Stakeholder Dialogue - 15th February 2020
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Session Booklet
Stakeholder Dialogue
1430-1630 hours, 15 February 2020
Venue: Mahatma Mandir Convention
and Exhibition Centre, Seminar Hall 4
“My service to human beings is not incompatible with the welfare of the
animal world “
Mahatma Gandhi
(Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi page 238, Vol 27, June 14, 1925)
Background:
The Government of India is proud to be hosting the Thirteenth Meeting of the Conference of Parties to
the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP13) from 15 th -22nd
February 2020 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
CMS is the only global biodiversity agreement aimed at international cooperation for the conservation
of migratory species of wild animals and their habitats.
The Stakeholder Dialogue, being held on the afternoon of 15 th February 2020, will feature a special
dialogue between the civil society representatives, dignitaries from around the world, executives of
International and National Organizations and other leaders.
The theme of the dialogue will be the importance of “connectivity” for migratory species. Throughout
their journeys, migratory species rely on having places for breeding, feeding and resting. Migratory
species also play an important role for healthy ecosystems, including in dispersal of seeds, pollination
and pest regulation. Ecosystems that support migratory species often play a major role in providing other
benefits, such as wetlands that provide resilience to climate change. Migratory species, likewise, connect
not only places, but also people and nations.
Through a dedicated community stakeholder dialogue, ideas would be discussed/ deliberated on the
UN-CBD led POST 2020 Global Biodiversity framework that is currently being drafted at multiple levels
to seek beyond the Aichi targets of saving biodiversity.
Some key components of interest such as – formulating indicators that would be needed for target
elements for ecological connectivity; including potential new standalone targets for Habitats, Species,
Land-use change, Climate change, Direct drivers, Use and value of nature, Enabling conditions (including
national and local planning processes, Community-level participation and international cooperation)
would also be discussed.
Special focus would be given to the India perspective wherein success has been achieved through
community –based Joint forest management models, flagship –species conservation and the potential
to upscale and include the key takeaways in the global agenda.
2
Session Booklet
Stakeholder Dialogue
1430-1630 hours, 15 February 2020
Venue: Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre,
Seminar Hall 4
AGENDA
Time Details
1425 Arrival of delegates/guests
1430 - 1440 Welcome address by Mr. Soumitra Dasgupta, IGF (Wildlife), Ministry of
Environment Forest and Climate Change, Govt of India
1440 - 1500 Introduction by Dr. Susan Lieberman, Vice President, International Policy
Wildlife Conservation Society
1500 - 1550
• CMS input to the Post-2020 Dialogue and Framework and the current zero
draft- Ms Amy Fraenkel, Executive Secretary CMS
• Post 2020 framework from a Government perspective – Mr. Jochen
Flasbarth, State Secretary, Germany
• Global Community perspective - Ms Patricia Zurita, CEO of BirdLife
International
• Habitat perspective – Mr Ward Hagemeijer, Head Business and
Ecosystems, Wetlands International
• India community perspective - Dr. Sonali Ghosh, DIG, MoEFCC (this
presentation will summarize inputs received from CBOs)
1550 - 1620 Open discussion (Select CBOs to raise points for discussion) moderated by
MoEFCC
1620 – 1630 Final Remarks and summary
Rapporteurs Vedant Rastogi, Abhimanyu Singh
3
Profile of Key speakers
1. Soumitra Dasgupta, Inspector General Forest- Wildlife, Ministry of
Environment Forest and Climate Change, Govt of India
Mr. Soumitra Dasgupta is an Indian Forest Service Officer of the 1989 batch from the West Bengal
Cadre. During his chequered career of over 30 years, he has served under various capacities as a PA
manager and a policy maker at the state level. During his tenure as field director Sundarbans Tiger
Reserve, he was instrumental in intensifying management strategies to mitigate human-wildlife
conflict and also for transboundary cooperation. He is currently serving as IGF – Wildlife at Govt of
India level and has been a key player to showcase India’s wildlife conservation success stories to the
world.
