion per year in net benefits that could bring direct additional income opportunities for rural communities.
• About 90% of this value is potentially tradable, meaning that it encompasses market-related benefits. Achieving the 350-million-hectare goal will generate about US$ 170 billion per year in net benefits from watershed protection, improved crop yields and forest products, and could sequester up to 1.7 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually.

Further, as the IUCN Focal Point to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the Global Drylands Initiative leads IUCN's efforts to influence the global discourse on Land Degradation and Sustainable Land Management. In this case, the Initiative supports countries to implement their commitments to the Convention by demonstrating good practices on the ground, influencing the sciencepolicy interaction of the Convention itself and working with other stakeholders to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

• The IPCC was created to provide policymakers with regular scientific assessments on climate change, its implications and potential future risks, as well as to put forward adaptation and mitigation options.
• IPCC assessments provide a scientific basis for governments at all levels to develop climate related policies, and they underlie negotiations at the UN Climate Conference – the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
• IPCC created in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the objective of the IPCC is to provide governments at all levels with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies.
• The IPCC is an organization of governments that are members of the United Nations or WMO. The IPCC currently has 195 members.
• People from all over the world contribute to the work of the IPCC. For the assessment reports, IPCC scientists volunteer their time to assess the thousands of scientific papers published each year to provide a comprehensive summary of what is known about the drivers of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and how adaptation and mitigation can reduce those risks.
• The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize was shared between the IPCC and Al Gore.
• Besides the Sixth Assessment Report, to be completed by 2022. The IPCC released the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C in October 2018, the Special Report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL), published on 7 August 2019, and the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC), released on 25 September 2019

Key points of IPCC report

A) Unprecedented Scale

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says the 1.5 deg. C goal is technically and economically feasible, but depends on political leadership to become reality.
• The panel says capping global warming at 1.5 deg. C above pre-industrial levels will require "rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society".
• Earth's average surface temperature has already gone up 1 deg. C - enough to unleash a surge of deadly extreme weather - and is on track to rise another two or three degrees unless there is a sharp and sustained reduction in carbon pollution.
• At current levels of greenhouse gas emissions, the planet could pass the 1.5 deg. C marker as early as 2030, and no later than mid-century.
• Emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) - the main greenhouse gas - should peak no later than 2020 and curve sharply downwards from there, according to scenarios in the report.
• Limiting global warming to 1.5 deg. C will require investing about US$2.4 trillion in the global energy system every year between 2016 and 2035, or about 2.5 per cent of world gross domestic product. This price tag, however, must be weighed against the even steeper cost of inaction, the report says.

B) 1.5 deg. Centigrade versus 2 deg. Centigrade

• The 2 deg. C was long considered the temperature guardrail for a climate-safe world.
• Some tropical fisheries may collapse between the 1.5 deg. C and 2 deg. C. Staple food crops will decline in yield and nutritional value by an extra 10 per cent to 15 per cent. Coral reefs will mostly perish. Species loss will accelerate substantially.
• Temperature thresholds between 1.5 deg. C and 2 deg. C could push Arctic sea ice, methaneladen permafrost and melting polar ice sheets past a point of no return

The United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP)

• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system, and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.
• It was founded by Maurice Strong as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Conference) in June 1972.
• It has played a significant role in developing international environmental conventions, promoting environmental science and information and illustrating the way those can be implemented in conjunction with policy, working on the development and implementation of policy with national governments, regional institutions in conjunction with environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
• UNEP has also been active in funding and implementing environment related development projects.
• UN Environment has aided in the formulation of guidelines and treaties on issues such as the international trade in potentially harmful chemicals, transboundary air pollution, and contamination of international waterways. Relevant documents, including scientific papers, are available via the UNEP Document Repository.
• The World Meteorological Organization and UN Environment established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988. UN Environment is also one of several Implementing Agencies for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol, and it is also a member of the United Nations Development Group.
• UNEP publishes the Global Environment Outlook (GEO) assessment is a comprehensive report on environment, development and human well-being, providing analysis and information for policy makers and the concerned public.

