India, March 30 -- Forty new species of migratory birds, aquatic and terrestrial animals were added to the protected list category at 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) that ended on March 29 in Campo Grande, Brazil.

The list includes "cheetah, striped hyena, snowy owl, giant otter, great hammerhead shark, and several shorebird species", which are facing steep population decline.

The protection category accorded to the 40 species comes in the backdrop of new evidences "that many migratory species are moving closer to extinction".

CMS COP15 also approved multi-species conservation plans specifically for the Amazon region while also highlighting "a growing n...