2. Susan Lieberman, Vice President, International Policy Wildlife
Conservation Society
Dr. Susan Lieberman is Vice President, International Policy with the Wildlife Conservation Society
(WCS), where she leads WCS’s policy engagement in multiple intergovernmental fora. She has worked
in international biodiversity conservation, at the intersection of science and policy, for more than 30
years, including extensive experience with international wildlife trade including wildlife trafficking. She
has extensive experience with treaties and other intergovernmental bodies, including the Convention
on Biological Diversity (CBD), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES),
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), and the UNESCO-World
Heritage Convention. Previously, she worked for The Pew Charitable Trusts, WWF-International, and
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She obtained her Ph.D. in tropical ecology from the University of
Southern California, Los Angeles, where she also did postdoctoral research. Sue is a Conservation
Fellow of the Zoological Society of London, an appointed member of the United for Wildlife/Royal
Foundation Transport Taskforce, and a member of the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist
Group; she was an appointed member of President Obama’s Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking,
and is a past member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Steering Committee.
3. Amy Fraenkel, Executive Secretary CMS
Ms. Amy Fraenkel brings to CMS a wealth of experience, both as a Party negotiator and as a senior
United Nations official. She joined the CMS Family from the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) in Montreal, Canada, where she served as part of the senior management, and led work
on mainstreaming biodiversity into governmental and private sector policies and decision
making. From 2007 until 2013, she served as the UNEP Regional Director for North America based in
Washington, D.C. Prior to joining the United Nations, she served as senior counsel for the U.S. Senate
Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard with a particular focus on marine
mammals, sea turtles, international agreements and climate science. She also was a senior policy
advisor in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of International Affairs, where she served
on delegations to numerous international bodies. She spent seven years in private law practice in
California and New York. She is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Grinnell College.
4
4. Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary for the Environment, Nature
Conservation, Germany
Mr. Jochen Flasbarth was born in Duisburg-Rheinhausen in 1962. He studied economics and was
employed in various positions in nature conservation and environmental protection. He was President
of the Federal Environment Agency from 2009 to 2013.He has been instrumental in leading global
campaigns such as the International Climate Initiative and sustainable development and its
implementation in Germany.
5. Patricia Zurita, Chief Executive Officer of BirdLife International
Ms. Patricia Zurita is the Chief Executive Officer of BirdLife International. BirdLife International is the
world’s largest nature conservation Partnership, with 120 BirdLife Partners worldwide. Previously
Patricia was the Executive Director of the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) a global multi-
donor fund enabling civil society to participate in and benefit from conserving some of the world’s
most critical ecosystems. During Patricia’s tenure CEPF granted more than $170 million in more than
80 countries and territories located in 23 biodiversity hotspots around the world, leveraging an
additional $320 million for conservation in these areas. An Ecuadorian national, Patricia holds a
master’s degree in Environmental Management and Natural Resource Economics from Duke
University, and has also worked with the Ecuadorian Park System, the World Bank and the World
Resources Institute.
6. Ward Hagemeijer, Head Business and Ecosystems, Wetlands International
Mr Ward Hagemeijer, completed his studies in ecology (Ornithology and Aquatic Ecology) at the
Universities of Nijmegen and Groningen. Prior to 2000, he led the research and International
Department of a Dutch ornithological NGO for 10 years, gathering, analyzing and providing information
for policy making at a national and international level. From 2008, he started engaging with companies
to promote wetland conservation where his past experience in the sector enabled him to embrace the
full set of values that they represent. He is currently head of Business and Ecosystems division, yet he
loves to spend an idyllic day near wetlands, especially watching birds.