Emission Gap Report

1. The annual UN Environment Emissions Gap Report presents an assessment of current national mitigation efforts and the ambitions countries have presented in their Nationally Determined Contributions, which form the foundation of the Paris Agreement.
2. Scientists agree that to get on track to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C, emissions must drop rapidly to 25 gigatons by 2030.
3. Collectively, if commitments, policies and action can deliver a 7.6% emissions reduction every year between 2020 and 2030.

Campaigns and Awards by UNEP

Clean Seas: 

• UN Environment launched Clean Seas (#CleanSeas on social media) in February 2017, with the aim of engaging governments, the general public and the private sector in the fight against marine plastic pollution. The campaign contributes to the goals of the Global Partnership on Marine Litter, a voluntary open-ended partnership for international agencies, governments, businesses, academia, local authorities and non-governmental organizations hosted by UN Environment.

UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration:

• The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 2021–2030 as the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, following a proposal for action by over 70 countries from all latitudes. The UN Decade positions the restoration of ecosystems as a major nature- based solution towards meeting a wide range of global development goals and national priorities.
• The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration aims to:

1. Showcase successful government-led and private initiatives to halt ecosystem degradation, restore those ecosystems that have already been degraded
2. Enhance knowledge exchange on what works and why (policy, economics and biophysical aspects), and how to implement restoration at scale
3. Connect initiatives working in the same landscape, region, or topic, to increase efficiency and impact
4. Create links between ecosystem restoration opportunities and initiatives with businesses interested in building a solid portfolio of sustainable production and impact investment
5. Bring a wider spectrum of actors on board, especially from sectors that are not traditionally involved, by demonstrating the importance of ecosystem restoration to conservation as well as generation of social and economic benefits.

World Environment Day: 

• World Environment Day (5th june) is the United Nations day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment. Since it began in 1974, the event has grown to become a global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated in over 100 countries. The theme for 2019 is “Air pollution”.

Champions of The Earth:

• The UN Environment Programme’s Champions of the Earth award is the world’s flagship environmental honour. Since 2005, we have recognized heroes who inspire, encourage others to join them, and defend a cleaner future.
• Champions of the Earth are celebrated in four categories:

1. Policy leadership – individuals or organizations in the public sector leading global or national action for the environment. They shape dialogue, lead commitments and act for the good of the planet.
2. Inspiration and action – individuals or organizations taking bold steps to inspire positive change to protect our world. They lead by example, challenge behavior and inspire millions.
3. Entrepreneurial vision – individuals or organizations challenging the status quo to build a cleaner future. They build systems, create new technology and spearhead a groundbreaking vision.
4. Science and innovation – individuals or organizations who push the boundaries of technology for profound environmental benefit. They invent possibilities for a more sustainable world.

The World Meteoroligical Organization (WMO)

• It is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 193 Member States and Territories.
• WMO originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), which was founded in 1873 to facilitate the exchange of weather information across national borders.
• Established in 1950, the WMO became a specialized agency of the United Nations in 1951. Its mandate is in the areas of meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences.
• WMO has played a unique and powerful role in contributing to the safety and welfare of humanity. It has fostered collaboration between the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services of its Members and furthered the application of meteorology in many areas.
• WMO assists Members with technology transfer, training for capacity development, collaboration on research and the application of meteorology to public weather services, agriculture, the energy sector, the environment, health, transport (aviation and shipping), the management of water resources, disaster risk reduction and many more.
• The Organization also contributes to policy formulation in areas related to weather, climate and water at national and international levels.
• The World Meteorological Day is held annually on 23 March. the theme “The Sun, the Earth and the weather”.
• The Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Programme of WMO focuses on building a single coordinated global understanding of atmospheric composition, its change, and helps to improve the understanding of interactions between the atmosphere, the oceans and the biosphere. The GAW Programme operates according to the GAW Implementation Plan 2016-2023.

