Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP14) concluded in Samarkand.

Among the agreed measures: the inclusion of 14 migratory species in the Convention, including the Eurasian lynx, manul and sand tiger shark. Representatives of 133 member states of the Convention adopted the Samarkand Resolution, joint decisions and coordinated actions on more than 100 different topics.

At the final session of the week-long meeting chaired by Uzbekistan, Aziz Abdukhakimov expressed gratitude to the conference participants for promoting transformation and finding new ways to preserve and sustainable development of wildlife.

“COP14 demonstrated the ambition and commitment of many parties to develop concrete plans and take action for the conservation and sustainable management of migratory species and their habitats. Uzbekistan welcomes the key results of the conference as they are in line with the priorities and goals of the country’s government.

As the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted in his address at the opening of the conference, significant efforts are being made in the country not only to protect migratory species, but also to restore natural ecosystems.”

The minister also said that Uzbekistan will focus on the reintroduction of extinct species, such as the Asiatic cheetah, which once lived on the Ustyurt Plateau.

“It is equally important to combat threats such as habitat loss, pollution, climate change and human-wildlife conflict.

In a short period of time, we have managed to increase the coverage of protected areas to 14% and in the next five years we plan to reach 20%. Several sites are included in the network of UNESCO biosphere reserves, and during the current meeting, the fifth site of Uzbekistan, Lake Zhyltyrbas, was included in the list of wetlands of the Ramsar Convention.”

It is worth noting that after almost two decades of fruitless negotiations, the conference reached an agreement on the Central Asian Flyway, covering 30 migratory bird range states. The initiative taken includes the establishment of a coordination unit in India.

Aziz Abdukhakimov noted the importance of regional efforts in preserving the common natural heritage: “Regional cooperation and close partnership with the countries of Central Asia are one of our key priorities. We share a common history, culture, environmental and climatic characteristics, and migratory species. That’s why reaching an agreement with Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan to advance our snow leopard conservation efforts and jointly signing a memorandum of understanding on the conservation of migratory birds of prey in Africa and Eurasia is evidence of our strong commitment to regional partnerships. In addition, we are working with the Republic of Tajikistan to create a transboundary protected area along the Zarafshan River.”

In conclusion, the minister noted that the topic of climate change is a strategic priority for the government: “This is demonstrated by the creation of the President’s Climate Council and the National Climate Center, which are charged with expanding interagency collaboration on climate change adaptation and mitigation, and developing and implementing climate-smart and science-based policies.”

Key results from COP14 include:

Strengthened Climate Change Resolution and Endorsement of the Climate Change Report on Migratory Wildlife.

Strengthening measures to combat illegal and unsustainable fishing of migratory species.

Agreement on Actions to Promote Ecological Connectivity.

New global guidelines on the effects of light pollution on migratory species.

Recommendations for addressing issues of linear infrastructure development and impact assessment.

Endorsing a new scientific report, “Insect decline and its threat to migratory insectivorous populations,” and calling on the CMS Science Council to develop new recommendations.

Adoption of a new Wildlife Health Decision calling on Parties to the Convention to implement the recommendations of the scientific report Migratory Species and Health: A Review of Wildlife Migration and Disease Dynamics and the Health of Migratory Species in the Context of One Health.

New, scientifically based Samarkand strategic plan for migratory species for the period 2024-2032.

Also, as an immediate response to some of the key recommendations of the CMS flagship report, The State of the World’s Migratory Species, a new Global Partnership for Environmental Connectivity (GPEC) was launched during the COP14 special event.

In addition, during the Conference period, approximately 6.5 billion people were reached by more than 2,000 news articles in 110 countries in 40 different languages.

At the conclusion of COP14, the Government of Uzbekistan assumed the role of Chair of the CMS COP and will continue to build on the momentum of this conference over the next three years, not only in Central Asia but in all regions of the world, to conserve migratory species and their habitats.