7. Sonali Ghosh, Deputy Inspector General of Forest, Central Zoo Authority
Dr Sonali Ghosh is an Indian Forest Service officer with more than 20 years of work experience in the
field of forest and natural heritage conservation in Asia. As part of her job, she has worked as a field
manager in Kaziranga and Manas Protected Areas in India; and subsequently as a founding faculty
member of UNESCO category 2 centre on world heritage at Wildlife Institute of India. She has been
instrumental in contributing towards better community-based engagement and in-situ conservation of
threatened migratory species such as Bengal Florican. She has co-authored 2 books- Cultural
Landscapes of Asia and Wild Treasures- reflections on natural heritage, and several research
publications and her current interests are to explore Nature-Culture linkages and urban wildlife
management.
5
Glimpses of Community-based
Conservation models for Migratory species
in India
6
• Vhali- Whale Shark daughter of the fisherfolk
The Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus),
protected and classified as vulnerable
and a Schedule I of India’s Wild Life
(Protection) Act, 1972; migrates from
as far as the waters of Australia and
Mexico to give birth in the warmth of
the Arabian Sea along the Saurashtra
coast. They are often found just 1-2
km off the fishing ports of Veraval,
Dwarka, Diu, Mangrol and Porbandar.
Popular spiritual leader, Shri Morari
Bapu launched the Save- the Whale Shark Campaign and vowed to use his discourses to spread the
message of ‘Ahimsa hi Param Dharma’ (non-violence) and ‘Atithi devo bhava’ (guest is god) among the
fisherfolk to create awareness about the plight of the whale shark, known to be a regular visitor to the
state’s coast.
The guru ventured into the sea off Dwarka and blessed a
whale shark entangled in a net and said he wished the
creature was left alone1. This campaign generated a
massive awareness as he compared the Whale Shark to
a Vhali – daughter of the fisherfolk, who is returning
home. A popular narrative has helped garner the support
of the fishermen into protectors of the fish and brought
about a change in the perception and attitude of local
people.
• The Amur Falcon Story
Amur falcon (Falco amurensis) is a small bird of prey that
is known to breed in southeast Russia and northern China
and migrate west through India and across the Arabian
Sea to southern Africa where they spend their winters,
making a round-trip of at least 20,000 km every year,
travelling between their breeding and wintering
grounds2. This arduous journey includes a non-stop flight
over the Arabian Sea after passing across India. The
1
https://www.wti.org.in/news/morari-bapu-launches-save-the-whale-shark-campaign-in-gujarat/
2
https://scroll.in/article/877928/the-pangti-story-how-a-nagaland-village-turned-from-hunting-ground-to-safe-haven-for-
amur-falcon
7
resilient falcons arrive in large numbers, during October in Nagaland, Manipur and parts of Meghalaya
and Assam in north-eastern India. Less than ten years ago, several of these birds were targeted by local
hunters and mass- trapped as bushmeat.
Fortunately, a multitude of
stakeholders ranging from
local church leaders, forest
department and community-
based organizations such as
the AFRAU Pangti Village,
Nagaland Wildlife &
Biodiversity conservation
trust along with a group of
conservationists and
researchers came together to
launch a comprehensive
campaign to protect the Amur Falcons3.
These campaigns revolved around nature education, creation of Amur Falcon EcoClubs, patrolling and
enforcement, as well as scientific study of the birds. This led to the village councils calling for a ban on
hunting the falcons and within a short span of time, the mass hunting was totally stopped.
Taking a cue from their neighbours in Nagaland, local communities in Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya have
also now come together (under
the banner of Tyrso Valley
Wildlife Protection Society) to
create awareness and also
ensure protection to this
magnificent bird during its long-
distance migration.
3
http://nagalandconservation.in/
8
• Hargila Army
Tree and animal species are sacred symbols in Indian
culture making beliefs an important consideration as we
seek to protect our rich biodiversity. The greater adjutant
stork (Leptoptilos dubious ; Hargila in Assamese) is a
threatened bird and Assam (and Bihar) is considered its
last global strong hold4. The global population of this bird
is about 1,000 individuals.