Global Atmosphere Watch data are used in the following assessments:

    

    a) WMO/UNEP Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion

    b) Global Precipitation Chemistry Assessment

    c) WMO Arctic and Antarctic ozone bulletins

    d) Greenhouse gas bulletins

    e) Aerosol bulletins

The Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) is co-sponsored by the World Meteorological

Organization (WMO), the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations

Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (IOC-UNESCO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment), and the International Science Council (ISC). It

regularly assesses the status of global climate observations of the atmosphere, land and ocean and produces guidance for its improvement.

CITES (The Convention on Internationalization Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora)

• CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
• CITES was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of IUCN (The World Conservation Union). The text of the Convention was finally agreed at a meeting of representatives of 80 countries in Washington, D.C., the United States of America, on 3 March 1973, and on 1 July 1975 CITES entered in force. This is also known as Washington convention.
• CITES is an international agreement to which States and regional economic integration organizations adhere voluntarily. States that have agreed to be bound by the Convention ('joined' CITES) are known as Parties. For many years CITES has been among the conservation agreements with the largest membership, with now 183 Parties.
• Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties – in other words they have to implement the Convention – it does not take the place of national laws. Rather it provides a framework to be respected by each Party, which has to adopt its own domestic legislation to ensure that CITES is implemented at the national level.
• International wildlife trade:

        1. Estimated to be worth billions of dollars and to include hundreds of millions of plant                    and animal specimens.

        2. The trade is diverse, ranging from live animals and plants to a vast array of wildlife                    products derived from them, including food products, exotic leather goods, wooden                  musical instruments, timber, tourist curios and medicines.

        3. Levels of exploitation of some animal and plant species are high and the trade in them,              together with other factors, such as habitat loss, is capable of heavily depleting their                populations and even bringing some species close to extinction.

        4. Many wildlife species in trade are not endangered, but the existence of an agreement              to ensure the sustainability of the trade is important in order to safeguard these                        resources for the future.

• The species covered by CITES are listed in three Appendices, according to the degree of protection they need.

        1. Appendix I: It includes species threatened with extinction. Trade in specimens of these              species is permitted only in exceptional circumstances. E.g. gorillas, sea turtles, lady                slipper orchids and giant pandas

        2. Appendix II: It includes species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but in which

            trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival.                  E.g. paddlefish, lions, American alligators, mahogany and many corals

        3. Appendix III: This Appendix contains species that are protected in at least one country,

            which has asked other CITES Parties for assistance in controlling the trade. E.g. map             turtles, walruses and Cape stag beetles

A specimen of a CITES-listed species may be imported into or exported (or re-exported) from a State party to the Convention only if the appropriate document has been obtained and presented for clearance at the port of entry or exit.

CMS (Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals)

• It is an environmental treaty under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme, CMS provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats. CMS brings together the States through which migratory animals pass, the Range States, and lays the legal foundation for internationally coordinated conservation measures throughout a migratory range.
• CMS signed in 1979 in Bonn, Germany, the Convention entered into force in 1983.
• As the only global convention specializing in the conservation of migratory species, their habitats and migration routes, CMS complements and co-operates with a number of other international organizations, NGOs and partners in the media as well as in the corporate sector.
• Migratory species threatened with extinction are listed on Appendix I of the Convention. CMS Parties strive towards strictly protecting these animals, conserving or restoring the places where they live, mitigating obstacles to migration and controlling other factors that might endanger them.
• Migratory species that need or would significantly benefit from international co-operation are listed in Appendix II of the Convention. For this reason, the Convention encourages the Range States to conclude global or regional agreements.
• The agreements may range from legally binding treaties (called Agreements) to less formal instruments, such as Memoranda of Understanding, and can be adapted to the requirements of particular regions.
• The Convention on Migratory Species has 130 Parties.

What is the CMS SGP?

The CMS Small Grants Programme (SGP) was established in 1994 by the Fourth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties as a grassroots tool that has served as a catalyst for further action to conserve migratory species and their habitats, funding projects in more than 30 countries since its inception.

