{"id":91363,"date":"2026-03-07T12:32:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T07:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=91363"},"modified":"2026-03-07T13:15:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T07:45:06","slug":"worlds-migratory-species-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/worlds-migratory-species-report\/","title":{"rendered":"State of the World\u2019s Migratory Species Report &#8211; Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Migratory Species Latest News<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A new interim update to the <\/span><b>State of the World\u2019s Migratory Species Report<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> warns that nearly half of the world\u2019s migratory species populations are declining and many face growing extinction risks.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>State of the World\u2019s Migratory Species Report<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The State of the World\u2019s Migratory Species Report is a global assessment that evaluates the conservation status of migratory animals across the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is prepared under the <\/span><b>Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a legally binding international treaty established in <\/span><b>1979 under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report provides comprehensive scientific information on migratory species, their population trends, conservation status, and the threats they face across their migratory routes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first global State of the World\u2019s Migratory Species Report, released in 2024, was the first comprehensive global assessment of migratory wildlife. It covered <\/span><b>1,189 species listed under the CMS treaty<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and also analysed trends among more than <\/span><b>3,000 additional migratory species<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> worldwide.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report uses scientific data from sources such as the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/iucn-red-list\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>IUCN Red List<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, population monitoring studies, and scientific literature to evaluate extinction risks and population changes.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Importance of Migratory Species<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Migratory species play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance and supporting human livelihoods. For example:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Migratory birds help in <\/span><b>pollination and pest control<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marine animals such as whales and fish help maintain <\/span><b>ocean food chains<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Migratory herds on land distribute nutrients and shape ecosystems across landscapes.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These species are also important for cultural traditions, tourism, and food systems in many parts of the world.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, migration itself creates vulnerability. If a single habitat along their migration route is destroyed, the entire migration chain may collapse. Protecting migratory species, therefore, requires coordinated conservation efforts across multiple countries.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Major Findings of the Latest Report<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Declining Populations of Migratory Species<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report highlights alarming trends in migratory wildlife populations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Around 49% of migratory species populations protected under the CMS treaty are declining.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Approximately 24% of these species now face the risk of extinction.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This represents a worsening situation compared to earlier assessments, with the proportion of declining species increasing by about 5 percentage points in just two years.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Out of the 1,189 species listed under the CMS, nearly 582 species show declining population trends.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Rising Extinction Risks<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report found that <\/span><b>26 migratory species have moved into higher extinction-risk categories<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on the IUCN Red List.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Among these, <\/span><b>18 are migratory shorebirds<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, highlighting severe threats to coastal and wetland ecosystems.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many migratory animals affected include:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Birds such as cranes and pelicans<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ungulates like wildebeest<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Freshwater fish species<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marine animals such as sharks, rays, and turtles<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These findings underline the growing vulnerability of migratory wildlife across multiple ecosystems.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Habitat Loss and Overexploitation as Major Threats<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report identifies <\/span><b>habitat loss and overexploitation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as the two biggest threats facing migratory species globally.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Human activities such as:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Urban expansion<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Infrastructure development<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Agriculture<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overfishing and hunting<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">have disrupted key migratory routes and habitats.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, infrastructure projects such as <\/span><b>roads, railways, fences, and pipelines<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are creating barriers that block migration paths of large animals such as ungulates in Central Asia.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because migratory species depend on multiple habitats along their routes, damage at even one location can significantly affect their survival.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Emerging Threat from Avian Influenza<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report also highlights the growing impact of <\/span><b>Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (<a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/h5n1-bird-flu\/\" target=\"_blank\">H5N1<\/a>)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on migratory wildlife.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The disease has caused mass mortality events among several migratory bird species and has also affected marine mammals.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Species impacted include:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">African Penguins<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Humboldt Penguins<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Peruvian Pelicans<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Red-crowned Cranes<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marine mammals such as the <\/span><b>South American Sea Lion and South American Fur Seal<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have also been affected.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Disease outbreaks add to existing pressures from habitat loss and climate change.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Progress in Conservation Efforts<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite the overall decline, the report notes some encouraging conservation successes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seven migratory species listed under CMS have shown improvements in conservation status, including:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Saiga Antelope<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scimitar-horned Oryx<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mediterranean Monk Seal\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These examples demonstrate that coordinated conservation actions across countries can help restore populations of endangered migratory species.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Importance of Key Biodiversity Areas<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report identified 9,372 Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) that are important habitats for migratory species.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, 47% of these areas currently lack protection, leaving many critical migratory habitats vulnerable to human pressures.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Strengthening protection of these areas is essential for ensuring the survival of migratory species.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/cities\/delhi\/nearly-half-of-worlds-migratory-wildlife-protected-under-un-treaty-facing-population-decline-says-new-report-10567749\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earth.com\/news\/un-report-nearly-half-of-the-worlds-migratory-animals-are-in-decline\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Earth<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The State of the World\u2019s Migratory Species Report highlights alarming global trends as nearly half of migratory species populations are declining.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":91379,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,5894,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-91363","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-migratory-species","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91363"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91363\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":91431,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91363\/revisions\/91431"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}