Hargila usually make their nesting colonies mainly in tall, privately owned trees. The key to the survival
of this species is achieving the good wishes of the rural communities towards this bird. For instance in
Dadara village under Kamrup district of Assam, around 500 birds are known to nest making it one the
largest nesting colony of this species in the world.
Dr Purnima Devi Barman popularly known and
‘’Hargila baido” among communities along with
team member of Aaranyak5 and forest
department Assam systematically worked with
the local communities (especially women) of the
local villages to re-establish the nature-culture
link for Hargiula protection. Nesting trees were
protected and so were the chicks that may have
accidentally fallen from the tall trees. With more
than 12 years of continued community engagement,
4
http://www.conservationleadershipprogramme.org/ritual-beliefs-and-greater-adjutant-stork-conservation-in-dadara-
india/
5
https://www.aaranyak.org/showsubsubpage.asp?ssubid=33&subid=1&id=2
9
the villages have taken ownership of the species, and
they are now proud to live with Hargila. Population
numbers of Hargila are now growing.
Similarly, breeding colonies of Greater Adjutant
were also reported in Bihar in 2006 and within 13
years of time the population has increased to nearly
550 from just 78 in 2007. This has helped increasing
the global estimate from 650 in 2006 to 800-1200 in
2013. Arvind Mishra, a naturalist and
conservationist and his team members of the
Mandar Nature Club in Bhagalpur, Bihar have been
working tirelessly to create awareness in support of
these breeding colonies of this bird. As a first step,
threat due to hunting by the nomadic tribes, felling
of the nesting trees have been drastically reduced.
A sense of ‘owner’s pride’ has been instilled among
the villagers through various scientific, sentimental,
legal and religious campaigns which is also
continued. A rescue and rehabilitation centre has
been set up in collaboration with State forest
department to cater to the storks and several other
migratory bord species that annually visit the area.
10• Olive Ridleys on the east and the west coast
India has a coastline of more than 8000 km which is
rich in biodiversity. Apart from sustaining fishing
grounds, India’s coastal waters and beaches provide
foraging and nesting sites for a variety of marine
species, including sea turtles. Five species of sea
turtles are known to inhabit Indian coastal waters
and islands. These are the Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys
olivacea), Green (Chelonia mydas), Hawksbill
(Eretmochelys imbricata), Loggerhead (Caretta
caretta) and the Leatherback (Dermochelys
coriacea) turtles6. Except the Loggerhead, the
remaining four species nest along the Indian coast. Within India, the eastern coast of Odisha and parts
of Andhra Pradesh form one of the largest mass-
nesting sites with over half- a million Olive Ridley
turtles visiting the region every year from October-
April.
From humble beginnings 17 years ago, TREE
Foundation in collaboration with the forest
department of Andhra Pradesh and department of
fisheries has been successfully working along the east
coast both onshore and also offshore through
community engagement and fisher’s participation.
The Foundation pioneered a successful Community-
Based Conservation Program for the protection of the olive ridley turtles, especially when they arrive
in large numbers for nesting. Dr Supraja Dharini and her team at the TREE Foundation7 has been able
to establish partnerships with local educational institutions and decision-makers to disseminate
findings and encourage a more effective conservation policy through participatory workshops,
6
https://www.wwfindia.org/?9460/marine-turtles-along-the-indian-coast
7
http://www.treefoundationindia.org/
11curriculum development, and knowledge exchange with other conservationists and NGOs, both
nationally and internationally.
On similar lines, along the west coast, Maharashtra
state also has a long coastline of about 720 kilometers,
which is home to a diverse range of coastal
ecosystems such as mangroves, corals, rocky shores,
sandy shores, mudflats etc. The coastal and marine
environment not only supports an astounding variety
of flora and fauna, but also provides a number of
ecosystem services, which are crucial to the
sustenance of life and livelihood security of coastal
communities.