The SGP has played an important role in strengthening the implementation of the Convention through supporting CMS conservation initiatives for a number of migratory taxa, with a strong focus on implementation in developing countries.

Migratory Species in India

• The Indian sub-continent is also part of the major bird flyway network, i.e, the Central Asian Flyway (CAF) that covers areas between the Arctic and Indian Oceans, and covers at least 279 populations of 182 migratory waterbird species, including 29 globally threatened species.
• India is a temporary home to several migratory animals and birds. The important among these include Amur Falcons, Bar-headed Geese, Black-necked cranes, Marine turtles, Dugongs, Humpbacked Whales, etc.
• India has also launched the National Action Plan for the conservation of migratory species under the Central Asian Flyway.

WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature)

• The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961, working in the field of wilderness preservation, and the reduction of human impact on the environment.
• It was formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States
• WWF is the world's largest conservation organization with over five million supporters worldwide, working in more than 100 countries, supporting around 1,300 conservation and environmental projects.
• WWF is a foundation with 55% of funding from individuals and bequests, 19% from government sources (such as the World Bank, DFID, USAID) and 8% from corporations in 2014.
• WWF aims to "stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature."
• The Living Planet Report is published every two years by WWF since 1998; it is based on a Living Planet Index and ecological footprint calculation.
• In addition, WWF has launched several notable worldwide campaigns including Earth Hour and Debt-for-Nature Swap, and its current work is organized around these six areas: food, climate, freshwater, wildlife, forests, and oceans.

World Wide Fund for Nature -India:  (WWF India) was founded with the express objective of ensuring the conservation of the country's wildlife and natural habitats. It was set up as a Charitable Public Trust on 27 November 1969. It was then known as the World Wildlife Fund India, much before the terms 'wildlife' and 'environment' had caught the attention of the government or the public.

Earth Hour is a global movement organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The event is held annually encouraging individuals, communities, and businesses to switching-off non-essential electric lights, for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. on a specific day towards the end of March, as a symbol of commitment to the planet. It was started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia, in 2007.

The Nature Conservancy

• It is a global environmental non-profit working to create a world where people and nature can thrive.
• The Nature Conservancy (TNC), headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, United States.
• Founded at its grassroots in the United States in 1951, The Nature Conservancy has grown to become one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world.
• The Nature Conservancy's Plant a Billion Trees campaign is an effort to restore 2,500,000 acres (10,100 km2) of land and plant one billion trees by 2025 in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil.

The Nature Conservancy in India:

1. Restoring Wetlands in Chennai - To develop and implement a science-led lake restoration plan and piloting efforts on Sembakkam lake in Chennai. Partners: Care Earth Trust & Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai
2. Enhancing Drought Resilience for People and Nature - To develop a comprehensive science-led drought resilience plan for the Devnadi watershed in the Nashik district of Maharashtra. Partners: Yuva Mitra
3. Ending Crop Residue Burning in Northwest India - Working with partners to promote the use of an agricultural technology – the Happy Seeder – which enables utilisation of rice residue in the field itself and eliminates the need to burn. It is a win-win for farmers and the environment as it is known to improve farm yield and soil health, while also reducing water use. Working with farmers in selected districts of Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh to address behavioural and financial barriers to the uptake of the Happy Seeder, and increase its use from a mere 2000 in a year to at least 50,000 units by 2022. Partners: The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Borlaug Institute of South Asia (BISA), Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), and Tata Trusts.
4. Establishing India's First Water Fund - TNC India launch India’s first such initiative in the Ghod river basin in the Pune district of Maharashtra. The Ghod river originates in the Bhima Shankar Wildlife Sanctuary – home to the endemic giant Malabar squirrel – and is the main source of water for more than 4.5 million people and 200 industries. Partners: ITC Ltd.
5. Renewable Energy (RE) and Reforestation by Design - To enhance a decision-support tool – DARPAN – already being used by planners to site RE projects, by adding socio-ecological criteria to the selection of RE sites. This will enable planners to avoid lands with high conservation and social values and select degraded lands for setting up RE projects. Partners: Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (C-STEP); and Foundation for Ecological Services (FES)
6. Restoring River Ganga - To develop a framework for evaluating the consequences and trade-off of alternative river management actions on the health of the middle Ganga (Haridwar to Varanasi). With the right commitment and partnerships, and promoting solutions inspired by sound science, India can aspire towards a healthy Ganga. Partners: Center for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (CGRBMS), Wildlife Institute of India (WII), National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), WWF-India.

