The snowy owl of Harry Potter and a giant otter from Brazil: 40 migratory species now benefit from international protection

The snowy owl of Harry Potter and a giant otter from Brazil are among 40 migratory species that now have international protection from more than 130 countries who are signatories to a UN convention on the conservation of these increasingly threatened animals.

The inclusion of these new species was adopted on Sunday at the end of the 15th meeting (COP15) of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), which took place in the Brazilian city of Campo Grande.

Among them is the snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus), known to Harry Potter fans as Hedwig.

This species has lost a third of its global population over the past three decades, according to the CMS.

‘Climate change and overexploitation are among the main causes of its population decline, highlighting the vulnerability of the species despite its iconic status,’ the UN convention said in a press release.

According to a report published just before COP15, nearly half (49%) of all species listed by CMS show population decline trends, and nearly one in four are threatened with extinction globally.

Legal obligation

Another particularly threatened species included in the new list is the Hudsonian godwit (Limosa haemastica), a bird with a long beak facing extinction that covers 30,000 km annually from the Arctic Ocean to Patagonia.

The great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran) is also listed, as well as terrestrial mammals like the striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena), or aquatic mammals like the giant otter from Brazil (Pteronura brasiliensis).

This otter lives in the Brazilian Pantanal, one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet, located south of the Amazon, where the COP15 on migratory species took place.

The Convention is legally binding, meaning these countries have a legal obligation to protect endangered species, conserve and restore their habitats, minimize migration obstacles, and cooperate to ensure preservation.

Climate change

‘We have made significant progress, not only in approving protected species, but also in joint actions and analysis of various issues affecting migrations,’ said Joao Paulo Capobianco, president of COP15, in an interview with AFP.

According to him, these species suffer from habitat degradation, pollution, and climate change.

‘Some species change their migration period according to seasonal changes and may not find certain food resources that should be available at that time of year,’ explained Mr. Capobianco.

A UN report published on Tuesday warned of the ‘collapse’ of migratory routes essential for the survival of freshwater fish species like eels, caused by habitat degradation, overfishing, or dams.

‘By crossing continents and connecting distant ecosystems, these species reveal that nature knows no boundaries between states,’ said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during his opening speech at COP15 a week ago.

‘Protecting these animals means protecting the life of the planet,’ he concluded.

The next edition will take place in 2029 in Germany to mark the convention’s 50th anniversary, founded by an international treaty adopted in 1979 in Bonn.

Brazil already hosted the UN climate conference (COP30) last November in the Amazonian city of Belem.