Around 30 per cent of the 557 raptor species around the world are threatened by extinction to some degree, according to a new study.
The Philippine eagle, the hooded vulture and the Annobonscops-owl were among the 166 species facing some degree of threat, the study found.
The new analysis by International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and BirdLife International, a global initiative to protect birds and wildlife by non-profits, was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Threats to the Birds of Prey:
The threats to the birds of prey are a result of habitat loss, pollution, toxic substances, human–wildlife conflicts, collisions with aerial structures and electrocution by power lines and climate change.
Migratory birds of prey are at risk to these threats due to long annual journeys from their breeding grounds to wintering areas and back.
The population of Philippine eagles, the largest variety of eagles in the world, decreased rapidly in the last decades due to extensive deforestation.
Some vulture populations have declined by over 95 per cent in Asian countries such as India because of the widespread use of diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug.
What is Raptors MOU:
The CMS Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia (Raptors MOU) aims to promote internationally coordinated actions to achieve the favourable conservation status of migratory birds of prey throughout their range in the African-Eurasian region, and to reverse their decline when and where appropriate.
The Raptors MOU is one of several instruments operating under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).
The MoU seeks willingness of the signatory range states for working for conservation of the raptor species and their habitats.
India signed Raptor MOU in 2016.
Raptor MoU is also in conformity with the provisions of the existing Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972
Prelims Hot-Link:
About Raptor Species
Threats to Raptor Species
International efforts for the conservation of Raptor Species
About Raptor MOU
Source – Down to Earth
Tags : rapter species, conservation issues, ecology and environment