Birdlife International

Birdlife International is a global partnership of conservation organisations (NGOs) that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources.

• There are 121 Birdlife Partners worldwide – one per country or territory – and growing. Birdlife is widely recognised as the world leader in bird conservation. Rigorous science informed by practical feedback from projects on the ground in important sites and habitats enables us to implement successful conservation programmes for birds and all nature. Our actions are providing both practical and sustainable solutions significantly benefiting nature and people.
• Each Birdlife Partner is an independent environmental or wildlife not-for-profit, nongovernmental organisation (NGO). This allows each Partner to maintain its individual national identity within the Global Partnership.
• Headquarters: Cambridge, United Kingdom
• Founded: 1922

Important Bird & Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) are the sites of international significance for the

conservation of the world's birds and other nature as identified by BirdLife. These sites are also

all Key Biodiversity Areas, sites that contribute significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity. Initially, IBAs were identified only for terrestrial and freshwater environments, but over the past decade, the IBA process and method has been adapted and applied in the marine realm.

IBAs are:

• Places of international significance for the conservation of birds and other biodiversity
• Recognised world-wide as practical tools for conservation
• Distinct areas amenable to practical conservation action
• Identified using robust, standardised criteria
• Sites that together form part of a wider integrated approach to the conservation and sustainable use of the natural environment

Threats the most threatened IBAs:

This includes shifting cultivation (the main threat), illegal logging, hunting and exploitation of fuel wood. Impoverished local communities depend on forest products for resource. The forests are an important source of products such as firewood, charcoal, construction materials and lianas. Loss and degradation of forests therefore has major implications for livelihoods.

BirdLife supported the development by IUCN of the Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) Standard for

identifying sites that contribute significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity: the world`s most important sites for nature in terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments Sites qualify as global KBAs if they meet one or more of 11 criteria, clustered into five categories: threatened biodiversity; geographically restricted biodiversity; ecological integrity; biological processes; and, irreplaceability.

Few important KBA Partnership comprises partners:

    a) IUCN

    b) Conservation International

    c) Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund

    d) Global Environment Facility

    e) Global Wildlife Conservation

    f) WWF

    g) BirdLife International

BNHS

• The Bombay Natural History Society, founded in 1883. Its headquater situated in Mumbai, India.
• It is one of the largest non-governmental organisations in India engaged in conservation and biodiversity research.
• The BNHS logo is the great hornbill, inspired by a great hornbill named William, who lived on the premises of the Society.
• The BNHS is the partner of BirdLife International in India.

Function of BNHS

• It organizes and conducts nature trails and camps for the general public.
• It has been designated as a ‘Scientific and Industrial Research Organization by the Department of Science and Technology.
• It sponsors studies in Indian wildlife and conservation, and publishes a four-monthly journal, Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society (JBNHS), as well as a quarterly magazine, Hornbill.

Conservation International (CI)

• CI is an American non-profit environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, 1987. Its goal is to protect nature as a source of food, fresh water, livelihoods and a stable climate.
• Mission: Building upon a strong foundation of science, partnership and field demonstration, Conservation International empowers societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature, our global biodiversity, for the well-being of humanity.
• Vision: A healthy, prosperous world in which societies are forever committed to caring for and valuing nature, for the long-term benefit of people and all life on Earth.

Note: Logo of the organization are taken from the respective websites and social media handle.