Recognizing the importance of mangroves, the
government of Maharashtra established the
Mangrove cell and the Mangrove and Marine
Biodiversity Conservation Foundation of Maharashtra
(Mangrove Foundation) which has been able to carry
out some outstanding work related to outreach and
awareness in coastal districts towards training local
beach management staff regarding management of
the turtle nesting sites, locating and relocating of
turtles nests8. Also, Workshops are conducted by
Mangrove Foundation and the Forest Department staff to educate turtle nest managers for systematic
data collection regarding sea turtle nesting and hatching details. Since Dec 2018, the Maharashtra
Forest Dept., Mangrove Foundation and the State Fisheries Dept. of Maharashtra have started a
compensation scheme for the conservation of marine protected species (Schedule I species as per WPA,
1972) in the state. 16 Olive Ridley sea turtles, 10 Green sea turtles, 1 leatherback turtle and 11 Whale
sharks have been rescued and released back into the sea by fishermen under the said scheme.
8
https://www.in.undp.org/content/india/en/home/operations/projects/environment_and_energy/mainstreaming-coastal-
and-marine-biodiversity-into-production-se.html
12• Sarus and other birds in Central and
Western Indian landscape
The sarus crane (Grus antigone antigone) is the
tallest flying bird in the world standing 152-156 cm
tall with a wingspan of 240cm9. Listed as
“vulnerable” in the International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of
Threatened Species, they are distributed in
the lowlands, but mostly forage outside Protected
areas, especially in agricultural areas
and wetlands of India. Once seen in hundreds,
population of this bird drastically declined in areas
such as bhoj wetland in Madhya Pradesh. As per
reports around 160 individuals were counted in
2001 which reduced to 24 in 2008. In 2013 0nly ten
individual is sighted .Bhopal birds conservation
society, a registered society began a Rapid action
program in collaboration with forest department
and the Wild Life Trust of India in October 2013 to
monitor the population and also take up further
protection through active consultation with
farmers and villagers . Several of the farmers have
now come forward to practise organic farming and
a group of from peripheral villages formed the “Sarus Mitra” to monitor the bird throughout the year.
These volunteers keep a watch on sarus crane population , their nests and illegal poaching . As a result
9
https://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/priority_species/threatened_species/sarus_crane/
13of this program latest survey done during 2019
have now shown a remarkable recovery and the
presence of 330 individual of Sarus Crane in the
Bhoj Wetland .
Similarly, in Rajasthan, locally resident birds are
threatened sometimes by local festivals such as the
annual kite flying Makar Sankranti festival. Civil
society organizations such as Hope and Beyond10
and Raksha with support of the Forest Department
work towards the welfare of the environment and
all things living - give a new life to the birds injured
during the ever-popular kite festival of Jaipur. It has
also played a crucial role in rescue and
rehabilitation of several of the avian botulism
affected birds in Sambhar Lake and have now
created awareness in the region to prevent any
such outbreak in the near future.
10
https://thelogicalindian.com/exclusive/birds-jaipur-kite-festival-19357
14• Community awareness and outreach
in southern India
Birdwatching and environment consciousness trace a
well-trodden path in southern India states where
community especially youth are better sensitized
towards wildlife conservation. Civil society
organizations such as the Bird Watchers Society of
Andhra Pradesh (now known as Deccan Birders)11
have played a crucial role in conducting regular bird
watching trips and also to conduct the Asian Waterfowl census.
Members take up water bird counting exercise
in the state and the data is scientifically pooled
and sent to Wetlands International which in turn
assesses the water bodies' health and the stress
if any upon it. This process greatly helps in
conservation of water bodies and it's dependent
Flora and fauna. Birdwatching Trips are
conducted twice a month locally and across
Telangana for Members.
Bird Lists and Habitat data is collected from field trips and shared with the Forest Department and other
Organisations to help Conservation. Besides these, Deccan Birders has also taken up the Project to create
The Hyderabad Bird Atlas, and plans to create a Green Map of Telangana in collaboration with the
Telangana Forest Department.
