40 animals given new protection status as danger of extinction updated

Following a week of negotiations in Brazil, 40 different at-risk animals have been granted new or enhanced treaty protections to combat extinction.

The Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) approved the list on Sunday (29 March) following a major UN wildlife conservation meeting in Campo Grande.

It's one of the world's largest and most important meetings for wildlife conservation.

Representatives from 132 countries and the European Union gathered together to discuss the ongoing threats that animals are facing, such as deep-sea mining, climate change, plastic pollution, underwater noise, illegal wildlife killing, fisheries, and marine pollution.

They also mulled over worrying new findings, which warn that 49% of the migratory species populations currently conserved by the global UN treaty are declining.

In simple terms, despite them being treaty-protected, many species' numbers are still declining due to issues like habitat loss, overexploitation, and infrastructure barriers.

Animals benefitting from the change include hammerhead sharks, giant otters and snowy owls (Getty Stock Image)

So, in an effort to help, those at the conservation meeting have agreed to add 40 migratory species and populations to the list of those needing protection.

In a social media post, CMS has called the move 'a major step for global wildlife conservation'.

A spokesperson wrote on X: "From cheetahs and striped hyenas to snowy owls, giant otters and great hammerhead sharks, CMS Parties have backed stronger international action as new evidence shows many migratory species are moving closer to extinction."

The species have been added to CMS Appendix I, which is for species in danger of extinction, and Appendix II, for species in need of coordinated international action.

With the new additions included, there are currently more than 1,200 unique species under the 47-year-old convention.

Animals benefiting from the new measures include the likes of cheetahs, snowy owls, spotted hyenas, giant otters, and great hammerhead sharks, to name just a few.

As reported by PEOPLE Magazine, CMS Executive Secretary Amy Fraenkel said in a statement: "We came to Campo Grande knowing that the populations of half the species protected under this treaty are in decline.

"We leave with stronger protections and more ambitious plans, but the species themselves are not waiting for our next meeting."

The populations of half the species protected under the treaty are currently in decline (GEOFF ROBINS/Getty Images)

The conservationist continued: "Expanded protections for striped hyena, snowy owls, giant otters, great hammerhead sharks, and many more demonstrate that nations can act when the science is clear.

"Our duty now is to close the distance between what we've agreed and what happens on the ground for these animals."

While João Paulo Capobianco, Chair of COP15 and Executive Secretary, Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Brazil, added: “We protect species that may never remain within our borders.

"We invest in a natural heritage we do not own, but are all responsible for. In doing so, we give concrete meaning to global solidarity, recognizing that migratory species transcend nations, jurisdictions, and generations.

"From the Pantanal to the Arctic, from the oceans to the savannas, migratory species connect our planet in ways no political map ever could. They remind us that ecological integrity depends on continuity on flows that must remain alive, uninterrupted, and resilient."