11
http://www.bsap.in/
15In Kerala, Malabar Natural History Society12, an
independent non-governmental organization
engaged in Nature Education, Research and
Conservation has been able to systematically take
up biodiversity documentation and also help
popularise science. Through their extensive
awareness activities greater public support and
trust is established towards wildlife conservation,
especially in wetland areas and heronries.
• Of Snow Leopard and shepherds
The snow leopard (Panthera Uncia) is an
endangered large cat inhabiting the high mountains
of Central and South Asia. It has an extremely
patchy and fragmented distribution throughout its
range. Snow leopards are found in 12 central Asian
countries, including India, China and Mongolia. The
estimated global population of the species is 4500
to 7500 individuals. Within India, 200 to 600
individuals are thought to occur in the higher
reaches of the Himalayas encompassing the
northern areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh13.
12
https://malabarnhs.in/
13
http://snowleopardindia.org/
16According to Dr Tsewang Namgail, the Snow
Leopard Conservancy India Trust in Ladakh, in
collaboration with Forest department
promotes innovative grassroots conservation
measures that lead local people to become
better stewards of the charismatic and
endangered snow leopard, its prey and habitat.
It is the first nature conservation organization in
Ladakh, and is run entirely by a team of
energetic Ladakhi youth. Since its inception it
has been able to promote community-based
ecotourism for trans-Himalayan landscape, has built over 240 Snow Leopard proof corrals across Ladakh
to mitigate Human-Snow Leopard conflict and also re-established community-controlled livestock
insurance program and better herding practises.
Similarly, a multi-stakeholder SECURE Himalayas
project14 in collaboration with forest department
of Uttarakhand have developed Participatory
Snow Leopard Monitoring Protocol in local
languages, where community youth have been
trained in monitoring the apex predator and its
associated prey species. A cadre of 60 local youth
as Para-taxonomists have been created that are
now trained on scientific information about local
flora, maintain inventory of indigenous
threatened biodiversity, conservation &
commercial imp. And its linkages with eco-
tourism.
14
https://www.in.undp.org/content/india/en/home/projects/securing-livelihoods-in-the-himalayas.html
17• Conservation beyond borders
Scaling up of community
conservation for sustainable
development is perhaps best
manifested in the Himalayan
state of Sikkim which has been
a pioneer on several fronts,
including being India’s first fully
organic state. Due to its
strategic location and rich
Himalayan biodiversity15,
several community-based
organizations such as the
Nature Conservation society among others have been able to consistently link outreach and awareness
to livelihood support.
Newer frontiers of conservation partnerships are being achieved as in the state of Mizoram where strong
community linkages within the society are now being harnessed for wildlife and biodiversity
conservation. Tribal communities and their heads are instrumental in decision making and it is only with
their support that conservation strategies result in accelerated results16. Hope continues as India
showcases to the world its unique biodiversity that is inclusive and respectful towards the human-nature
relationship and synergies.
15
https://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/critical_regions/khangchendzonga_landscape/about_khangchendzonga/?10901/M
onitoring-of-High-Altitude-Habitats-in-West-Sikkim-by-Himal-Rakshaks#
16 16
18Acknowledgements
This session booklet has been prepared by compiling the valuable inputs and photographs provided by several civil
society organizations that work tirelessly towards furthering the goal of biodiversity conservation in the respective
areas. Special thanks are also due to all the State governments that have nominated CBOs/ NGOs to attend the
CMS COP13, Feb 15, 2020 Stakeholder session and the India Pavilion. The umbrella support of host state Gujarat
and the Wildlife Division of Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change remains unparalleled in terms of
positive and constructive intent to bring in all stakeholders together.
CMS-Stakeholder Session Task team, MoEFCC (Sonali, Vedant, Abhimanyu and Rupa)
Date: Feb 15, 2020
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